Paris Olympics: badminton star Happy Lo enlists help of sleep doctor ahead of Games debut
- The 21-year-old is ‘more excited than nervous’ but says lack of sleep could prevent her from showing ‘best version of myself to everyone’
Hong Kong badminton talent Happy Lo Sin-yan has been trying to remedy her struggles with sleep on the eve of major matches, ahead of the 21-year-old’s Olympics debut this month.
Lo has submitted herself to a series of epic journeys for various competitions over the past 12 months, as she rebooted a career she feared had been kicked into the long grass by Covid.
The youngest member of the city’s six-strong Olympic badminton squad, Lo has soared to 44 in the world rankings – from around No 250 just 12 months ago.
She rejected the suggestion her junior status completely expunged pressure in Paris, “because I have expectations of myself”.
Despite those self-imposed demands, and a gold medal bounty of HK$1.25 million (US$192,000) offered by Hong Kong badminton bosses, Lo is “more excited than nervous” about competing in her sport’s marquee event.
She has enlisted the help of a sleep expert to address one of the largest barriers separating her from the goal of “showing the best version of myself to everyone”.
