Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn (right) kneeling on the ground after he won the gold at the SEA Games badminton men's final on May 22, 2022. - The Straits Times photo: JASON QUAH
HANOI, May 22 (The Straits Times/ANN): Singapore's Loh Kean Yew once again settled for silver at the SEA Games after being beaten in the men's singles final on Sunday (May 22).
The badminton world champion was beaten 21-13, 21-13 by Thai world No. 18 Kunlavut Vitidsarn at the Bac Giang Gymnasium.
After the match, he admitted that he had been second-best on the day, saying: "Definitely I can play better than this... I tried my best but it wasn't enough."
Loh, who had squeaked into the final the day before after taming wily Vietnamese veteran Nguyen Tien Minh 21-15, 10-21, 23-21, said he was spent but refused to use that as an excuse.
In contrast, Kunlavut had breezed into the final on the back of a 21-11, 21-12 win over Singaporean Jason Teh.
"I was tired, but my opponent was also tired," said Loh. "But he prepared better than me today.
"I still give my all, and I fight to the end."
This is Loh's second consecutive singles silver at the biennial Games after he lost to Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia in 2019.
He also has a singles bronze from 2015 on home soil. - The Straits Times/ANN
