All Kunlavut wants is to win at All England Open

Known for his tenacity and toughness in rallies, Thai badminton star Kunlavut Vitidsarn's famed defensive skills are rooted in an act of rebellion.

- David Lee

Laughing as he recounted the story, the men's singles world No. 2 told The Straits Times: "When I was young, my coach told me to always attack.

"But I thought I would use up a lot of my power and tire easily if I keep attacking; if I could defend well and counter-attack, that would save me energy.

"This was my own understanding, and it worked for some time."

Nicknamed "View" by his parents, things could have worked out differently for him as he was a sickly child who never envisioned he would become the badminton world champion and Olympic medallist he is today.

He said: "When I was young, I didn't look too much into the future because my father would take me to the hospital almost every day because of allergies.

"I was told to play sports to strengthen my body, and that was enough for me.

"When I was around seven years old, my uncle took me to play golf, while my father, who is a badminton coach, taught me to play badminton. In the end, I chose badminton because I felt standing and swinging at golf balls was not as fun as running around and jumping to hit shuttlecocks."

His appetite for success was whetted when he won his first medal in a local junior badminton competition at eight.