KUALA LUMPUR: Men’s doubles pair Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi (pic) have vowed to make another attempt at qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics before considering retirement.
Yew Sin-Ee Yi acknowledge that it will be a challenging mission, as they will be 34 and 32 years old respectively when the Games take place in three years.
However, they remain hopeful of competing in the world’s biggest sporting event, especially after their past two attempts of qualifying ended in disappointment.
“If possible, we want to qualify for the Olympics. We don’t want to have any regrets. For me, just stepping onto the Olympic court would be enough to satisfy our hearts,” said Ee Yi.
“I will never feel fulfilled if I don’t make it to the Olympics, even if it’s just once in my life.”
His partner, Yew Sin, shared the same sentiment regarding their mission to qualify for the first Olympics.
“Every athlete around the world dreams of competing in the Olympics. We’re not talking about winning medals right now; the main goal is to qualify for the Olympics first.”
During the Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualification campaign, they were released by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) and competed as independent players.
Despite consistently performing on the international stage, they only achieved 13th place in the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) Olympic Qualification Rankings at the end of the qualification period.
According to the qualification format, each country is allowed a maximum of two pairs in the men’s doubles event, provided both are ranked within the top eight.
At that time, Malaysia’s top pair, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, were ranked within the top eight and secured the sole Malaysian spot for men’s doubles spot at the Olympics.
The same episode was repeated during the Paris 2024 Olympics qualification campaign when Ee Yi suffered a knee injury, shattering their hopes of competing in the world biggest sporting event.
