Malaysians have always taken a lot of pride in their athletes and are willing to back them up whenever they can. This is especially true when it comes to our badminton players.
After the Tokyo Olympics, fans have been hoping the athletes will continue to advance in the next three cups. However, a bombshell was dropped on Monday (13th September) by Goh Jin Wei (吴堇溦), declaring her retirement from the sport!
Jin Wei was Malaysia’s women’s singles badminton player. At only 21-years old, she had garnered an impressive amount of achievements under her belt. Jin Wei won the World Junior Championships twice in 2015 and 2018. Additionally, she won the gold in the SEA Games in 2017 and the Youth Olympic Games in 2018.
Unfortunately, she announced yesterday that she was pulling out of badminton. The announcement came via her YouTube channel, Wei’s Space. Jin Wei explained her retirement was due to health concerns. Mid-2019, she was diagnosed with a stomach ailment that needed surgery.
Since then, she has been struggling to cope as she was not able to fully recover from the operation. “The number of medications that I need to consume has increased to keep me going every day,” she stated. “For the sake of my own health, I have no choice but to retire early.” Jin Wei shared she was reluctant to quit, but decided it was worth the regret. “I believe that I can still excel in other fields in the future as long as I am willing to work hard for it,” she said.
Fellow Malaysian badminton player Lee Zii Jia (李梓嘉) took to Instagram to show his support for her. “I feel the same for that player’s experience, but I (myself) cannot help because I am in the arena,” he said in his post. “Rest assured! (For) you, I (will) still bear your (Jin Wei’s) dream. I will go forward with my share, this is the only thing I can promise you now. I am sorry that I can’t do more.” He also told Jin Wei, “You are brave and don’t need to be sad.”
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Additionally, Jin Wei wrote a post on Instagram to thank and apologise to her fans. She mentioned her dream of becoming one of the best and raising Malaysia’s flag again on the world stage, which will now be unfulfilled. “But I’m brave (enough) to let go (of) the past and fight for the future,” she said.
Malaysia’s badminton team will be going to Finland on 26th September for the Sudirman Cup. On 9th October, they will travel to Denmark for the Thomas and Uber Cup.
We wish Jin Wei well on her next adventure and hopes she finds something just as fulfilling as badminton. Thank you, Jin Wei, for always doing your best!
Watch her announcement video here:
Sources: Xuan, Instagram (1)(2), YouTube
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