Xie has growing ambitions in team

JAKARTA (JP): She may well be the prettiest and friendliest of all Chinese players, always flashing a smile on her beautiful face.

Forget the typical stiff and cold Chinese shuttlers and get ready for a more open and warmer one.

Xie Xingfang is easily recognizable with her towering posture of 1.78 meters and her rounder eyes, not to mention her outgoing personality exuding lots of smiles and laughter.

"I want to know all of you while I'm here because I believe such encounters will add to my experience," she told reporters at a postmatch conference after beating Indonesia's Ellen Angelina in the final match of the women's single event.

Her best achievement before the 2000 JVC Asian Badminton Championships was champion of the 1999 Hong Kong Open.

Born on Jan. 18, 1981, she started to play badminton at the age of 10 years in her home town of Guangzhou.

"I joined my school's badminton team and soon I was involved in various inter-school tournaments. My parents don't play the sport but I just like it," she said.

"Perhaps because of my achievement with my school team, I was then recruited by Wang Chun Jie into the China's national team in 1998," added Xie.

She is one of eight second-layer shuttlers in the national training center.

Asked whether she had special training sessions to improve her agility and flexibility, Xie only laughed.

"Am I as muscular as the boys? No, I don't do special exercises. I just follow what my coach says," she said.

"But I do a lot of other sports such as swimming and table tennis. I don't like running because it's exhausting," she added.

Xie also said she didn't have any special hobbies.

"Well, I like to listen to Hong Kong pop singers to fill in my time in the dormitory," she said.

When asked about her favorite shuttlers, Xie took a little time thinking it over.

"My favorite player is Taufik Hidayat. While I'm here, I want to have his autograph and pose together for a picture," she said, with a wide smile.

"I also like Gong Zhichao. It's my ambition to replace her and reach an even higher achievement," added Xie without any sign of arrogance.

Now with the title in her hand, Xie was still unsure about her future plans.

"I'll just leave it to the officials. I'll just perform my best," she said. (nvn)