Malaysian mixed doubles badminton pair Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Lai Jemie are aiming to secure their first Asian Games medal as they compete in what may be their final appearance at the continental event. The duo, aged 36 and 33 respectively, have represented Malaysia in the last two editions of the Asian Games—Jakarta-Palembang 2018 and Hangzhou 2022—but have not advanced beyond the second round on either occasion.

In their debut at Jakarta-Palembang, Soon Huat and Shevon were defeated by Hong Kong’s Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet, who went on to claim the silver medal. Similarly, in Hangzhou, their campaign ended in the second round after a loss to Thailand’s Supak Jomkoh and Supissara Paewsampran.

This year’s Asian Games, held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, present a renewed opportunity for the Malaysian pair. Apart from mixed doubles, Shevon will also make her maiden appearance in the women’s team event, as Malaysia faces Hong Kong at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium. Shevon acknowledged that this may be their final participation, expressing hope to leave the Games with a memorable achievement.

“The last two editions, we did not manage to get past the second round,” Shevon said. “We hope to win a medal to have something positive to remember from the Asian Games and an accomplishment to be proud of.”

The pair enter the competition on a promising note, having reached the semi-finals of the China Masters in Shenzhen just two weeks prior. This performance marked an improvement after their disappointing run at the World Championships in New Delhi last month. Shevon described the China Masters as a vital confidence booster, signaling that their recent training efforts are beginning to yield results.

“For us, the China Masters was more like a trial run. We had already been training for weeks before the World Championships, so it was disappointing not to perform well there. But we managed to pick ourselves up in Shenzhen, which gave us confidence we are heading in the right direction,” she said.

The mixed doubles event at the Asian Games is scheduled from September 25 to 29. A place in the semi-finals would guarantee the pair at least a bronze medal. Malaysia’s most recent medal in mixed doubles at the Asian Games was secured by Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari and Wong Pei Tty, who took bronze at the 2006 Doha edition.