Badminton’s Deng Xuan still dreaming of world number one after swapping China for Hong Kong to rebuild career
- The 2010 Youth Olympic silver medallist came to Hong Kong last year through the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme
- The Guangzhou-born shuttler hopes to follow in footsteps of Wang Chen and Zhou Mi
For Hong Kong badminton newcomer Deng Xuan, the goal is clear: to prove she is still capable of playing at the highest level and becoming world number one, following in the footsteps of predecessors Wang Chen and Zhou Mi.
Once hailed a promising player for China after capturing a silver medal at the 2010 Youth Olympics, Deng, who will turn 27 next month, has had to start from scratch in Hong Kong since leaving the mainland late last year.
“The future is not easy in competitive sports but I chose the road and believe I can still play at the top level. There’s plenty of room for improvement,” said the determined Deng after a tough session at the Sports Institute in Fo Tan, where she is now based. “In fact, I didn’t have a ranking when I first came here and now I am the world number 42.
“My goal? Of course it will be the top of the rankings like Wang Chen and Zhou Mi who came to Hong Kong to rejuvenate their careers.
“I still yet to work back to my peak as I have stopped for a couple of years but I believe it will not be too far away. Next year will be pivotal to measure my progress.”