Beiwen Zhang moved to Singapore alone at age 13 to play badminton
(NEXSTAR) – With the competition so fierce in China, Beiwen Zhang’s parents made the difficult decision of sending her to Singapore to pursue a career in badminton.
“I don’t know anything [at age 13],” Zhang explained. “So, I have to figure out everything by myself.”
Beiwen played internationally for Singapore, but she ultimately left due to a coaching change that didn’t work with her skillset.
She moved to Las Vegas and after two years away from the sport, Zhang was convinced by a badminton club owner to train again. That decision paid off as she became a U.S. citizen in 2020 and is now set to make her second Olympic appearance for the U.S. in Paris.
The U.S. women have never medaled in singles badminton but Zhang is going to give it one last shot to make history.
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