Chan Ho Yuen ready to give ‘120 % effort’ to achieve his dream in Tokyo
Hong Kong, June 30 (IANS) 35-year-old para-badminton star Daniel Chan Ho Yuen has said he is motivated to put in ‘120 per cent effort’ to compensate for missing out on training en route to his dream of competing at Tokyo 2020.
“After more than a month of without training, I am very excited to resume training. Though I think it’s a very short period compared to other countries where the athletes are still confined at home. I feel my fitness is back and I’m in 100 per cent shape,” Chan told asianparalympic.org.
“As we have one more year to prepare for the Paralympic Games, there’s no rush to train too much in terms of the physical and power game. Most of my training now is about working on new technique and tactics in my game.
“There are some new rules that we are asked to follow before training sessions. We also need to report where we have been at night time after training every day. And of course, the entire team was tested before training resumed.”
With para-badminton making its debut at the Paralympic Games next year, Chan said the postponement of the Games was ‘tough’.
“It will definitely have some influence on athletes. But I am happy that the IOC and IPC came up with this decision as fast as they could. Now, we have more time to re-arrange our training schedule and prepare better for the upcoming Games.”
Much like his peers, playing at the Games will be a ‘dream come true’ for Chan. And he has waited for long 11 years for this special moment. “Frankly, I am really proud of myself,” he said.
“A few years ago, there was still a question mark over para-badminton being included in the Paralympics. However, I chose to wait for it. And now I will take part in the upcoming Paralympics Games which will be a dream come true.
“Being the first ever paralympic gold medalist in para-badminton has always been my dream. And I will stay very calm. For me, the most important thing is to show my best performance on that day.
“As I am not sure if I will keep playing until Paris 2024, so I will treat Tokyo 2020 as my last one. I am aiming to put 120 per cent effort in achieving my dream,” said the World Championships silver medallist.
–IANS
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