As the pandemic restrictions in the Oceania region begin to ease, the Oceania BWF recently contacted Australian player Chen Xuanyu, who has won six-time Oceania women's singles title and participated in the Olympic Games twice, to learn about her recent developments and preparations for upcoming events. At the upcoming 2022 Wiktor Oceania Badminton Championships (April 28 to May 1), will she be able to bring her seven consecutive titles?
Last year was your second olympic participation, how do you evaluate the journey after the Olympic Games?
The journey after the Olympics was fulfilling. I started racing all over the world again, and some of the experiences were very inspiring to me. I'm happy to keep playing at this stage because I love playing badminton and I love the growth it brings me. The Paris Olympics are definitely on my radar.
This year you are aiming for the seventh consecutive Oceania women's singles title. What does this mean for you?
Since I was a child, the Oceania Badminton Championships have meant a lot to me. I remember holding the engraving board, looking at the names of the winners of each year, thinking that one day I wanted to engrave my name on it. If my name could be there seven times, it would be incredible!
You've been a favorite for women's singles champions for years. How do you cope with stress?
I must admit that in the last few Oceania championships I have felt quite stressed because of the expectations for victory, especially for myself. But this year, I've had a different perspective, treating every game as an experience where I can learn from winning or losing. I have motivation to defend my championship, but I have relaxed the pressure I put on myself.
What are the preparations after the relaxation of the epidemic restrictions?
It's very interesting to go back to the races, there are a lot of agreements to follow between countries and between races (vaccinations, health declarations, masks, tests). In addition to still a lot of nose-poking nucleic acid, other than that, almost all of them have returned to normal.
The Commonwealth Games are coming soon. What competitions or trainings do you plan to prepare for?
Ahead of the Commonwealth Games, the schedule was very busy, with the Australian National Championships, the Oceania Championships, the Uber Cup and many more tournaments returning to Europe in June. I'm excited to play Uber with my teammates.