Li Shi Feng Willing to Bide His Time
He’s one of China’s fastest-rising prospects, but Li Shi Feng isn’t in a hurry to get to the top. The Youth Olympic Games champion, who won the Canada Open recently, is prepared for the hard grind at the senior level.
· DEV SUKUMAR
“I produced some satisfactory results at the youth level. Moving up from the youth competitions, it’s a new start for me so I need new goals,” said the 19-year-old to Badminton Unlimited. “I will not set unrealistic goals. Maybe to start with, I’ll aim to beat certain players, or reach the quarterfinals and semifinals. So I have to take it one step at a time. I cannot be impatient. It’s okay to encounter setbacks in the beginning, so I can’t give up easily. I need to work hard and go all out.”
Li had a good run in Canada, beating India’s Sourabh Verma in the quarterfinals and Japan’s Koki Watanabe in the semifinals, before outwitting the experienced Parupalli Kashyap in the final in three tight games. It was his first title at the senior level.
Earlier this season, he was in the finals of the Iran Fajr International Challenge and the Austrian Open. But for the moment, he will be known for his triumph at the Youth Olympic Games, which he celebrated much like Chen Long at the Rio Olympics, falling to the floor in a flood of tears.