Badminton News: Who would have thought that moving from Hong Kong to Canada would change Michelle Li’s life to become a badminton star. From a youngster who started from scratch in Markham, Ontario, Canada, at the age of 11, to a 29-year-old, currently ranked 10th in the world and who has been a thorn in the side of many of the top players of the world.
Over the past three years, Michelle Li has beaten world number one Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan, Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand, Sung Ji Hyung of South Korea and Saina Nehwal of India, when they were at the top.
She also put up fierce resistance against Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara and Akana Yamaguchi, India’s PV Sindhu and Spain’s Carolina Marin to secure their victory.
For Michelle Li, the first Canadian player to win the women’s singles title at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, her journey has not been a bed of roses.
“I was born in Hong Kong and moved to Canada when I was 6 years old. I bought my first racket and played with my mother at the local community centre when I was 11 years old,” said Michelle.
“It was a family friend who introduced me to the badminton training club where I currently train. “After a few lessons, I joined their team and started competing in local tournaments, eventually progressing to provincial, national and international levels,” he said.
Michelle Li admitted that her Commonwealth Games victory was a turning point for her in a country where sports like ice hockey, football and basketball are the most popular.
“It was definitely one of the biggest moments of my career. No Canadian singles player has won it before,” he said.
“To represent a country where badminton is not as well known as in other countries and to win where no one really sees you as a favourite is really reassuring.”
“It motivates me to continue to push stereotypes and exceed people’s expectations. It was a big step forward because it gave me the confidence to know that even though I started and grew up playing the sport in Canada, I could still compete with the world’s badminton powers who have everything they need to turn their players into champions. . “It shows that I’m on the right track and doing something right,” Michelle added.
Although she envies the support and funding that other countries, particularly in Asia, receive, Michelle Li does not let that dampen her enthusiasm.
“We are still a self-funded badminton sport, so a lot of our difficulties come from having to manage our finances and organize details like flights and hotels ourselves when our minds should be focused on the competition,” did he declare.
“I’m always thinking about how I’m going to finance the next tournament, working on proposals to find sponsors or looking for ways to save money by finding the cheapest flights and hotels.”
“There are also injuries that I have to think about and plan my own training. “Often the national teams train separately and it is difficult to find the right training partners,” he added.
“So it was a challenge to replicate the intensity and level of play on the international stage while I was training mostly on my own.”
After adapting to her limitations and accompanied by strong determination, Michelle Li hopes to appear stronger next year representing Canada.
“I am where I am today because I have learned from all the mistakes and experiences I have had over the years. I keep trying different things whenever something doesn’t work and I keep building on what seems to work,” he said.
“We don’t always have experts here in Canada to turn to for advice or guidance, so it’s a lot of trial and error. So, I think it took me longer to get into the top 10 than some of the other guys, but I think the process made me grow more as an athlete.
Michelle Li, who grew up revering former Chinese greats such as Xi Xingfang, Wang Xin and Wang Yihan, hopes to play her part in livening up the women’s singles event.
“The singles category is no longer dominated by one country and that shows that this event is growing,” he said.
“The game is also very different from before and the individual talent and style of each athlete comes through more. It doesn’t matter if you are bigger, stronger or faster, it depends on how you use your strengths and anyone from any country can win any day.”
“Now everyone in the top 30 can upset the seeds, so every tournament from day one is tough and I think that’s what makes the matches and the women’s singles so exciting,” concluded Michelle, who will compete in back-to-back tournaments next month in Thailand.
Post Tag: Michelle Li, Canada, Badminton
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