Shuttling her way back to the top

As she prepares to return to the international stage following a six-month hiatus from the sport, former Olympic women's singles champion Chen Yufei has developed a more ambitious mindset, and desire to prove her doubters wrong. XINHUA/AFP

After a brief hiatus, badminton world champion Chen Yufei is gearing up for a comeback. Despite maintaining her Weibo username "Chen Yufei on vacation" until late last month, the 26-year-old Tokyo Olympic gold medalist has actually been hard at work, with a renewed focus on claiming the top prize at the Los Angeles Games.

In an exclusive interview with China Daily's online show Tracking Success last month, Chen officially announced her bid for a third shot at Olympic glory. The same day the show was published, related Weibo topics surged to the platform's trending list, amassing over 40 million views.

Chen's Olympic career has been marked by both triumph and setbacks. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, she made an unforgettable debut as the youngest player in China's 14-member badminton squad. At just 23 years of age, she overcame Chinese Taipei's Tai Tzu-ying in a thrilling 2-1 final, ending a nine-year drought for China in the women's singles competition.

However, her title defense at the Paris Olympics last year ended in disappointment. As one of only two Olympic champions in China's 16-player roster, Chen fell 2-0 to teammate He Bingjiao in the women's singles quarterfinals. The result was in stark contrast to her strong record against He, as Chen struggled to find her form on the court.

After her early exit from the Paris Olympics, Chen took a step back from the sport, spending 10 weeks in Australia to study English. She returned home at the end of last year, refreshed and ready to pursue the next chapter of her life.

Chen explained her decision to temporarily leave the court: "After the Olympics, I didn't want to return to the field, because I felt that someone without ambition shouldn't be there."

Ambition has been a key theme in Chen's reflections over the past few months. Looking back at the previous Olympic cycle, she admitted that her mindset was a challenge.

"After the Tokyo Olympics, I was constantly competing and felt exhausted. I said I just wanted to play badminton for fun, but I didn't really know what I wanted. I wanted to win, but I also wanted to enjoy myself."

Following her disappointment at the Paris Olympics, Chen took a break to rethink her approach. She also changed her Weibo name to mark her time away from competition.

During her break, Chen kept up her strength training, but also turned to mental exercise as well.

"I've always wanted to learn English, but could never stick with it," she explained. "After the Olympics, I had the chance, so I took it. At first, it was tough, but I persisted. I realized that, if I can keep going with English, I can also keep improving in badminton."

The time away allowed Chen to gain clarity about her future. "I realized that I still love badminton. I also understood that competitive sports are not just about effort. Victory requires the right mindset — ambition is critical. That's what I'm going to focus on moving forward."

After her return, Chen updated her social media, sharing her renewed outlook: "Ten weeks of English lessons have come to an end, and my study abroad is wrapping up. This experience showed me a world beyond badminton and introduced me to so many wonderful people."

"I've made new plans for the future, and now it's time to meet you all where you've missed me. Brave Yufei is ready to return to the badminton court," she wrote.

A different mindset

On Aug 27, during the World Badminton Federation's rankings update, Chen confirmed her application for ranking protection.

After the Paris Olympics, she chose not to compete in several events, including the Japan Open and multiple BWF World Tour tournaments. Instead, she made her return to competition at the China Badminton Super League in late December.

Despite stepping back from the international scene, Chen remained closely engaged with the Chinese team's progress. She expressed particular pride in the performance of young Wang Zhiyi, who claimed victory over South Korea's An Se-young in the Denmark Open final.

"I've been following my teammates' matches closely, and I'm excited to see everyone giving their all. Although I'm currently playing in domestic leagues, I'm eager to return to the international stage," she said.

"For me, the most important thing now is having the desire to win and the ambition to succeed. I need to adopt a mindset where I'm ready to take on the challenge," Chen said.

As China's leading women's singles player, Chen's decision to target another Olympic appearance offers renewed hope for the national team.

Reflecting on her earlier challenges, she shared: "I haven't been defeated by age, injury, or anything external. It's been about my own mindset. The time off gave me the chance to recharge, and I now have a deeper understanding of the toughness of competitive sports. Winning requires not just hard work, but also a 'hunger' to succeed."

Chen's return to the court marks an exciting new chapter, with her sights firmly set on the next Olympic Games.

After her loss at the Paris Olympics, Chen revealed a pivotal conversation with two-time Olympic champion Zhang Ning.

Zhang shared that, upon hearing of Chen's defeat, her first instinct was to message her with criticism, calling her lack of aggressiveness into question.

However, after some reflection, she softened her stance, opting instead to offer Chen words of comfort.

Chen also asked Zhang what motivated her to return to the Olympics in her 30s. Zhang responded that it was driven by a sense of "defiance" — a desire to prove her doubters wrong.

This exchange moved and inspired Chen.

"I haven't fully let go of badminton yet. I believe I still have plenty of room for improvement, which is why I want to continue playing," she said.

"No matter what challenges lie ahead, I know I can overcome them if I believe in myself."

When Zhang learned of Chen's decision to target the Los Angeles Olympics, she was thrilled and left a supportive message on Chen's Weibo: "I've watched you grow from a young, inexperienced player into an Olympic champion. Along the way, you've faced many setbacks, injuries, pain and the joy of victories," Zhang wrote.

"Now you're starting your third Olympic journey. I'm proud of your courage. I hope your persistence and resilience help you become even stronger and contribute to both Chinese badminton and the nation's glory," Zhang added.

Chen will make her international return, and will also serve as event ambassador, at next week's 2025 Asian Mixed Team Championships in Qingdao, Shandong province.

The event runs from Feb 11 to 16.

Factfile

Name: Chen Yufei

Age: 26

Height: 171 centimeters

Birthplace: Hangzhou, Zhejiang province

Sport: Badminton

Achievements:

Gold medal in women's singles at 2020 Tokyo Olympics women's singles champion at the 2019 All England

Open Badminton Championships women's singles champion at the 2021 National Games Tracking Success delivers the inside story for global sports fans, exploring what makes elite performers tick, and providing insight into their biggest and most intriguing moments on and off the field of play.