Hooi wins after playing through pain
Singapore youth shuttler Jaslyn Hooi overcame not only a deficit, but also the pain barrier, to win her women's singles quarter-final at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday.
She hurt her ankle while diving to receive the shuttlecock as she trailed 15-17 in the second game of her quarter-final with Jennie Gai of the US.
But Jaslyn, 18, gritted her teeth and grabbed another six points to win 21-16, 21-18 and seal her spot in the semi-finals, where she will meet second seed Wang Zhiyi of China.
"When I was injured, I thought I couldn't make it any more. But my coach said, 'Just try, just fight.'," she said.
"I knew I was injured, so I might have a disadvantage, but I tried not to think about it. I told myself to focus, look forward, and don't think about the past.
She is not the only athlete who performed beyond their own expectations. Over in the pool, swimmer Maximillian Ang, 17, achieved a second personal best at the YOG.
On Wednesday, he clocked 2:16.90 in the 200m breaststroke heats, eclipsing his previous mark of 2:17.19.
On Monday, he had also lowered his best timing for the 200m individual medley from 2:06. 71 to 2:05.96.
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