Taiwan’s star shuttler treads coachless path to Olympic glory

Taipei: Chou Tien-chen is taking the unusual step of gearing up for the 2020 Olympics without a coach, with his longtime physio and confidante shepherding him towards Tokyo gold.

The soft-spoken and boyish 29-year-old, known for pointing to heaven to thank God at the end of a match, parted ways with his trainer early this year.

Since then the world number two has been on a hot streak, winning the men’s singles at July’s Indonesia Open to claim his first title in a Super 1000 level event.

“I do a lot of homework a coach does before a game and spend more time analysing opponents and what I should do under what circumstances,” he said at a recent practice session in Taipei.

Cheering him on from the sidelines has been physiotherapist Victoria Kao, who has shouldered some of the traditional roles of a coach by acting as Chou’s mentor, cheerleader and chief critic.

‘EMBRACE YOUR DREAMS’ Kao accompanies her charge on and off the court, handing him drinks during match intervals and chaperoning him at charity events.

She says her main job is to “maintain his health and character” in a training regimen that includes pilates and belly dancing sessions.

But Kao said she also has a duty to keep Chou grounded in the wake of his recent winning form.

“I will pour cold water on him and tell him it’s just one victory, it’s over and you need to calm down,” she says.

“But when there are setbacks I will tell him it’s okay — embrace your dreams and persist — to try to lift him up emotionally.”

Competing in professional badminton without a personal coach is almost unheard of among top players from the sport’s traditional Asian powerhouses.

Chou still has access to the Taiwanese coaching team, and regularly consults experts including a retired physics professor on improving his form.