MALAYSIAN professional mixed-doubles shuttler Ong Yew Sin revealed he had been in a long-distance relationship with Japanese badminton star Aya Ohori for over a decade before deciding to tie the knot, China Press reported.
Ong, 30, spoke publicly about his relationship for the first time during a livestream with fellow Malaysian shuttler Tan Boon Heong.
He recounted meeting Ohori at a youth tournament in Singapore in 2012 when he was just 17.
“I noticed how pretty she was and started talking to her. After getting to know her, I used my ‘Malaysian method’ (of chasing girls) and it blossomed into a relationship.”
The couple communicated mainly in English.
Ong praised Ohori for teaching herself the language when she was 14 or 15, though he admitted his attempts at learning Japanese have not gone well.
Ong, currently ranked 31st in the world with partner Teo Ee Yi, said the relationship wasn’t always smooth.
“We broke up and made up a few times. It took a while for things to stabilise. Right now, Aya is happy to get married and move to Malaysia. That’s her sincere answer.”
The couple plans to hold wedding receptions in both Malaysia and Japan.
Ohori, who is ranked seventh in the world in women’s singles at her peak, was known to be extremely dedicated to the sport.
Many of Ohori’s fans said Ong was tremendously lucky to be marrying their “Ethereal Goddess”, who retired from professional badminton in December 2024.
The couple announced their engagement in March this year.
The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.
