An “outstanding” 17-year-old Chinese badminton player died of cardiac arrest after collapsing on court during a tournament in Indonesia, officials said yesterday.
Zhang Zhijie was playing a match late Sunday against Japan’s Kazuma Kawano at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The score was 11-11 in the first game when Zhang fell to the floor between points.
The teenager received treatment at the venue and was rushed to hospital in an ambulance, but passed away later that night after repeated efforts to resuscitate him failed.
Photo: AFP
“Medical conclusions ... indicated that the victim experienced sudden cardiac arrest,” Broto Happy, spokesman for the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI), told a news conference in Yogyakarta.
Zhang’s parents were heading to the city to retrieve his body, he said.
The spokesman defended the actions of medical staff and local organizers after footage showed what appeared to be a hesitant response to the teenager falling face down on the court.
He said that medical teams had to wait for the referee to let them on the court.
“The world of badminton has lost a talented player,” Badminton Asia and the PBSI said in a statement.
Zhang started playing badminton in kindergarten and joined China’s national youth team last year.
Earlier this year he won the singles title at the Yonex Dutch Junior International, a prestigious tournament for younge players.
The Chinese Badminton Association said it was “deeply saddened.”
“Zhang Zhijie loved badminton and was an outstanding athlete of the national youth badminton team,” it said in a statement.
The tournament yesterday held a moment’s silence and the Chinese team wore black armbands as a mark of respect before the competition carried on.
China beat Taiwan 3-0.
India’s P.V. Sindhu, who has won Olympic silver and bronze medals, called Zhang’s death “absolutely heartbreaking.”
“I offer my deepest condolences to Zhang’s family during this devastating time,” Sindhu, who was not at the tournament, wrote on X. “The world has lost a remarkable talent today.”
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
RSS