Be my soul mate: Goh Soon Huat popping the big question to Shevon Lai Jemie. Inset: The couple up close after announcing their engagement.
PETALING JAYA: Independent mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Lai Jemie are over the moon after their engagement and are looking forward to a better 2023.
Soon Huat asked for Shevon’s hand in marriage in Maldives and announced it via social media yesterday.
Shevon is still in dreamland as the proposal came as a surprise to her.
“The engagement was a huge surprise for me, it has not sunk in even now,” said Shevon.
“Soon Huat has been planning this almost a year ago but it has been hard to carry out, given our busy schedules.
“I’m so grateful that he took the effort to plan the entire proposal down to the last detail by himself,” said Shevon.
We're engaged: Goh Soon Huat and Shevon Lai Jemie posing after announcing their engagement.
Soon Huat and Shevon have been in a relationship for more than two years and both revealed that it has not always been smooth sailing.
“We have been through many ups and downs over the years,” said Soon Huat.
“The most important thing was that we managed to stick together through it all.’’
While it was the perfect end to 2022 for him and Shevon off court, Soon Huat is not satisfied with their year on court and is looking forward to better fortunes next year.
“For me, it was a wonderful end to the year for our relationships but not our career,” said Soon Huat.
“I’m not very satisfied with our performances and results this year.
“But 2023 will be very important for us as the qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics starts in May.
“Our dream is to make the cut for the Olympics,” added Soon Huat.
The pair’s best result in 2022 was finishing runners-up in the Swiss Open in March.
They also reached the semi-finals of the Korean Masters (April), Singaporean Open (July) and Denmark Open (October).
Currently, Soon Huat-Shevon are on track to qualify for the Olympics as they are ranked No. 8 in the world.
Two pairs from a country can make the cut provided both are ranked in the top eight in the world when the one-year qualifying period ends.
Soon Huat-Shevon need to maintain their spot in the top eight as fellow independent pair Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing are ranked No. 5 in the world.
The first tournament for both pairs will be the Malaysian Open from Jan 10-15 at the Axiata Arena.
Soon Huat-Shevon will open their campaign at home against Taiwan’s Chang Ko-chi-Lee Chih-chen while Kian Meng-Pei Jing will face another home pair, Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei.
