Loh Kean Yew loses final, settles for historic Asian Games silver
Singapore shuttler Loh Kean Yew lost the gold medal to World No 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the Asian Games men's singles badminton final on Tuesday (Sept 29).Loh, 29, lost 12-21, 16-21 to Kunlavut, who held a 8-2 head-to-head record against him going into the final.During their last meeting at the India Open in January, Loh lost the first game 14-21, before going on to win the next two 21-15, 21-17.But Loh has still delivered the Republic's best showing in badminton at the Games with the silver medal."Tired, and not so happy," he told the media after the match, before thanking fans for their support. "I'm sorry, but thank you for supporting me."Earlier on Monday, he fended off challenge from unheralded South Korean Yoo Tae-bin to book his 11th meeting with Kunlavut.Loh remains the first male Singapore badminton player to break into the top three of the BWF World Ranking in November 2022 — reaching a career-high ranking of number three.