
Queen of Badminton Tai Tzu-ying crashes out of Paris Olympics
Badminton star Tai Tzu-ying’s last Olympic campaign ended in tears on Wednesday, after she lost to Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon in the group stage. After her defeat, Tai posted a heartfelt message of thanks to her fans. President Lai Ching-te also took to social media. He thanked the Queen of Badminton for her hard work and said Taiwan stood with her in Paris.
Outside the stadium, fans rush to hug Tai Tzu-ying as she fights back tears. Paris was Tai’s last Olympic campaign, and it came to an early end.
Later on, Tai shared a photo of her embracing her opponent, Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon, right after their match. In a 550-character post, she said she hadn’t wanted to cry on the court, or to let anyone know about her injuries. Over the past month, Tai was injured in both legs, to the point of needing crutches to move. At one point, she doubted her ability to compete, and she remained unable to run normally even after landing in France. Tai said she worked hard on rehabilitation and was surprised to win her first game at the games. But regarding her loss to Intanon, Tai said there were no excuses. She said she had hope but was ultimately unable to pull through. Tai’s fans are distraught.
Liu Chia-cheng
Olympic badminton coach
We weren’t expecting Intanon to come and hug her. Heroes support heroes.
Tai shared that India’s PV Sindhu had also hugged her after the match, holding her face and consoling her, saying Tai had played very well. Intanon left a comment on Tai’s post, saying Tai would, quote, be her mirror, as always. The Thai shuttler thanked Tai for her fighting spirit, and said she hoped to keep seeing her around the world. President Lai Ching-te also posted to social media. He thanked Tai for her hard work, writing that the cheers in the stadium represented Taiwan standing with her in Paris.
Cheng Shih-chung
Sports Administration head
We were very moved by Tai Tzu-ying’s match. We knew about her injuries, and some of the moves she made to catch the shuttle must have been really painful. We want to thank Tai Tzu-ying for representing our country all these years.
Tai Nan-kai
Tai Tzu-ying’s father
She’s a very strong girl. I saw how she cried when Intanon hugged her… She had some severe injuries, so it was very tough for her. If she had waited to heal fully, she would’ve lost her touch. Before leaving, she said she needed a miracle. The miracle was that she was able to run again. That was already a miracle in itself.
Despite Tai crashing out of the Olympics, her father remains proud as ever, and messaged her after the match to cheer her up. Tai plans to continue playing for the rest of the year before retiring. Her father says the most important thing for her is to get plenty of rest, adding that her family will support her no matter what she decides to do.
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2024-08-01