Bronze medal victory bolsters Chou's dream of Paris podium finish

Not a run of consecutive defeats, not the world No 1 and not even cancer can stop Chou Tien-chen from chasing his Olympic dreams.

The former world No 2 Chinese Taipei shuttler has smashed his way back into Olympic medal contention after putting up a gusty fight at the 2024 Thomas Cup world men's team championship last week, just over a year after being diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

Chou, a two-time Olympian, proved at the Cup tournament that, at the age of 34, he remains in his prime and a podium finish in Paris at his third Olympics is not beyond realm of possibility, after he helped Chinese Taipei secure the first medal in its history at the team championship in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province.

A thrilling 2-1 win over reigning Olympic champion and current world No 1 Viktor Axelsen in Chinese Taipei's quarterfinal upset of Denmark on Friday bore witness to Chou's rejuvenation from his recent physical ups and downs.

"It's the dream of winning an Olympic medal (that drove me through all the setbacks)," Chou said after clinching just his fourth victory in 22 encounters against Axelsen, leading his squad into the semifinals at the Cup.

"I still believe I have what it takes to be able to compete for a medal at the Olympics. I like my chances.

"I am really grateful for the experience of overcoming my illness and all the setbacks on my way back to the highest level. I will keep working hard toward my Olympic target," said Chou.

Although denied entry into the final by Indonesia in the semis on Saturday, Chinese Taipei ended its Chengdu campaign on an all-time high at the biannual Cup tournament, where both semifinal losers are awarded bronze medals.

Chou said the historic run in Chengdu is a perfect stepping stone to achieve his Paris ambitions.

"All the opponents I played in my singles matches here will be competing at the Olympics as well, so this was a great opportunity for me to measure myself against them and make any necessary adjustments," Chou said after losing to 7th-ranked Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, 21-18, 21-19, in the first singles match of Indonesia's 3-0 semifinal defeat of Chinese Taipei on Saturday.

"I have a lot of catching up to do in the next few months leading up to Paris. I have to be able to handle all kinds of opponents and prepare for all kinds of playing styles."

Scary diagnosis

As confident and vibrant as he looks now, Chou was dealt a heavy blow about a year ago, when he was diagnosed with early-stage colorectal cancer during a medical checkup in April 2023, prior to competing at the Asia Championships.

Having led a healthy lifestyle for years, Chou could not believe that such a disease would affect a disciplined athlete like him — someone who routinely works out, eats clean and sleeps well — even though his slump in form on the BWF World Tour had sent early warnings about his fitness in the beginning of 2023.

Thanks to the early detection, a timely surgery that removed cancerous cells from his colon went successfully, keeping Chou's Paris 2024 preparation on course, despite posing some extra mental challenges to refocus on the tour.

He then suffered nine opening-round losses following his recovery from the surgery, until regaining his winning touch by claiming his first World Tour singles title in 16 months in Germany last November.

Chou, who kept his health problems a secret until recently, said he would embrace the comeback from such life- and career-threatening adversity as a second chance to push for higher achievements.

"I really appreciate the game more, now that I can stand here and jump around the court," he said.

"My physical condition is much better than before, as is my confidence. At my age, I can still go through this experience and still be able to do more. I can face everything with positive energy and focus."

A second title since his return at the Thailand Masters helped Chou rebuild his confidence, hone his craft and refocus — right on time for the Thomas Cup, where he delivered a statement win over Axelsen in the quarterfinals.

During the grueling 68-minute rubber against the mighty Dane, Chou put his resilient defense, agility and clever service variations on full display to send the world's top man crashing out in disappointment.

"I tried to stay composed, but it didn't work that well. I think it was a tight match, really high intensity," said Axelsen, who last lost to Chou in March 2023 in the semifinals of the Swiss Open.

"I am, of course, disappointed, but Chou played a great match, he deserved to win for sure."