Taiwanese badminton player Tai Tzu-ying (戴資穎) reiterated at the weekend that her plan to retire after the Tokyo Olympic Games next year remains unchanged.
Tai has become a national hero after winning gold at the 2017 Summer Universiade in Taipei and the Asian Games in Jakarta last year. She talked about her plan to retire following her triumph over her nemesis, World No. 2 Chen Yufei (陳雨菲) of China, in the semi-finals of the Malaysia Open on Saturday. She also won the final.
“I have been World No. 1 for a while, but I have not won championships at major events. Therefore, my next goals would be to win the BMF World Championships in Basel, Switzerland, in August and gold at the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo next year,” Tai said.
Photo copied by Huang Chia-lin, Taipei Times
“My professional career would be complete if I could secure a medal at the Olympics. However, I would retire regardless of the result,” she said.
Tai said that she is shorter than many of her opponents and must move more on the court to compensate.
Being a professional badminton player for 10 years is good enough for her, she added.
Tai was asked about her retirement plan again after defeating Japanese Akane Yamaguchi in the final in Malaysia and whether there was any possibility that she would change her mind.
“I don’t think so, but I would concentrate on preparing myself for the competitions this year and next year first,” she said.
In an interview last year with the Chinese-language **Apple Daily**, Tai said that she had been harboring retirement thoughts for two to three years.
She had spent too much time playing badminton and had things to do before she turns 30, she told the newspaper.
After she retires, Tai said she would like to travel throughout Taiwan, climb its mountains with her parents, challenge herself by joining the Taipei 101 Run Up Race and embark on a “twin-tower” bicycle trip, similar to the one conducted by Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲).
Tai’s father, Tai Nan-kai (戴楠凱), said the family would support whatever decision she makes.
Tai Tzu-ying became a top-tier national athlete when she was in sixth grade and started competing internationally in 2007, he said, adding that it was difficult to see her sustain so many injuries.
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