GEORGE TOWN – The sports schools in Malaysia were one step behind in trying to entice Penang-born Singaporean Loh Kean Yew to join them but failed because his elder sibling Kean Heng had already started training in the island nation.
The talented Kean Yew went on to win the World Championship last year after he was recruited by a Singaporean sports school when he was younger.
He was just 12 years old when the offer from Singapore came, said Penang Badminton Association president Datuk Kah Kau Kiak.
He said Kean Yew was training at the badminton academy in Jalan La Salle here when the scouts from elsewhere began to follow his progress.
“So, the offer came and Kean Yew, as well as his family, were agreeable because he had a brother already training in Singapore. They had an aunt over there helping them.
“I feel bad as Penang is a top state in producing badminton talents. We need not look far. (Datuk Lee) Chong Wei is from Penang.
“Other players would attend training sessions three times a week (when in Penang) but Kean Yew and his brother would come for nine sessions a week.”
Kah also praised the family for instilling Kean Yew with a sense of dedication.
Last month, Kean Yew, aged 24, became the first Singaporean to win a badminton world championship despite nursing an ankle injury.
Kah said Kean Yew’s contemporary is Malaysian number one Lee Zii Jia, who hailed from neighbouring Kedah.
“Even when they were juniors, both players were highly competitive. It was an inter-state rivalry that has now gone onto the world stage.”
He added that the effort to produce the next Chong Wei for Penang continues, and it is a matter of time before the state has more calibre players.
In 2010, Kean Yew took up a scholarship offer from the Singapore Sports Council to study and play badminton there.
He then became a naturalised citizen and began representing Singapore in 2015.
Meanwhile, his parents who reside near Green Lane here, have refrained from speaking to the media.
A relative urged the media to respect their privacy as they do not want their comments to be inadvertently used. – The Vibes, January 28, 2022
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