Liu Yuchen and his girlfriend Huang Yaqiong are in the same frame in a high-profile manner, mourning their teammates who died unexpectedly in a special way
On the evening of December 11, the draw ceremony and annual award ceremony of the 2023 BWF World Tour Finals were held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan of the Chinese badminton team won the Pair of the Year, Liu Shengshu/Tan Ning won the Most Potential Award of the Year, and Jiang Zhenbang/Wei Yaxin won the Most Improved Award of the Year.
In addition, South Korea's women's singles star Ahn Se Young won the Female Athlete of the Year award, and South Korea's Seo Seung-jae won the Male Athlete of the Year award.
Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan
At the welcome dinner before the ceremony, athletes from all over the world took advantage of this rare opportunity to network and strengthen their relationship. Among them, Liu Yuchen and Huang Yaqiong, the national feather couple, both appeared in black dresses and took a group photo in front of the background board. Fans have blessed their lovers with a final marriage.
Recently, a sad thing happened in the Chinese badminton world. Yu Xiaoyu, the coach of the Anhui provincial team and a former national player, accidentally drowned at the age of 31. According to a friend, he just got married in October this year.
When he was an athlete, Yu Xiaoyu focused on men's doubles events and won the 2017 National Games badminton men's team championship.
According to media reports, the relevant person in charge of the Anhui badminton team confirmed the news of Yu Xiaoyu's death, and he revealed that Yu Xiaoyu was walking on the beach after dinner, slipped on a reef, and unfortunately fell into the sea and drowned.
Liu Yuchen and Yu Xiaoyu were teammates in the national team, and they are both men's doubles players, and they have a deep relationship. After learning the news of his friend's untimely death, Liu Yuchen was very sad.
On the evening of the 11th, Liu Yuchen wrote on a social platform: "The finale of 2023, calm down and enjoy the game! Come on! Brother I miss you, we will still be good brothers in the next life!"
He also accompanied a black-and-white photo at the dinner to remember Yu Xiaoyu. In the photo, Liu Yuchen and Feng Yanzhe have serious expressions, putting their hands in front of their hearts to express their grief.
Liu Yuchen (right) and Feng Yanzhe
The 2023 BWF World Tour Finals will be held in Hangzhou from December 13 to 17.