Ex-national shuttler organises nationwide carnival for children, identifies promising talents
FORMER Olympic silver medallist Goh Liu Ying has redefined success after retirement, finding fulfilment in helping children discover sports and develop their potential.
The 37-year-old former national badminton player said leaving the competitive arena three years ago forced her to rethink what success meant beyond winning titles.
“As an athlete, success was straightforward.
“If you won, you were successful.
“But after retirement, I realised I had to redefine what success and value meant to me.
“What I considered success five or 10 years ago is no longer what I see as success today.
“I’m now still discovering where my value lies,” she said.
That search led Goh to children’s sports development, a cause she had long wanted to pursue.
She now organises nationwide sports carnivals for children aged 12 and below, working with sports associations and academies to introduce youngsters to sports while identifying promising talent.
Goh said motherhood had also reshaped her priorities.
She and her husband are raising a three-year-old son and a one-year-old daughter, and said that her flexible work schedule allowed her to spend more time with them.
“My work offers some flexibility in planning my schedule.
“At this stage, my focus is still on my children because they’re very young.
“My son has already started swimming lessons and I intend to let him explore different sports too,” she said.
Although Goh retired from international badminton in 2023, she said staying active remained part of her lifestyle.
“Exercise has become a habit. Even during my pregnancy, I could not wait until I could become active again.
“I continued doing pilates because I simply enjoy exercising,” she said.
She also welcomed the progress made in women’s badminton, recalling that mixed doubles prize money was significantly lower than other events when she first represented Malaysia on the international stage.
“After a few years, people spoke up and eventually the prize money became equal.
“If it was not equal today, we would definitely complain,” she said with a laugh during a sharing session at the launch of her memoir Ten Years Later, I’m Still Me in George Town, Penang.
The 256-page book, published by Dajiang Publishing House, was officially launched in May 2026.
It is Goh’s second memoir and a follow-up to her 2016 autobiography I’m Just Goh Liu Ying, reflecting on the decade that transformed her from an Olympic medallist into a wife, mother and entrepreneur.
Describing it as an honest reflection of her journey rather than a motivational guide, she said the memoir shared the challenges, sacrifices and lessons that shaped both her badminton career and life after retirement.
“Parents often ask me whether they should let their children become professional athletes.
“If you believe your child can overcome the challenges, then support them.
“There are no shortcuts to becoming a world-class athlete,” she said.
Fans who attended the sharing session also seized the opportunity to purchase copies of the memoir and have them autographed by Goh.
The former national mixed doubles shuttler reached a career-high world ranking of No.3 with partner Chan Peng Soon.
The duo won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, becoming part of Malaysia’s first badminton pair to claim an Olympic mixed doubles medal.
She also captured multiple Badminton World Federation (BWF) titles, won gold in the mixed team event at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India, and represented Malaysia at three Olympic Games.
Also present at the event were Penang youth, sports and health committee chairman Daniel Gooi Zi Sen, Seri Delima assemblyman Connie Tan Hooi Peng, Sungai Puyu assemblyman Phee Syn Tze and Bukit Mertajam Women’s Rights Awareness Association founder Datuk Seri Chong Eng.
