What kind of experience is it to become an Olympic athlete? NextShark talked to Timothy Lam, who represented the United States in the Tokyo Men’s Singles Badminton Tournament, to find out.
Lin, 23, was born in Hong Kong and grew up in Mountain View, California. His badminton journey began at the age of 6. Although Lin always dreamed of participating in the Olympics, he had no specific plans to pursue until he won the U19 singles championship at the 2014 Pan American Youth Games. He is a 17-year-old student at Los Altos High School. "I realized that I have the potential to compete at the adult international level," Lin told NextShark. "In the next few years, I decided to try Olympic qualifications, but I'm not sure if I can do it." There were obstacles along the way, but the 23-year-old made up his mind. "For my personal growth and experience, I also decided to try and qualify for the Olympics," he said. Lin still maintained his Olympic ambitions when he majored in accounting at California Poly Pomona University. Graduated in 2018 and is currently a candidate for the CPA exam. In the past few years, Lin traveled extensively and participated in competitions, raising his world ranking from 94 to 85. It became more challenging when COVID-19 occurred and restrictions were imposed in 2020, but he managed to return to the game at the end of the year. Lin officially entered the US team on July 5. He described the qualification year as the most difficult period of his Olympic journey. "The most difficult part is traveling abroad alone without a team or coach. Trying to adapt to various setbacks and unexpected difficulties is also a very spiritual challenge," Lin said, adding that he is also working hard. Balance school, training, competition and personal life.
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Lin said that due to lack of funds, there is no badminton team in the United States. To this end, he had to pay for training, travel and other expenses. "Because we don't have a national team, we have to find our own training-whether in the local badminton club or overseas in Asia and Europe where badminton is more popular," Lin shared. "I have received training overseas many times, but the cost may be quite expensive. Considering that I have spent a lot of money to participate in competitions, unless necessary, I usually shelve overseas training." Lin said that he spends most of his time locally. Training in the badminton club. But because there is no personal trainer, it is still quite challenging. "I have to look for additional training sessions with friends or local players. I also have to increase my motivation for additional physical training," he said.
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Lin finished 15th in Tokyo. This is an undeniable record of talent, resourcefulness and resilience for an athlete who participates in the Olympics almost entirely on his own. Although the Olympian, who did not win a medal for the first time, returned home, he returned with unforgettable lessons and experiences. Follow his journey at the Tokyo Olympics as follows:
After the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Lin said he plans to leave badminton temporarily to focus on public accounting. He is currently studying for the CPA exam to obtain his license. The professional badminton player also left a message to athletes who are interested in participating in the Olympics: "Make sure you like what you do. The qualification process for the Olympics, especially badminton, is an extremely difficult and spiritual challenge, so important The thing is that you have a passion for the sport and desire to be the best version of yourself in order to overcome these obstacles along the way. "The other piece of advice I want to give is the willingness to make sacrifices. As with any other sport, it is difficult to get both sides of a coin. Most professional badminton players have to sacrifice certain parts of their lives in order to realize their badminton dreams, whether in social life or academic life. "Image courtesy of Timothy Lam for NextShark
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