Kuala Lumpur: Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh has urged national badminton players to focus on early preparation and continuous improvement following their early exit from the All England tournament. Acknowledging the disappointment, she pointed out the increasing competitiveness of the sport, where even top-ranked players struggled to progress beyond the early rounds.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Hannah Yeoh emphasized that badminton is becoming more competitive, noting that several of the world’s best players were also eliminated in the early stages of the tournament. She stressed that Malaysian athletes cannot afford to be complacent and must commit to harder training and earlier preparation. Her remarks were made during the Malaysian Lawn Bowls Federation’s breaking of fast event at Arena Lawn Bowls in Bukit Kiara.

Malaysia’s challenge at the prestigious tournament concluded in the quarterfinals when women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah and professional mixed doubles duo Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie were knocked out. Earlier in the tournament, men’s singles player Lee Zii Jia and men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik faced first-round exits.

The last time Malaysia clinched the All England title was in 2021, when Lee Zii Jia emerged victorious against Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen. This year’s campaign marked the first time since 2018 that no Malaysian representatives advanced to the semifinals.