In the most recent world rankings from the Badminton World Federation, Tzu Ying Tai firmly ranks at the number one spot in women’s singles, a position she has been in for a running total of 191 weeks—the longest in history.

Tai started competing internationally at age 15, showing promise at such a young age. She won the Japanese Super Series and become its youngest champion in history at 18. At 22, she won the Hong Kong Badminton Super Series Women’s Singles Championship. Her cumulative efforts earned her the world number 1 spot, which she held for 147 weeks.

She took home the silver at the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics Women’s Singles and set Taiwan’s best record in Olympic badminton. She was named the Badminton World Federation’s Female Player of the Year from 2020-2021.

Despite hints of retiring after the Olympics, Tai began preparing for the 2021 World Championships in Spain. On top of her professional success, she is also a fan favourite thanks to her exciting playing style.