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Olympics: Over-eagerness to win caused me to lose, says Loh Kean Yew

S'pore shuttler says he will work on his flaws after going close against Christie

Minutes after his defeat, shuttler Loh Kean Yew took a moment to compose himself before reverting to his happy-go-lucky self, and joked about hunting for Tokyo 2020 souvenirs.

But the biggest takeaway the Singaporean got from being eliminated at the group stage of the Olympics men's singles was what it takes to make the cut on the big stage.

Yesterday at the Musashino Forest Sport Plaza, the 24-year-old put up a good fight against world No. 7 Jonatan Christie, but the Indonesian, a gold medallist at the 2018 Asian Games, showed his pedigree to eke out a 22-20, 13-21, 21-18 win in their final Group G match and march into the round of 16, where he will meet China's Shi Yuqi.

After falling to Christie for the fourth consecutive time, world No. 42 Loh said: "I'm definitely disappointed because nobody wants to lose. I could have won in straight sets if I handled the closing parts better but I screwed up at the crucial points.

"He handled the crucial points better - I had game point in the first game and caught up to 17-16 in the third, but lost three points in a row both times.

"I wanted to win badly and did not control my anxiety well enough and made simple errors at crucial points. This is something I need to work on for the future."

Christie, 23, showed superior court control and awareness but was bamboozled in the second game as Loh began to find his range, coming back from 6-2 down to win.

But after taking an early 4-1 lead in the decider, the match gradually slipped from Loh's grasp despite him saving two match-points.

Christie, whose older brother Ivan died of Covid-19 earlier this year, said: "It was a very tough match. Kean Yew has improved and he played like he had nothing to lose.

"In the second game, he countered my strategy well and fought back in the decider but I never gave up and kept calm.

"I don't feel the pressure from being Asian Games champion... it is a very big motivation to be playing for my family."

While Penang-born Loh was not able to bring home a historic Olympic badminton medal for Singapore, he has set his sights on Paris 2024.

He said: "I will definitely try for it. This time I didn't get the medal, so hopefully the next one I will.

"I have been hearing I'm close to the top players (but) I need to win more consistently, because only then it counts."

Earlier in the day, teammate and world No. 30 Yeo Jia Min lost 21-13, 21-14 to 18th-ranked South Korean Kim Ga-eun, who progressed from Group K into the women's singles round of 16 at the Singaporean's expense.

A tearful Yeo said: "I feel that I've been working hard and I know how I can play... I feel disappointed in myself in this match. I wasn't able to stay calm and adapt to my opponent."

After a pause, she added: "I wasn't able to play my best game and fight harder than this."

The 22-year-old was not alone in her distress yesterday as men's singles world No. 1 and home favourite Kento Momota also made an early exit after being stunned 21-15, 21-19 by world No. 38 Heo Kwang-hee in his final group match.

MOMOTA OUT

The South Korean noted that Momota was not able to execute his trademark defensive game, and the Japanese concurred.

Momota said last year's car accident that left him with an eye socket fracture was not a factor.

He added: "Usually I can recover from losing positions, but somehow I couldn't do so tonight."

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