Sports

McNair grad sets Guinness badminton record

By Martin van den Hemel

Published 3:42 PST, Fri December 1, 2017

McNair grad Jackson Zi Yi Yang isn’t just a Guinness World Record holder anymore.

Now, the 18-year-old Trinity Western University student, who is studying sports management, has been showcased on Fairchild TV locally.

But what may come in early December could raise Yang’s profile into the stratosphere.

A major Chinese TV station that boasts 100 million regular viewers, would like to bring Yang in for one of their shows which features other athletes and Guinness record holders.

According to Yang, this TV show is a Guinness record holder as well, with an unmatched number of viewers for any show in the world.

Unfortunately for Yang, his school schedule may make a trip abroad impossible, and could necessitate that appearance on the Chinese show being delayed.

During the summer, Yang set a Guinness record by juggling four shuttlecocks for four minutes and 40 seconds during an attempt in Guangzhou, China on Aug. 26.

The videotaped, witnessed, judged and timed effort was verified by the Guinness World Record team in the United Kingdom, which sent him an official certificate on Sept. 10.

Yang told The Richmond Sentinel that he first began playing badminton at the age of six, and then started juggling two shuttlecocks when he was six or seven years old.

He tackled three shuttlecocks at a time when he was 12 or 13, then graduated to four about a year later.

Today, he can juggle six shuttlecocks for 52 seconds. His goal is to juggle five shuttlecocks for two minutes, and six shuttlecocks for one minute.

“It takes a long time to train, maybe two or three years,” he said. “Practice makes perfect.”

But why juggle shuttlecocks instead of playing badminton?

Yang said juggling necessitates a relaxation of the muscles, and requires a great deal of focus.

He claims it’s good for one’s eyesight and juggling doesn’t result in injuries. There’s no sudden stop and go which makes it less stressful on the joints.

Yang hopes his newfound fame will help him promote the sport of badminton and encourage other youth to try their hand at it.

While juggling multiple shuttlecocks may seem a relatively easy task, Yang said it becomes much more difficult with each additional shuttlecock. As well, in order to qualify for a world record, no shuttlecocks may collide and they must be struck into the air in the same sequence.

Asked how he feels about setting the record, Yang said: “I feel pretty excited.”

According to the Guinness certificate, Yang is “Officially Amazing.”

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