Terry Hee and Jessica Tan win Singapore’s first Commonwealth Games badminton mixed doubles gold

SINGAPORE — Terry Hee and Jessica Tan won Singapore’s first Commonwealth Games badminton mixed doubles gold in Birmingham on Monday (Aug 8).

The gold is Singapore’s first in the sport at the Games since 2002 and only its second overall.

The husband-and-wife pair beat England’s Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith 21-16, 21-15 in the final at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.

Hee and Tan, ranked 35th in the world, reached the final on the back of an upset win against Malaysia’s top-seeded pairing of Tan Kian Meng and Lai Pei Jing on Sunday.

Their clash with the world number 10 Ellis and Smith marked Singapore's first appearance in a badminton mixed doubles final at the Commonwealth Games.

After taking the first game, Hee and Tan found themselves 11-12 down in the second before they went on a run of nine consecutive points. This took them to gold medal point.

Hee and Tan faltered momentarily as the English duo picked up three consecutive points of their own, but the lead proved to be too much to reel in.

Hee finished off the tie with a smash to ensure that he and Tan joined 2002 women’s singles gold medallist Li Li on the list of Singaporean Commonwealth Games badminton champions. CNA