The dream of winning an Olympic medal for national badminton mixed doubles player Goh Liu Ying has now become a reality when she won the silver medal in the event, said her mother Yoong Ooi Lin, 53.

Yoong said the journey that Liu Ying, 27, went through to win the medal was not easy, especially after the knee injury suffered by the eldest of three siblings since 2014.

"Of course I am very proud of my daughter's achievement, she suffered injury on both her knees and had undergone an operation to play in the Olympics this time.

"What she had to go through to achieve her dream was not easy. Initially, the target was only to advance to the quarter-finals or semi-finals. But she succeeded in passing both hurdles outstandingly," she told reporters in Malacca early this morning.

Yoong and her husband, Goh Chak Whee, 59, from Batu Berendam, had earlier watched the event with Malacca Chief Minister Idris Haron at Seri Bendahara, the official residence of the chief minister, at Ayer Keroh in Malacca.

In George Town, Penang, the father of Peng Soon, Chan Chee Kong, said, "Win or lose, I am still proud of the achievement of Peng Soon at the Olympic Games."

Chee Kong, 57, described Peng Soon's performance in the final of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro as an honour to the family.

"I am proud that Peng Soon eventually suceeded in fulfilling his dream of becoming a truly international badminton athlete," he said when met by reporters after witnessing the match against Indonesia at a coffee shop in Taman Desa Mawar in Bandar Baru Air Itam, Penang, early this morning.

The national doubles pair of Peng Soon-Liu Ying grabbed the silver medal after losing to the Indonesian pair of Tontowi Ahmad-Liliyana Natsir, 14-21 and 12-21, in a 45-minute encounter.

Chee Kong said upon returning to Penang, he would take Peng Soon to the temple as a sign of gratitude for making it to the final in Rio de Janeiro.

"Although he failed to beat the Indonesian pair, he had at least contributed the silver to the country," he said.

Peng Soon's mother, Loo Leng Hua, 53, said her son had shown a good performance throughout the match.

"Despite the loss, Peng Soon is still the champion as far as the family is concerned," she said.

Also present to see the match were Peng Soon's brother and sister, Chan Peng Keat, 25, and Chan Lay Cheng, 26, as well as Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and Hunza Properties director Khor Teng Tong.

Earlier, about 300 Penang residents witnessed the final on a big screen put up by Hunza Properties.

Khor also announced that Hunza Properties would give an incentive of RM50,000 to Peng Soon and the state government would also give RM100,000 to the national player in appreciation of his contribution in bringing glory to the nation at the international level.

- Bernama