Loh Kean Yew is having a moment. In November last year, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) ranked Loh number three in the world—a year earlier, he was 40th on the list. That same month, the Penang-born Singaporean badminton star was named Sportsman of the Year at the Singapore Sports Awards 2022—a title previously won by the likes of Olympic gold medallist swimmer Joseph Schooling and billiards champion Peter Gilchrist.
Then, in December, Loh made his debut at the 2022 BWF World Tour Finals in Bangkok, making him the first Singapore men’s player to qualify for the annual season-ending tournament. Though he ultimately lost to Indonesian player Anthony Sinisuka