So Near, Yet So Far for Kilasu Ostermeyer
Travelling to the Asian Leg in Bangkok was a big deal for Germany’s Kilasu Ostermeyer, for she was playing the circuit’s biggest events in the land of her birth.
· DEV SUKUMAR
But this trip will be a bittersweet memory for her; the experience of playing her career’s biggest events on home soil will be tinged with the disappointment of not being able to meet her family. A German coach had tested positive for COVID-19 last week, and, while the German players have continued their participation in the Asian Leg, there are additional restrictions on movement.
Ostermeyer was born to a German father and Thai mother and played doubles for Thailand at three World Junior Championships and several Grand Prix Gold and other events. After turning 18, she decided to give up the game and went to Germany to “try something new”.
After some time away from the sport, she started to miss badminton and decided to start playing it “as a hobby”, and turning out in the Bundesliga. Among her early encouraging results was a semifinal at the Orleans International 2017 with Olga Konon.