Relief Through Badminton at a Time of Tumult
How does one focus on sport when there is war back home?
· DEV SUKUMAR
World No.125 Polina Buhrova’s thoughts are far from Kuala Lumpur even though she was at the PETRONAS Malaysia Open 2022 as a spectator. War at home is a terrifying reality that she has to grapple with; yet, the 18-year-old is remarkably composed.
Buhrova has been in Kuala Lumpur since mid-June preparing for the European Junior Championships in August, having followed her national coach, who is Malaysian. There are obvious concerns over sponsorship and her future after the European Juniors; her way of dealing with the tumult is to zero in on the moment, to allow the moment to temporarily shut off larger concerns.
“I’m trying to do my best and focus on the tournament and on my performance, but it's hard because all my thoughts are in Ukraine with my parents, with my relatives, with my teammates, so it's a little difficult, but I try to focus and I think it will go the right way,” she says.