Akane Yamaguchi ( 山口 茜 )

Again, congratulations to Yamaguchi for accomplishing another career milestone. Here's my translation of her post match interview after winning the All England title, as reported by Badminton Spirits. We get a little insight into her though process.

-Looking back on the match
I have had many matches against my opponent where the rallies became long, so I went into the match, preparing myself for it. Until now, there were many times when I've lost the second game easily after winning the first game, so after the first game, I tried to enter the second game with the same attitude as the start of the first. I'm glad that I was able to renew my state of mind like that.
-An Se Young went on the offensive in the second game
Accordingly, I also tried to not get into the low and fast exchanges. I think I was able to play at my own pace, play patiently so as to not crumble, and play while observing my opponent and considering my shots.
-Your second time making the All England final. Your feeling about winning the title.
This All England Open is special even among the many tournaments. Until now, I have only made it to the final a few times, so I am happy that I was able to make the best of this chance. Up until the QF, I wasn't able to play well, but I am glad that I was able to persevere and overcome it.
-Was today's performance your best ever?
Umm...this is difficult (wry smile). If you asked me was it the best, that might not be the case, but I think I was able to play at 100% today.
 
Congrats AY on winning back to back WC gold, legendary stuff.
She showed high intent throughout the tournament to win gold at home soil.
 
Sumanth99 said:
Congrats AY on winning back to back WC gold, legendary stuff.
She showed high intent throughout the tournament to win gold at home soil.
Click to expand...
Yay! Not an easy feat in today’s WS, well deserved.

I feel that her game has evolved a bit with more initiative/variety from the forehand side.
 
I was out in the middle of nowhere with no cell signal over the weekend so I am late to congratulate Yamaguchi for successfully defending her World Championship title on home ground! Definitely not an easy feat, considering all the big names she had to beat to get to the gold, and not to mention, the home crowd expectation! I was worried about her form after all those early exits in Indonesia and Malaysia a month ago, but she really saved herself for the most important tournament this year. This win on home ground should make up for the disappointment from the Tokyo Olympics somewhat (and also saved Japan from another flop).

To commemorate AY's big accomplishment, below is a translation from her post-final interview, as reported by Badminton Spirits. Always the very humble champion that she is, and that's what we love about her. :)

-Looking back on the match
Even though the second game in today's match was not very good, I am glad that I was able to play patiently and to correct what did not go well in the second half of the final game. I'm happy that I was able to get the best result at a World Championship held in Japan.

-There was a kind of tenacity in the final game. What kind of feeling did you approach the match with?
More than any other time, I think I was able to concentrate on each shot. I was not very insistent on the scores, but just tried to have a good game. I think that was what led to the tenacious play in each shot.

-How did you build up your mental strength in this one year?
Personally, I did not work on that aspect. There was an audience and their support gave me strength. I think that was the main reason for my positive approach.

-In an earlier interview, you said that this is the first time you're having these feelings. When answering these questions again, you seem to be at a lost for words.
I felt touched. I was overjoyed when I saw the audience after the match finished. I thought that to be able to bring joy to the audience like this is very gratifying.

-Looking forward to the Daihatsu Yonex Japan Open next week
I want to get ready for the Daihatsu Yonex Japan Open by adjusting my state of mind and also my physical condition so that I can play well once again.
 
Super cool and "collected" AY. Happy to see her development and consistency. I do hope she can capture the Olympic Gold one day.
 
Cheung said:
She showed a lot of emotion on the win… lol
Click to expand...
As we probably all know, she's not good at expressing herself :). She got quite emotional after it all sank in though. It looks like she was holding back some tears in the clip below. This win meant a lot to her even though it didn't look like so right after the match. Basically, what she says in the clip is that she tried not to think about the tournament until it was all over because it might cause her to feel the pressure and get nervous. After it was all over and she looked up at the audience in the stand, she felt happy and glad.
 
Two wins back-to-back on home soil, successfully defended her Japan Open title to get her 3rd Japan Open title, and getting the world #1 ranking back in style! If this doesn't get AY the legend status in Japan then it would be a great injustice. Japan will not encounter another player like her in the next 100 years!
 
Akane Yamaguchi's low profile, cool mind ，good manners and indomitable battling spirit is vividly reflected in the competition. Unfortunately, it is this spirit that has faded into oblivion now. The diminutive athlete proved the Chinese coaches wrong once and for all, who had once dismissed her by saying something along the lines of “you can do only so much with a small height”.
 
