There’s a general assumption that successful sportspeople first fell in love with their sports as youngsters. But Eastern Gauteng Badminton Association (EGBA) player Emily Li wasn’t exactly obsessed with badminton early in her career.
“I never used to like badminton. I was forced into it,” she said.
Her badminton-mad father’s constant pushing resulted in Emily picking up a racket for the first time as a nine-year-old.
Despite her early objections, she eventually fell in love with the sport and is now one of the best age-group players in the country.
“I was forced to train when I was 10. I eventually found it fun and decided to work hard and work my way up. That’s what got me here today,” said Emily.
Success
Thanks to her hard work, the 15-year-old Ravenswood resident leads the U19 girls’ singles rankings with 1 271 points, 372 more than second-placed Anika van der Merwe. She’s second in the doubles, behind Van der Merwe, on 905 points.
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Reflecting on her performances this year, the Ashton International College learner had to overcome some lows to win three national singles titles and two doubles golds in different age groups.
Emily won the Badminton SA triple header junior open singles gold in May before winning the singles and doubles at the U19 nationals in Pretoria in July.
Recently, she clinched the singles and doubles golds and silver in the mixed doubles at the U17 interprovincial championships in Durban.
“It was great. There were many challenges, and much effort was needed to get to where I am now. There were times when I was at my lowest. The only thing that kept me in high spirits were my teammates and supporters.”
Legacy
While Emily’s dominance locally is undeniable, she would like to take it internationally, but her main objective is the Olympic Games.
“I want to play in international tournaments. It’s what keeps me motivated to try to stay on top in SA because it’s the only way for us to break into the national team and play internationally. The highest goal is the Olympics. It’s the highest level to reach,” Emily said.
On whether there would come a time when SA could compete with dominant countries like China, Indonesia and South Korea, Li acknowledged it would take years of consistent hard work.
“We could. If we train as hard as them, we could reach that level. As we get more experience and coaches who can teach us different ways of playing, there’s a chance we could compete with them.”
Emily wants to be remembered as a player who contributed to the EGBA’s success in national tournaments.
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