Singapore badminton history maker Li Li hopes daughter can follow in her footsteps

SINGAPORE – As a young national player trying to save money, Li Li would commute to and from her Aljunied rental flat to her Singapore Badminton Hall (SBH) training sessions at Guillemard Road on a bicycle.

After winning the 2001 Singapore International women’s singles title, she treated herself by hailing a taxi home – but regretted it. With a hearty chuckle, she told The Sunday Times: “When I returned to the hall the next day, my bicycle was gone and I was so upset!”

Now 42, Li has plenty of stories to regale about the venue as it officially re-opened as the KFF Badminton Arena on Sept 6 before about 200 guests, including other former national players such as Kendrick Lee and Derek Wong, and current stars like Loh Kean Yew.

Singapore National Olympic Council president Grace Fu was the guest of honour for the opening of the facility, which comprises nine courts in a 1,300-seater hall and three air-conditioned courts with corporate boxes.

Li, who misses curry fish head, chilli crab and frog leg porridge, still remembers the uncle who sells sugar cane juice at the Old Airport Road Food Centre.

She feels inextricably linked with the SBH, for it was where she lived for a month when she arrived in Singapore in 1997.

The Wuhan-born Li had flown in with Xiao Luxi, Rong Muxi and Liu Fan, as the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) imported the teenagers, who were top-ranked players from their respective provinces, to be considered for naturalisation.

They had 45-minute workouts at the Singapore Badminton Hall at 7am before skills training from 9am to noon and again from 5 to 8pm. With a laugh, Li added: “We improved our mental strength by playing against weekend warriors for isotonic drinks.”

Li, an only child, started playing badminton at age six, influenced by her mother Gong Faying, a coach whose proteges include Gao Ling, a two-time Olympic mixed doubles champion.

But Li felt that it was too competitive in China and gladly hopped on the plane to Singapore when the SBA came knocking. Her parents also came here to teach at Kong Hwa School.

“I understood it is not easy to get Singapore citizenship and I had a duty to deliver results on the court,” said Li, who belied her 1.6m, 55kg frame with nifty net shots, patient rallies and a lion heart.

She became the most successful of the lot, claiming the Republic’s first badminton gold at the Commonwealth Games when she won the women’s singles at Manchester 2002. But her most memorable achievement was delivering Singapore’s first SEA Games women’s team gold alongside Jiang Yanmei, Xiao and Liu, defeating Thailand 3-2 in Vietnam in 2003.

Li said: “It wasn’t easy because of the high level in South-east Asia. But we had a clear strategy and were very united, which helped us win gold.

“Team events are much more special. After your own match, you would stay back to cheer your teammates, and go back to play again.

“It was exhausting but rewarding playing singles and doubles. There is that anticipation to go out there and do something for your team. It’s indescribable and different from playing individual events which is like being on tour.”

Once ranked as high as world No. 18, she notched several other milestones.

She played at the 2004 Athens Olympics and, on her 22nd birthday, she stunned then world No. 1 Xie Xingfang 11-5, 7-11, 11-8 at the 2005 Malaysia Open.

There were also the lows, such as her abrupt departure for China in 2008 – the year the Singapore Badminton Hall ceased operations – despite being part of Project 0812, which was launched with the aim of landing an Olympic medal at Beijing 2008 or London 2012.

Li explained: “At 25 and nursing injuries, I wanted to focus on recovery but the coach insisted on a high training load.

“I felt it was tough on SBA to make a decision to side with the coach or the player, so I decided to leave. I made a hasty decision in a fit of pique and yes, I regretted it.

“I was watching the Beijing 2008 Olympics opening ceremony on TV and I cried because I could have been there. It is a shame because I was just months away when I gave it all up. But maybe my daughter can fulfil my dream of winning an Olympic medal.”

Happily married to Qiu Bohui, Chinese legend Lin Dan’s youth international teammate whom she had met when he was on a short coaching stint here in 2007, they run badminton academies in Fuzhou and have a 13-year-old daughter Qiu Tianyue, who was born in Singapore.

According to Li, Tianyue is among the top three players in Fujian province for her age group and she has plans for her to follow in her footsteps.

She said: “Singapore badminton has definitely improved since I left. Loh Kean Yew became world champion while there are others who also won on the world tour. There are better support and opportunities for aspiring badminton players to pursue their sporting dream and to further their education during or after their athlete journey.

“If Tianyue loves badminton and wants to play more tournaments, she will have more opportunities if she proves herself as the best in her age group in Singapore.

“We are exploring our options, but first, I’m getting her English tuition.”