THE BEST there is in a region of champions

The thrill was all the greater because she lost the opening game to her formidable opponent and hopes began fading.

But Ratchanok didn’t let her fans down, storming back to win the three-game match in China. It was an uphill task both physically and emotionally to beat her old nemesis in front of her home crowd, and Thai fans were sitting on pins and needles right up to the final exchange of shots.

Victory seemed to come against all odds. Their head-to-head record was 7-2 in favour of the Chinese star, and last year Li swept all three of their meetings.

We congratulate Ratchanok on her hard-fought triumph, not only in defeating such a strong opponent but also in making good on her determination to reach beyond her world-champion status to become the Asian champion, which is considered even more prestigious since Asians dominate the sport.

The pressure had only mounted on the 20-year-old since winning the world title three years ago. Like so many of our sports heroes, Ratchanok was bombarded with attention and offers of riches. 

There was every chance she might lose focus amid all the distractions. That too was part of her challenge in striving to reach the next level. 

Thailand has experienced the loss of several promising talents to the lure of fame and fortune. Ratchanok was perhaps able to 

 learn from the mistakes of others in remaining immune to the negative effects of global renown. There were injuries as well, forcing Ratchanok to struggle to stay in form. Discipline in her training was crucial. Add to the threat of injury the temptations of fame and we could only hope that she kept her feet on the ground. Clearly she has done that.

And in doing so she has earned admiration far beyond our borders. After Sunday’s final there were countless respectful comments on the social media about Ratchanok’s evident humility and down-to-earth character.

There could be lingering troubles over her title as world champion. Many sports commentators – and even her Chinese coach – would prefer that she jettison the “world champion baggage” and move on to confront greater barriers. 

Her coach even asked Hendra Setiawan, one of the top badminton players in Indonesia, to urge Ratchanok not to defend her world title, let it pass on to other hands, and thus be rid of the unnecessary pressure.

The advice does perhaps make sense. Ratchanok’s triumph over Li lifts her to a new level, as well as boosting her world ranking to sixth place. Regardless, Ratchanok’s success can teach junior athletes that sophisticated training equipment and top-rated coaches are not crucial to winning. 

More important is to play out of love for the game, out of determination. Nor, as she has shown, can they become distracted from their ultimate goal. Finally, in Ratchanok’s humility is affirmation that arrogance is a poor partner to greatness in sport. We hope she retains these virtues both on and off the court and continues to inspire us all.