Bronze finish for Chen

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This article was published 12/08/2019 (2526 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Anson Chen has brought home a bronze medal after competing for his country for the first time.

The nine-year-old Island Lakes resident, who is a member of the Winnipeg Winter Club, placed third in the U11 division at the Pan Am Junior Badminton Championships that were held in Moncton, N.B. from July 16 to 20.

According to a recent news release from the club, Chen received a bye in the first round of the tournament. He then beat Sebastien Callo from Peru in the quarter-finals, before losing to Canada’s John Fu in the semifinals. Canada’s Solomon Tong then beat Fu to win the U11 title.

Noting his delight at winning a medal, Chen — who attends St. Maurice School — said his love of playing badminton is shared by his family — mom Lillian, dad Jai, and brother Evan.

“It feels amazing to win a medal,” Chen told The Lance, adding that badminton is fun, competitive, and good exercise. “It was my first time playing a big tournament like this. I just went on court to have fun.”

“Both my dad and brother play the sport, and I just started playing with them. A few months later, my parents put me in lessons.”

Lillian said all of Chen’s family and coaches are delighted with his performances and achievements at the championships.

“We are overwhelmed,” she said.

“For Anson to make it to the national development team to represent Canada and the province in an international event was a huge achievement. And for him to come home with a medal was the icing on the cake. With the help of his coaches Elliott Beals and Thien Vo from the Winnipeg Winter Club, we will continue to pursue higher level training, and hopefully one day Anson will bring back a gold.”

Beals, a badminton professional at the club, said Chen’s work ethic and commitment to training are two big reasons why he has progressed this far to date.

“Anson is a very hard worker on and off the court, and his dedication to the sport at a very young age is unbelievable. He is always willing to learn, and improve his skills. Even when the practice is over, Anson is still on the court working on a particular skill, or improving his movement on the court.”

Beals said if Chen continues to progress at his current rate, then the sky could be the limit in terms of how far he could go in the sport.

“If Anson continues to improve at the rate he is now, I would say that he could be one of the top junior players in the country in years to come,” he said.

“It’s not very often that we get to have a young player like Anson at our club. Myself and his other coach, Thien Vo, help Anson strive to achieve his goals. He is such a hard worker, and a joy to work with. The support that he has from his family is great, and with the club cheering him on, I’m excited to see what the future has in store for him.”

Go online at www.winnipegwinterclub.com to learn more about the club.