S’pore badminton player Yeo Jia Min out of action for up to 6 months after feet surgery

SINGAPORE – Singapore’s top badminton women’s singles player Yeo Jia Min will be out of action for three to six months, after undergoing surgery on Oct 22 for Haglund’s deformity in both feet.

A bony enlargement on the upper-rear part of the heel bone, it causes extra stress on the Achilles tendon.

Posting a social media photo of both her legs heavily bandaged as she lay in her hospital bed, Yeo was in good spirits, however, after having finally found the reason for her injury woes.

For more than two years, the 27-year-old battled Achilles injuries and performed well in spurts, but struggled to stay fit for a prolonged period. In 2024, she was two points away from reaching the Paris Olympics quarter-finals, and a year later won the German Open title and reached a career-high world ranking of 11th.

Walking proved difficult at times and on Sept 27, after her last-16 defeat by Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon at the Asian Games, her ranking slipped to 50th for the first time since 2019.

In a social media post, she described her distress: “Mid-2025, as I was closing in on my goal of reaching the world’s top 10, the pain worsened, and once again, I took a step back.

“Despite rest, strengthening, and doing everything I was told to do, the pain kept coming back. It was frustrating, confusing and difficult to understand why I couldn’t seem to get past it.”

After her first-round elimination at the Arctic Open in Finland in early October, Yeo finally found an answer when she was diagnosed with Haglund’s deformity.

The painful inflammation she experienced in her feet since early 2024 affected her participation in tournaments. In 2024 and 2025, she played in 16 tournaments each year, eight fewer than in 2023. She has featured in only 12 this season.

Following surgery on Oct 22, the former junior world No. 1 thanked Dr Kevin Koo, director and senior consultant orthopaedic surgeon of The Bone and Joint Centre at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, and her supporters.

“After so long searching for a way forward, this felt like a glimmer of hope,” she said.

“I knew I had to give myself the best possible chance of returning to training and playing pain-free. Whatever lies ahead, to know I’ve done everything I could.

“So here I am, starting another chapter of my recovery. I’ll do everything I can to make a full recovery and, God willing, return to the court as the best version of myself.”

National singles assistant head coach Kelvin Ho called it “a blessing in disguise” as they eye qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

He said: “It will be a relief for her to discover that her symptoms stem from a structural issue rather than a persistent injury that simply wouldn’t resolve.

“By undergoing surgery promptly, she will save time in the long run, allowing her to recover and resume training well before the Olympic qualification period starts (on May 3, 2027). Free from this burden, she may be even more dedicated to her training and achieve new milestones.”

Yeo is not the only local badminton player sidelined by injury.

Men’s singles world No. 11 Loh Kean Yew has been out for weeks after suffering a recurrence of his abdominal injury during his Asian Games final loss to Thailand’s world No. 2 Kunlavut Vitidsarn.

Terry Hee also sustained a back injury during his run to the Indonesia Masters Super 100 mixed doubles final – where he reunited with Indonesia’s Gloria Widjaja on an ad-hoc basis – losing 15-21, 21-5, 21-10 to China’s Li Hongyi and Huang Kexin.

The 31-year-old wrote on social media: “I wasn’t in the best condition to compete due to a back injury, but I still wanted to give it a try rather than give up without stepping onto the court. There’s no excuse for the loss, and I take responsibility for the outcome.”

David Lee is senior sports correspondent at The Straits Times, focusing on aquatics, badminton, basketball, cue sports, football and table tennis.