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Paris Olympics can turn out to be the last chance for the American shuttler Beiwen Zhang

Paris Olympics 2024 can well be the "last dance" for Beiwen Zhang as she prepares to retire at the end of the year.

By Soumya | Jan 9, 2024 | 2 Min Read

Paris Olympics 2024 can well be the twilight for many athletes. Although for many there are still rumours, American shuttler Beiwen Zhang has made it certain that she is going to hang up her racket at the end of the year.

Beiwen, born in China but represented Singapore until 2012 before playing for the United States, reached a career-high world No. 9 for the second time last month. Zhang has been one of the most prominent badminton stars from North America after Canadian veteran Michele Li. Naturally, this will be the last chance for the 33-year-old to clinch the golden medal at the greatest stage.

The “last dance” of the American

At 33, Beiwen is not looking at extending her playing days beyond this year and aims to maintain her current performance before quitting the scene. “I’m not young anymore and I have no plans to prolong my career. The 2024 Paris Olympics could be my last major event. I just can’t wait to retire,” said Beiwen.

“I have to train smart and keep away from injuries and I’ve also been wise in choosing the tournaments. That helped me to perform well last year.

“I had suffered so many injuries over the years that it had hampered my progress. My only goal this year is to avoid injuries.

“I don’t train under a coach but prepare myself by joining other independent players in training. Based on my schedule, I train in Singapore when I play in Asia and train in Denmark or Holland when I’m in Europe to save cost.” Beiwen, who had not been training for almost two months before the Malaysian Open due to unspecified family issues, will be facing World Tour Finals champion Tai Tzu-Ying of Taiwan in the first round.

“I only started training a week ago and will be facing Tzu-Ying. There is no pressure on me and I just have to go out there and play,” said Beiwen. This could be the easy-going approach for Beiwen as she prepares to begin the final innings of her career at the Axiata Arena on Tuesday.