Loh Kean Yew aims to be a good father as he juggles both new and old responsibilities
His main goals have not changed - become an Olympic champion and rise to world No. 1 - but the responsibilities have.
The past 12 months have seen several key changes to Loh Kean Yew's life as the Singapore badminton star became a father in July and had a coaching change in January.
So, at the start of 2025, the 27-year-old wrote down new targets on top of doing well at the May 27-June 1 KFF Singapore Open, world championships and SEA Games: "Earn money, be a good dad and spend more time with family."
Not losing sight of his dream of winning an Olympic gold and becoming the top-ranked player to inspire the younger generation, Loh is now very much motivated by his own son and wife these days.
He shared that as he juggles changing nappies and retrieving smashes from the world's best players, he is able to continue being a touring badminton pro, thanks to his wife's support.
Loh told The Straits Times on May 26: "I've been more of a badminton player than a father. I also want to spend more time with my son and my wife. This is why, whenever I can, I'll try my best to be with them, and do whatever I can - change his diapers, play with him, feed him, nap with him, put him to bed - to let my wife rest.
"She has been very understanding... There's not much I can do to help her at home when I'm not around, so I need to do my part, which is play the best I can.
"After having a baby, there are many things I don't see as important any more. I just want to focus on my badminton and be a good role model for my son."
In an Instagram post on Mother's Day, Singapore badminton star Loh Kean Yew thanks his wife for taking care of their baby son as he focuses on his playing career. PHOTO: LOHKEANYEW/INSTAGRAM
Consistency has often been a challenge for Loh. After reaching the quarter-finals at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where he lost to Denmark's eventual champion Viktor Axelsen, he won just five out of his next 15 matches, was knocked out in the first round at six out of nine events, and slipped out of the top 10.
"There are a lot of tournaments we must play on tour, so I had no choice but to be there and try my best, even though I needed to rest after the Olympics," he explained, adding that the six years of preparation for the Tokyo and Paris Games in 2021 and 2024 respectively had been very taxing.
Beneath his smiley exterior, losing hurts. Loh said he has daily psychological battles within himself.
"Like whether I'll be able to perform, whether I will lose today? How will I play, what can I do to win today? It sounds like simple stuff... but it is actually a very tough battle that nobody knows," he added.
After spending some time with his family, Loh started soaring again. In 2025, he reached the German Open final and All England quarter-finals, before winning the Taipei Open in between semi-final appearances at the Badminton Asia Championships and Thailand Open, to take his prize money for the year past $70,000.
His fine run has coincided with his tutelage under singles head coach Kim Ji-hyun, who was hired in January, though he also credited former coach Kelvin Ho for "making me very strong as a player".
The world No. 10 added: "Coach Kim has given me much more confidence in certain things she asks me to do and try out... I can feel the difference when I'm playing on the court."
Loh hopes to make an impact at the Indoor Stadium, with the US$1 million (S$1.28 million) KFF Singapore Open offering significant prize money and ranking points.
In the first round of the Super 750 event on May 27, he takes on the ninth-ranked Alex Lanier, while 22nd-ranked compatriot Jason Teh will meet China's world No. 1 and defending champion Shi Yuqi.
Women's singles world No. 12 Yeo Jia Min will face Thailand's 10th-ranked Busanan Ongbamrungphan, while the 28th-ranked Terry Hee and Jin Yujia play Indonesia's Rehan Kusharjanto and Gloria Widjaja in the mixed doubles on May 28.
Loh said eighth seed Lanier is a "buddy off court and we are going to 'kill' each other on court".
"He's a tough opponent and a very good player who just won the European Championship, so he's definitely a strong challenger, and I look forward to playing with him. But he is seeded higher, so he should be the one who has the pressure," added Loh, who is unseeded.
While the Frenchman won their only previous encounter on tour - the 2024 Denmark Open quarter-final - by edging out the rubber game 24-22, Loh seems to have found a mental breakthrough lately, winning his last six three-game matches.
These include extended affairs against Shi in the Asia Championships quarter-final and Taiwanese world No. 7 Chou Tien-chen in the Taipei Open final.
But he recognises that more work needs to be done, saying: "My goal is not to do well in just these few months. I want to be more and more consistent throughout the year and throughout multiple years."
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