繁华落尽见真淳 said:
Akane Yamaguchi's low profile, cool mind ，good manners and indomitable battling spirit is vividly reflected in the competition. Unfortunately, it is this spirit that has faded into oblivion now. The diminutive athlete proved the Chinese coaches wrong once and for all, who had once dismissed her by saying something along the lines of “you can do only so much with a small height”.
Click to expand...

With China's current recruitment criteria, I'm afraid of many talents will be omitted. Not only Okuhara/Yamaguchi/Watanabe but also Zheng Siwei, Chen Qing Chen,...

I've heard that recruitment criteria was 1.8+ meter, right ?
 
Last edited:
terrynguyen121988 said:
With China's current recruitment criteria, I'm afraid of much talents will be omitted. Not only Okuhara/Yamaguchi/Watanabe but also Zheng Siwei, Chen Qing Chen,...

I've heard that recruitment criteria was 1.8+ meter, right ?
Click to expand...

The China Badminton Association previously issued an announcement of criteria to poach young, top-notch sparring partners, which stirred up great controversy. The standard requires that male athletes should be above 1.85 meters tall and female ones above 1.75 meters tall! Having said that, Wang Wei, senior executive of the China Badminton Association, responded that this recruitment criteria is only designed for the training period.
 
繁华落尽见真淳 said:
The China Badminton Association previously issued an announcement of criteria to poach young, top-notch sparring partners, which stirred up great controversy. The standard requires that male athletes should be above 1.85 meters tall and female ones above 1.75 meters tall! Having said that, Wang Wei, senior executive of the China Badminton Association, responded that this recruitment criteria is only designed for the training period.
Click to expand...
Was that for doubles as well?
 
Cheung said:
Was that for doubles as well?
Click to expand...

Yes, the same for doubles. Wang Wei said tha the criteria was mainly targeted at some arch rivals, such as Viktor Axelsen of 1.94 meters, Lee Zii Jia of 1.87 meters, and Sindu of 1.79 meters. In addition, some doubles players also have extraordinary physical attribute and height. This training camp just wants to single out backup talents with high stature and great stamina to emulate the characteristics of those arch foes including some doubles players.
 
繁华落尽见真淳 said:
Yes, the same for doubles. Wang Wei said tha the criteria was mainly targeted at some arch rivals, such as Viktor Axelsen of 1.94 meters, Lee Zii Jia of 1.87 meters, and Sindu of 1.79 meters. In addition, some doubles players also have extraordinary physical attribute and height. This training camp just wants to single out backup talents with high stature and great stamina to emulate the characteristics of those arch foes including some doubles players.
Click to expand...
That's pretty close-minded. Momota, before the accident, was Axelsen's kryptonite and he's only 1.75 meter. Sindhu might be at 1.79 meter, but she hasn't been in the top 4 of the ranking for many years now. The WS top 1 and 2 spots have mostly been shared by the shortest two players on tour since at least 2017 so they must have something else beside height that's working for them.
 
繁华落尽见真淳 said:
Yes, the same for doubles. Wang Wei said tha the criteria was mainly targeted at some arch rivals, such as Viktor Axelsen of 1.94 meters, Lee Zii Jia of 1.87 meters, and Sindu of 1.79 meters. In addition, some doubles players also have extraordinary physical attribute and height. This training camp just wants to single out backup talents with high stature and great stamina to emulate the characteristics of those arch foes including some doubles players.
Click to expand...
I am a big fan of Yamaguchi, but I don’t mind this standard of Team China:

- Being taller could mean natural advantage, statistics must have shown this.
- We could totally argue that Yamaguchi is an exception (of athletes at her height) as opposed to the “norm”.

At the end of the day, we can’t scout every child and the best to do is to maximize the “chance”. This applies to many sports like swimming, hockey… There will always be exceptions but the force of statistics trend is stronger than ever…
 
Badminton Spirits published a nice long interview of Yamaguchi after her JO victory. I thought that they asked some good questions and also got some good answers, so here it is :).

-Looking back on the match
Since both of us were fatigued, I thought the important point was how much initiative I could seize. For the time being, I thought of just pushing myself to the limit, use my top speed, and all my power, so to be able to push through to the end was the best outcome. I'm glad I was able to win.

-The lifts to the opponent's opposite side were effective. You were able to observe the opponent's court well?
That's right. During the middle of the second game, there were times when I tried to force it because my speed dropped and I thought that I had to finish this quickly. But, overall, rather than trying to force it even at a fast pace and to go for the finish at 100%, I think I was able to do well by finishing it when I had leeway during the rally.

