KOTA KINABALU, Aug 20 — Unable to hold back their emotions, the family of Olympic silver medalist Tan Wee Kiong let their tears flow in the nail-biting final moments of his badminton men’s doubles final.

After a sleepless night, the mother of the national hero, Tan Yok Hua, started tearing up after the final flick of the three-set match, giving in to the emotions she had been holding back since her son got into the semifinals against the odds.

 "I’m happy he did very well. We’re all proud of him. Even though he didn’t win gold, he got into the finals and won a silver award despite it being his first time. It’s already beyond our expectations,” she told reporters at her home in Tawau here after the match.

Wee Kiong’s father is in Rio de Janeiro to support him, while his youngest brother, Wee Gieen, is in Johor, and watched the match with their extended family.

 "I’m very thankful for all the support Malaysians have given us throughout this Olympics,” said Yok Hua, who viewed the match at home with her second son, Wee Tat, and daughter, Yun Ying, along with friends as well as reporters.

 In the highly anticipated finals, Wee Kiong and his partner, Goh V. Shem, were beaten 21-23 by Chinese pair Fu Haifeng and Zhang Nan in the scintillating final set.

The duo had set Malaysians roaring with celebrations when they took the opening set 21-16, before the Chinese snatched the second 21-11.

The pair, ranked 12th in the world, defied the odds to reach the final and put on gripping show that went down to the wire.

Wee Tat, an accomplished badminton player who attended the Bukit Jalil sports school and now coaches at the family’s Tawau Badminton Academy, said that he was extremely proud of his brother, whom he said proved detractors wrong and made it to the finals.

"Of course, there is some disappointment, too. My sister was crying. It was a very tight game in the end. They got to two game points and played to a deuce.

"We came so close to winning but maybe luck wasn’t on our side. At that level, and when it’s that close, there is some element of luck too,” he said.

The 24-year-old middle child said that he had nothing to criticise about his brother’s performance as they played to their potential and showed true fighting spirit.

 "When they were down four points in the third set, they fought for every point till they caught up and took the lead right up to game point. I think they showed Malaysians never to give up and also proved themselves to their critics who said they would not get past the quarterfinals,” said Wee Tat.

Wee Tat said he cried during the match at the thought of his brother’s sacrifice for the sport, which included being away from the family since he was 13 years’ old and the hard training culminated in him reaching the finals and bringing glory to the country.

 "Brother, I am so proud of you. It’s not easy for any athlete to win a medal at the Olympics, and people often don’t realise the amount of sacrifice and hard work that goes into excelling at any sport,” he said.

Wee Tat had said that the entire family rarely got together for dinner because of Wee Kiong’s training and their conflicting schedules.

He lamented that he will probably not be able to even greet Wee Kiong upon arrival back to Malaysia as he will be playing in a tournament in Kedah during the time.

"But I hope I get to see him soon. The family is looking forward to him coming home. I cannot wait to see him and celebrate with him. My mom will definitely be cooking her nasi lemak for him, his favourite home cooked meal,” he said.