2 weeks ago
Chen Yu Fei: biggest obstacle is herself at Badminton Worlds
Chen Yu Fei is a very good badminton player from China.
She has already won a gold medal at the Olympic Games.
But there is one big prize she has never won: the World Championship.
Last year she reached the final but lost to a player from Japan named Akane Yamaguchi.
Now she is playing at the World Championships in New Delhi, India, and wants to win.
She says the hardest thing is not other players but believing in herself — 'the biggest obstacle is myself.'
Her ankle was hurt before the final last year, and she thinks her body is still not 100% ready.
She also says she does not feel pressure, even though no Chinese woman has won this title since 2011.
Chen just wants to try her best in every match and not worry about anything else.
Chen Yu Fei, China's Olympic gold medalist, is chasing her first BWF World Championships title in New Delhi.
Chen says her biggest challenge is herself: 'If I can conquer myself, then everything will be fine.'
She lost last year's world final in Paris to Japan's Akane Yamaguchi after injuring her ankle in the semi-final.
No Chinese player has won the women's singles world title since 2011, but Chen says she feels no such pressure.
Chen admitted her build-up was not ideal — she was 'very busy' and rested last week — and that her physical condition is 'not 100%.'
- Who
- Chen Yu Fei, China's Olympic gold medalist in badminton, facing rivals including Akane Yamaguchi and An Se Young.
- What
- Competing at the BWF World Championships in pursuit of the women's singles world title that has so far eluded her.
- Where
- Indira Gandhi Stadium, New Delhi.
- When
- 2026, during the current BWF World Championships.
- Why
- To win her first World Championship gold, a prize she believes can only be secured by conquering herself rather than focusing on opponents.
External expectations
Chen Yu Fei's perspective
Pressure to end China's drought
External expectations
Chinese women's singles has not won a world title since 2011, and Chen's near-misses (world final, China Open final) suggest pressure on her to end that drought and complete her collection of major titles.
Chen Yu Fei's perspective
Chen says there is no such pressure — 'I just have to do well' — and refuses to let Olympic gold or the missing world title become a burden.
World title as a target
External expectations
Having come so close last year, some view the World Championship as the prize she must now win.
Chen Yu Fei's perspective
Chen says she does not want to think about the title or specific opponents; she wants to focus on each match and on her own preparation.
Key facts
- Event
- BWF World Championships (women's singles)
- Location
- Indira Gandhi Stadium, New Delhi
- Player
- Chen Yu Fei (China)
- Notable achievement
- Olympic gold medalist
- 2025 world final result
- Runner-up; lost to Akane Yamaguchi (Japan)
- Last Chinese women's singles world title
- 2011
- Rivalry
- First met An Se Young in 2018
- Physical condition
- 'Better than the last match, but not 100%'
Quotes
Chen Yu Fei
Chinese badminton player and Olympic gold medalist
“"The biggest obstacle is myself. If I can conquer myself, then everything will be fine."”
thehansindia.com











