Quiet Goodbye for Genial Champ
It was a quiet retirement after 15 years of competitive badminton for Cathy Chau Hoi Wah, and, significantly enough, it was on her birthday.
· DEV SUKUMAR
She had assumed that handing in the retirement form to Hong Kong Badminton Association (on 5 June 2020) would be a routine affair, and was unprepared for the mix of emotions that flooded her.
“It feels complicated,” says Chau, who, with Lee Chun Hei in 2014, became the first mixed doubles pair from Hong Kong China to win the Badminton Asia Championships. The duo’s other accomplishments include becoming the first Hong Kong China mixed doubles pair to win a Superseries (2015) and a medal at the World Championships (2017).
“I knew I would retire one day, and I’d planned it too, I’d talked it over with my family and coaches, but when it came to the time that I handed the form, it was quite touching. Happy, sad… not sad that I’m retiring, but that time flies. I’m happy for my achievements. Thankfully, I’m retiring without regret.”