Acknowledging the disappointing performance, Yeoh said the sport has become increasingly competitive, with even top-ranked players struggling to progress beyond the early rounds.

“Badminton is getting more competitive, and we saw that even some of the world’s best players were eliminated early.

“Our athletes cannot afford to be complacent, they must train harder and prepare earlier,” she said at the Malaysian Lawn Bowls Federation’s breaking fast event at Arena Lawn Bowls in Bukit Kiara tonight.

Malaysia’s challenge at the prestigious tournament ended in the quarter-finals after women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M Thinaah and mixed doubles duo Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Jemie Lai were defeated.

Men’s singles player Lee Zii Jia and doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik had suffered first-round defeats.

The last time Malaysia clinched the All England title was in 2021, when Zii Jia triumphed over Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen.

This year’s campaign marks the first time since 2018 that no Malaysian representatives reached the semi-finals.