Q&A with Badminton Star Anthony Joe

With the 2016 Rio Olympics fast approaching, athletes from all over the world are bidding to receive the honour of representing their country at the pinnacle of sport. Anthony Joe is a 20 year old Canberra product who is hoping to represent Australia in badminton, while also completing an engineering degree at the Australian National University (ANU). I spoke to Anthony about the sport and his preparation for the Olympics.

Q: How did you first get into Badminton?

A: My father is something of a Badminton fanatic, he started me on this path over 10 years ago and is still my coach today. Both my sister and mother also play so you could say that it is in the family.

Q: Where are you headed with Badminton?

A: I recently won the Li-Ning Australian National Championships for Badminton and am now looking to break onto the international scene to test myself against the next level of opposition. I have two competitions coming up in Tahiti later this month that will be crucial to see if I have any chance of making it to Rio this year.

Q: What do you have to do to qualify for the Olympics?

A: Well the top 15 players in the world automatically qualify for the tournament and after that they go down the list with each nation able to send one athlete excluding the top 15 until all 38 spots are filled. At the moment the number 1 ranked Australian is actually a team mate of mine and it will be hard to get past him but if I perform well in Tahiti then anything is possible.

Q: How often do you train?

A: On a normal university week I train in the early mornings and maybe like two nights a week plus 2-3 gym sessions. All up probably about 15 hours per week, more during university break.

Q: How do you balance badminton and study?

A: Well I mean it gets really tough after a while. Half the time I’m not even at the ANU, I’ll be travelling, participating in competitions and everything so it does get really hard. I’ll be behind most of the time so I’ll have to find time to catch up and everything. The ANU are pretty good and allow me to take assessment at different times to fit my schedule which is great.

Q: Do you receive any sponsorship to help with the costs of badminton?

A: I get some travel money from Badminton Australia for some events but not all which makes it difficult to get to all the tournaments. I don’t have an equipment sponsor either, I could probably get one but it’s just for equipment and I like to be able to choose what I use and wear. We can also get Li-Ning gear from Badminton Australia.