China’s women’s doubles badminton player, Li Yinhui, decided to retire early. Du Yue’s tandem hung up her racket at the age of 24 due to heart problems.
Li Yinhui and Du Yue once broke into the fifth place on the BWF ranking list. They were also able to reach the quarter-finals of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics against Indonesia’s best women’s doubles, Greysia Polii/Apriyani Rahayu. In the match for the semifinal ticket for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Li Yinhui and Du Yue forced Greysia / Apriyani to play for 100 minutes. In the end they lost 15-21, 22-20, 17-21.
Li Yinhui announced this retirement decision via social media. Li wrote that she had a health problem called bradycardia. For a normal person, the heart rate is 60 to 100 beats per minute at rest. If you have bradycardia, your heart rate will be much slower, less than 60 per minute. Well, in Li Yinhui’s case, her heart rate was extremely slow, even extreme. Because, her heart rate is only 37 per minute when she rests.
“This is a very difficult decision for me. In recent months, I have been actively undergoing body treatments. Several years ago, I had pneumonia and then a fever during the tournament,” said Li Yinhui. “The last high fever lasted a very long time. Since then, my body has not been as good as before. When my heart problem was severe, where my heart rate was 37 at rest, my recovery development was not optimal.”
She also admitted that she had to play in several games with a fever. Li needed numbing medication before the game so she could play. Not only that, her blood pressure was low. In order to achieve her goal in the badminton arena, Li tried to perform optimally. Unfortunately, her condition never recovered. “I’ve been actively undergoing treatment after the Tokyo Olympics, the staff and coaches gave me a lot of help. But until this point, I couldn’t train with high intensity,” she said.
“I needed long-term treatment. Therefore, I had to choose to leave the badminton court and leave the national team. I am very grateful to be a part of the Chinese badminton team. I have always witnessed historical moments with my own eyes in the last 9 years and I have also worked hard to create mine. My passion for badminton and love for the sport will always be in my heart and I am very grateful for that.”
“Thanks to the team, leaders and coaches for caring for me, as well as the people who support me and those who love me. You guys have given me courage and strength. Hopefully we can meet again in the future.” Before declaring retirement, Li Yinhui and Du Yue were ranked eighth in the world. Now, their names are no longer on the BWF ranking list which was released on January 25, 2022.
