Dad's winning moment inspires Jason

Memories of former national shuttler Wong Shoon Keat's illustrious career occupied his badminton shop at the old Singapore Badminton Hall in Guillemard Road.

On the right of the shop entrance was a wall lined with photos of Wong in action and together with greats from the region like China's Yang Yang and Indonesia's Liem Swie King.

There was also a television set that replayed Wong's winning moment in the 1983 SEA Games final that made him still the only Singaporean shuttler to win a men's singles gold at the biennial Games.

The shop may no longer be around but the looped video and wall of photos - pinned to a board and protected by a glass cover - inspired Wong's youngest son Jason to follow in his father's footsteps.

Jason, 20, is part of the Singapore badminton team who will be competing at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast from Wednesday.

Last week, he told The New Paper how his father's heroics got him to pick up the racket too.

There’s definitely pressure but... I want to take things one step at a time. Jason Wong, on being in a family of successful shuttlers

He said: "I watched that tape from his shop every day and that moment when he won that (gold) medal in the SEA Games was pure ecstasy and showed his passion for the sport.

"The wall of fame showed how much he had travelled around the world, which also got me excited because I like travelling."

Having a knack for the sport seems to be woven into the Wong family.

His mother Irene Lee, 59, is a former national champion.

Four years ago, his second brother Derek made history by being the first Singaporean to make it to the men's singles final at the Commonwealth Games. Derek went on to win a silver.

Wong's oldest brother Shawn, 32, is a badminton coach while third brother Jamie, 24, who is an engineering undergraduate at the National University of Singapore, also plays the sport.

But the youngest Wong remains unfazed by his family members' achievements ahead of his Commonwealth Games debut.

He said: "I'm very excited because it's a whole new experience. I feel very humbled because I'll be meeting professional players around the region and competing against them.

"I hope to bring back that experience and become a better player."

Coming from a family of sporting talents has not been without pressure, but Jason is in no rush to match their feats.

He said: "There's definitely pressure, but I choose not to let that get to me. I want to take things one step at a time."

His father, 61, believes that Jason has dealt with the pressure well.

Said Wong: "It's important that he learns to cope with pressure, which he is handling well. It's good because he wants to become better."

Jason sees his family as his pillar of support rather than a source of pressure.

He said: "The support from your family helps you through that daily grind."

Since joining the national team in 2014, Jason has won two SEA Games bronze medals in the men's team event.

For the Commonwealth Games, Jason, who is competing in the mixed doubles with Ong Ren-Ne, is targeting a bronze medal, but admitted that it will not be easy.

He said: "There are definitely better players who are able to challenge me. I have to be at the top of my game."

It will be his debut with Ong, 21, but he feels that they have progressed well since starting training as a pair in January.

It will be the first Commonwealth Games for the majority of Singapore's youngest badminton squad - with an average age of 22.1. Danny Bawa Chrisnanta and Terry Hee are the only two shuttlers to have competed in previous editions.

The rest of the team are Loh Kean Yew, Ryan Ng, Yeo Jia Min, Crystal Wong, Tan Wei Han and Grace Chua.