-2 consecutive victories in 2 weeks in Japan. You have not had results better than this. How do you react to it?
What a relief...(laugh). I don't think I'll have results better than this so I'm very glad. It's a very good thing that I was able to persist through tough times, just like in yesterday's match.

-There were a lot of prolong matches today. How did you prepare?
In general, this week's matches have been long (laugh). How should I put it, I'm used to it. I think I have a good graps of it. I have my usual warm-up. The match before can finish in 2 games or it can go to the final game. I've experienced it many times before so I didn't do anything special to relax. I just went through the normal routine.

-A draining 2-week has ended. Looking forward, what are your plans?
For the fundamental practices, I want to steadily build on the basics. I think it's good to do something like challenging myself while also having fun during practice.

-If you were to give yourself a challenge
I supposed that when I want a point, I would try to get it too quickly and then get caught up by the opponent during a downturn, get put under pressure, get flustered, and then become half-hearted and not hit each shot properly. I think that I need to work on my mentality so that I could be certain of myself and play decisively.

-What are your thoughts about your title win in front of the home fans?
First of all, I'm glad that I was able to play the max number of 5 matches. In all of that, I think I was able to show many good plays so it is best if they were able to enjoy it. It would be great if the junior players can gain something from it too.

-There is about 1 month before the next tournament. How do you plan to reward yourself during the break?
Lately, I'm in a fix because I don't have anything I want or want to do, so I'd be happy to get some recommendation (wry smile).

Looks like she got bored of nanoblocks :D.

I've always thought that she's capable of the kind of exciting plays that she showed in this week's final ever since I first saw her at the 2017 Super Series Finals. I'm really happy to see her keeps evolving and continuously challenging herself. Get a good rest and don't over do it! The last thing we need is something like what's happening to Momota.
 
Last edited:
yuon said:
Badminton Spirits published a nice long interview of Yamaguchi after her JO victory. I thought that they asked some good questions and also got some good answers, so here it is :).

-Looking back on the match
Since both of us were fatigued, I thought the important point was how much initiative I could seize. For the time being, I thought of just pushing myself to the limit, use my top speed, and all my power, so to be able to push through to the end was the best outcome. I'm glad I was able to win.

-The lifts to the opponent's opposite side were effective. You were able to observe the opponent's court well?
That's right. During the middle of the second game, there were times when I tried to force it because my speed dropped and I thought that I had to finish this quickly. But, overall, rather than trying to force it even at a fast pace and to go for the finish at 100%, I think I was able to do well by finishing it when I had leeway during the rally.

-2 consecutive victories in 2 weeks in Japan. You have not had results better than this. How do you react to it?
What a relief...(laugh). I don't think I'll have results better than this so I'm very glad. It's a very good thing that I was able to persist through tough times, just like in yesterday's match.

-There were a lot of prolong matches today. How did you prepare?
In general, this weeks's matches have been long (laugh). How should I put it, I'm used to it. I think I have a good graps of it. I have my usual warm-up. The match before can finish in 2 games or it can go to the final game. I've experienced it many times before so I didn't do anything special to relax. I just went through the normal routine.

-A draining 2-week has ended. Looking forward, what are your plans?
For the fundamental practices, I want to steadily build on the basics. I think it's good to do something like challenging myself while also having fun during practice.

-If you were to give yourself a challenge
I supposed that when I want a point, I would try to get it too quickly and then get caught up by the opponent during a downturn, get put under pressure, get flustered, and then become half-hearted and not hit each shot properly. I think that I need to work on my mentality so that I could be certain of myself and play decisively.

-What are your thoughts about your title win in front of the home fans?
First of all, I'm glad that I was able to play the max number of 5 matches. In all of that, I think I was able to show many good plays so it is best if they were able to enjoy it. It would be great if the junior players can gain something from it too.

-There is about 1 month before the next tournament. How do you plan to reward yourself during the break?
Lately, I'm in a fix because I don't have anything I want or want to do, so I'd be happy to get some recommendation (wry smile).

Looks like she got bored of nanoblocks :D.

I've always thought that she's capable of the kind of exciting plays that she showed in this week's final ever since I first saw her at the 2017 Super Series Finals. I'm really happy to see her keeps evolving and continuously challenging herself. Get a good rest and don't over do it! The last thing we need is something like what's happening to Momota.
Click to expand...
Thanks!!

I hope she can stay free from injury.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top