KUALA LUMPUR − National women’s doubles shuttler Chow Mei Kuan has described her decision to retire from the sport as “a tough call to make”.
The 26-year-old player said that after devoting 17 years of her life to badminton, she decided to move on to the next challenge.
In a heartfelt Instagram post today, the Kuala Lumpur-born player took the opportunity to express gratitude to her family for all their sacrifices, support, guidance, and efforts.
Mei Kuan was also grateful to the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), National Sports Council, coaches, support staff, teammates and her partner for their inspiration and support.
“In the absence of each of you, I might not be able to achieve my Olympics dream. I really appreciate and will remember it.
“In addition, I am truly grateful for the care, support and unconditional love from each one of you. I have received tons of warm messages since yesterday. Sorry that I am not able to reply. It means so much to me in my time of need. Thank you very much,” she said.
BAM, in a statement yesterday, said they had tried to persuade her to stay on but to no avail, adding that they had accepted her resignation, which is effective on September 15.
Mei Kuan partnered Lee Meng Yean in their Olympic debut in Tokyo recently but were eliminated in the group stage, recording just one win, against Great Britain’s Chloe Birch-Lauren Smith, out of three matches in Group A.
Apart from Meng Yean, Mei Kuan had also paired up with several others such as Vivian Hoo, Lai Pei Jing and Shevon Lai Jemie throughout her career after joining the national team in 2012.
Mei Kuan’s biggest success came in 2018 when she clinched the women’s doubles gold medal with Vivian at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, after beating Lauren Smith-Sarah Walker of England 21-12, 21-12 in the final. – Bernama, August 17, 2021
