Source:REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff
[Saba Sports News] Chen Yufei won the first game but was then overtaken by Wang Zhiyi, who took the next two games. Chen Yufei regrettably secured the silver medal, missing the chance to make history with a third consecutive National Games title. In a post-match interview, Chen Yufei revealed: “After the match the previous day, I spent the entire day in a wheelchair. But when it came to the final, I still wanted to give it my all. This is my first major tournament and a significant goal since my comeback after experiencing so much. I wanted to make history. However, in competitive sports, there are always wins and losses. What I need to do is to perform better in the future.” After the interview, Chen Yufei posted on her personal social media account to bid farewell to the National Games. She stated this would be her final National Games, leaving the unfinished history and regrets here. She also shared photos of the wounds on her feet. The pictures show her heavily bruised feet, with peeling skin on the left foot and her right foot still bandaged. In fact, as early as the World Championships semifinals, Chen Yufei had sprained her right ankle at a 90-degree angle. It wasn’t until she returned to Chengdu on September 2 that she was diagnosed with posterior ankle impingement related to the posterior talar triangle/talar beak, accompanied by a small amount of bone marrow edema in her right ankle. The anterior talofibular ligament was partially torn, and the calcaneofibular and deltoid ligaments were grade 1 injured. Subsequently, she returned to play in the China Badminton Masters after just two weeks of rest. Unfortunately, at the Denmark Badminton Open, her right ankle suffered a second sprain. Before appearing at the National Games, she required three layers of kinesiology tape.