Source: REUTERS/CARLA CARNIEL
[Saba Sports News] Recently, badminton world champion Bao Yixin, in an interview, talked about life in the national team and rated herself as the most diligent person, drawing strong attention from fans. Bao Yixin stated that life in the national team is very fulfilling, with every athlete required to wake up at 5:50 AM for roll call, followed by morning exercises, which end at 7 AM, and then breakfast. Around 8:10 or 8:15, the team takes a bus to the training hall; training continues until 11:30, after which they take the bus back. Lunch is at noon, followed by a nap; training resumes at 3 PM and continues until 6 PM, after which they return to the dormitory via bus. Evening time might be spent at the rehabilitation center for treatment, and by the time they return to their room, it’s already 9 PM. After a quick tidy-up, it’s time for bed, as the next day will repeat the same routine. Sometimes, the coach might say that after training, everyone is free to practice more or leave, but Bao Yixin always chooses to stay for extra practice, often until the last bus; if the bus has already left, she has to take public transport back. Bao Yixin expressed that she feels she is more diligent than her teammates, as she is the only one who managed to win a championship even after suffering a knee injury. Throughout her career, Bao Yixin won gold medals at the BWF Super Series nine times between 2013 and 2014. However, after unfortunately missing out on the 2016 Olympics, she retired at the age of 25 and successfully transitioned to become a physical education teacher.