Burning a hole in own pocket to keep Olympics fire alive

Malaysia's Daren Liew has had quite an eventful badminton journey since turning pro in 1998.

From experiencing his lowest ebb after losing the 2014 Thomas Cup final's decider to parting ways with the country's national badminton association in 2016 to becoming only the third Malaysian to win a World Championships medal earlier this year, Liew has seen it all.

Everything, but the Olympics.

That's the solitary destination in search of which the 31-year-old is still walking the badminton road, even if it means burning a hole in his own pocket.

A couple of years ago, the Kuala Lumpur-born Liew and Badminton Association of Malaysia put a full stop to their long stint together, with the national body looking to develop younger players for the future.

It left the current world No. 23 Liew to fend for himself, a telling blow for an athlete at the twilight of his career.

However, the blow wasn't hard enough to knock the Olympics dream out of his heart.

With 2020 Tokyo Games in mind as his final shot for a maiden Olympic appearance, Liew has carried on competing on the tour, partly with the help of his sponsors and partly by digging into his personal savings.

"It's been really hard," Liew says. "Sponsors don't chip in for all the tournaments that I go to. So, I fund for some of the tournaments myself. I need to do everything on my own: arrange money for accomodation, flights, and everything else."

That's where an event like the Premier Badminton League, an otherwise fun league after a exhausting season for most shuttlers, is serious business for Liew.

"The money that I earn here will help me in funding for some my tournaments next year," Liew, who was picked up by Ahmedabad Smash Masters for Rs33 lakh in the auction, says.

The challenge of funding himself, though, seems a lot less daunting for Liew than what he went through four years ago.

The 2014 Thomas Cup final between Malaysia and Japan in New Delhi was locked 2-2 going into the deciding third men's singles match, and the stage set for Liew to turn hero for his country. But it wasn't to be, with Liew losing to Takuma Ueda in three games.

So heartbreaking was that loss for Liew that it required months of motivational talks from his parents to get their son back on track.

"I was quite down for a period of 2-3 months," Liew recalls. "It meant a lot to me, losing that important match for my country.

"But I used to speak a lot to my parents. They have supported me since I was young. They know a lot about what affects me as a person and as a player. So, they played a huge role in me bouncing back," he adds.

A man of few words, Liew has a two-sentence advice for budding shuttlers on dealing with failures and setbacks.

"Believe in yourself," he says. "Even though others won't believe in you, you cannot lose faith in yourself."

KNOW LIEW

Full name: Daren Liew

Born: August 6, 1987; Kuala Lumpur

Current singles world ranking: 23

Turned pro: 1998

ACHIEVEMENTS

• Became only the third Malaysian singles shuttler to win a medal (bronze) at 2018 World Championships in Nanjing
   
• Won mixed team gold at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games
   
• Bagged men's team silver at 2014 New Delhi Thomas Cup