PV Sindhu mourns tragic passing of 17-year-old Chinese player Zhang Zhi Jie at Asia Junior Championship
Zhang Zhi Jie was treated on-site and taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he later died despite unsuccessful attempts at resuscitation.
Zhang Zhi Jie
A 17-year-old Chinese badminton player, Zhang Zhi Jie, died after collapsing on the court during an international tournament in Indonesia, officials said on Monday. The player suddenly fell ill during a late Sunday match against Japan's Kazuma Kawano at the Asia Junior Championships in Yogyakarta. The cause of death was not immediately known.
In the opening game, Zhang fell to the ground when the score was tied at 11-11. He was treated on-site and later taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he later died despite unsuccessful attempts at resuscitation.
Indian badminton star PV Sindhu, who was shocked to hear this 'heartbreaking' news, took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to mourn. She wrote, "Absolutely heartbreaking news coming from the Junior Asian Badminton Championships about the loss of young badminton player Zhang Zhi Jie. I offer my deepest condolences to Zhang's family during this devastating time. The world has lost a remarkable talent today."
Badminton Asia and the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI), in a joint statement on Monday, said, "China's Zhang Zhijie, a singles player, collapsed on the court during an evening match. He was taken to the hospital where he passed away at 23:20 local time yesterday. He was attended to by the tournament doctor and medical team. He was transported in the standby ambulance in less than two minutes and sent to the hospital. The world of badminton has lost a talented player."
Zhang reportedly began playing badminton in kindergarten and last year became a member of China's national youth team. He was victorious in the singles category of the Dutch Junior International, earlier in the year.
China's badminton association said that it was "deeply saddened". "Zhang Zhijie loved badminton and was an outstanding athlete of the national youth badminton team. At present, the local hospital has not yet identified the cause of death."
The team tournament in the city of Yogyakarta held a moment of silence on Monday, and the Chinese team wore black armbands as a mark of respect.
Updated: July 01, 2024 12:40 PM IST
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