Zhang Zhijie prepares to parry his badminton opponent’s serve. Suddenly he falls to the ground and is dead some time later. The incident raises several questions.
A 17-year-old badminton talent from China collapsed during a match and died in hospital shortly afterwards. Zhang Zhijie suddenly fell to the ground during the match on Sunday in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, during the Asian Youth Championships, as video footage showed. Helpers rushed onto the court a short time later and carried him off the court on a stretcher.
Badminton talent discovered early
According to the Chinese Badminton Association, the young man died shortly before midnight on Sunday. The hospital does not yet know the exact cause of death, it said. The Chinese and Asian Badminton Associations and the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing expressed their condolences to the family. The Chinese consulate immediately contacted the Indonesian authorities after the incident and sent employees to the hall, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning.
According to the association, Zhang was from the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang and was an “outstanding athlete” of the Chinese youth team. In 2023, he won a men’s singles title at the national championships and joined the national team the same year. According to the state-run newspaper China Daily, he started playing badminton in kindergarten and made it onto the team in his home province in elementary school.
Source: Stern
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