Yeo Jia Min faces up to six months out after surgery on both feet

Singapore’s top women’s singles badminton player Yeo Jia Min faces three to six months out after undergoing surgery on both feet on 22 October. The operation followed a diagnosis of Haglund’s deformity in both feet. Yeo had battled Achilles injuries for more than two years.

The condition involves a bony enlargement at the upper-rear part of the heel bone that puts extra stress on the Achilles tendon. Yeo, 27, posted a photo from her hospital bed showing both legs heavily bandaged, but was in good spirits after finding the cause of her injury woes.

A long search for answers

Yeo had struggled to remain fit for sustained periods despite strong results. She came within two points of reaching the Paris Olympics quarter-finals in 2024, then won the German Open and reached a career-high world ranking of 11th in 2025.

At times, walking was difficult. After a last-16 defeat by Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon at the Asian Games on 27 September, Yeo’s ranking fell to 50th for the first time since 2019.

Her tournament schedule reflected the disruption. She played 25 tournaments in 2023, followed by 16 in 2024 and 17 in 2025, and has competed in only 12 this season. The diagnosis came after her first-round exit at the Arctic Open in Finland in early October.

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

Recovery before Olympic qualification

Following surgery, Yeo thanked Dr Kevin Koo, director and senior consultant orthopaedic surgeon of The Bone and Joint Centre at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, as well as her supporters. “After so long searching for a way forward, this felt like a glimmer of hope,” she said.

Yeo said she wanted to give herself the best chance of returning to training and playing without pain. She added: “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 described Yeo’s situation as “a blessing in disguise”. He said prompt surgery should allow Yeo to recover and resume training before the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics qualification period begins on 3 May 2027.

Yeo is among several Singapore players dealing with injuries. Men’s singles world No. 11 Loh Kean Yew has been out for weeks following a recurrence of an abdominal injury during his Asian Games final loss, while Terry Hee sustained a back injury during his run to the Indonesia Masters Super 100 mixed doubles final.