'It still feels really surreal': Singapore badminton pair Terry Hee and Jessica Tan book spot at Olympics

SINGAPORE: On Monday (May 27), a dream came true for Singapore's top mixed doubles pair of Terry Hee and Jessica Tan when it was confirmed that they had booked their spots at the upcoming Paris Olympics.

But getting there was fraught with trials for the husband and wife pair.

"We’ve been through so many challenges, hardships and we’re just really proud of ourselves that we’ve managed to achieve this," said Tan, just an hour after the pair found out they would be heading to the Games.

'It really is our dream, it’s every athlete’s dream ... Now that it has become reality, it still feels really surreal because the journey getting here has been really, really rough."

On Monday, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) confirmed the duo's participation at the upcoming Olympics.

While Hee and Tan are currently 18th in the "Race to Paris" ranking system, they were offered a spot at the Games after Oceania champions Australia did not take up their spot for the mixed doubles tournament in Paris.

In the ranking system, the first 13 eligible pairs are allocated slots with a maximum of two pairs from each country. The remaining three spots are given to the continental champions of Oceania, America and Africa, provided the pair is ranked within the top 50 of the "Race to Paris" list.

"Compared to other events in badminton, the doubles is relatively harder (to qualify for) because of the limited spots. And we were constantly changing our tournament strategy, tournament plans, constantly discussing with our coaches and team how we can collect more points and how we can achieve our ideal ranking," said Hee.

"We are very, very happy that it all paid off. And it’s not just us; it’s a team effort. We have a great team - SBA (Singapore Badminton Association) and SSI (Singapore Sports Institute) - behind us."

This will be Hee and Tan's Olympic debut. They are the first mixed doubles pair to represent the country since the 2008 Olympics where Hendri Saputra and Li Yujia competed.

DOING MUM PROUD

Hee and Tan clinched Commonwealth Games gold in the mixed doubles at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and are currently ranked 17th in the BWF world rankings.

However, the path to Paris has been a struggle. Just months before the Olympic qualification period began in 2023, Tan's mother died.

"It was extremely challenging because even when she was unwell and her situation wasn't looking so good, we still had to consider our Olympic qualification and still needed to go for tournaments to get points," Tan explained.

And she told the pair that they should chase their Olympic dream, they recalled.

"Of course, she would have wanted me by her side as much as possible, but she also understood that we had to do what we do. I know that she truly supported us and really wanted us to do well and qualify for the Olympics so I was just really torn at the beginning."

The pair struggled at first, recalled Tan.

"We really started off in a very bad place because I was going through a lot and we were in a slump. We had so many first round losses the entire first half of the qualification period," she explained. 

But they soon picked it up after winning the Irish Open and Guwahati Masters and making the Odisha Masters final at the tail end of 2023.

"As professional athletes, we will definitely have to accept whatever outcome, and accept it gracefully. Sport is cruel, (but) we never really gave up the idea that we were able to qualify," said Hee.

And with Australia, who could only accept two of the four continent slots they had, opting for the women's singles and doubles, there was a spot for Hee and Tan.

"Deep down, we actually knew that we were in a very good place to qualify. So I think that gives us more comfort, but before it is official - you would think: 'What if something goes wrong?' We just continued doing our thing, kept encouraging each other," said Hee.

"It was out of our hands. We did our best and let God do his job."

Hee and Tan will join top men's and women's singles players Loh Kean Yew and Yeo Jia Min who have also made the cut for Paris.

"It has been really tough to cope with all the emotional stress, the qualification pressure and everything. (I'm) just really emotional and happy, and also, hopefully, my mum will be proud of me," added Tan.

But before they head to Paris, the duo will compete at a number of tournaments, including this week's Singapore Open where they face current world champions Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yu-jung.

"We are definitely over the moon, I don't know if we can sleep tonight, but we need to because tomorrow we have a game here at the Singapore Open," said Tan.

Added Hee: "Paris is the city of love. To be able to compete in the Olympics in Paris together with my wife, I think it’s quite special."