These were words of physio Victoria Kao who sits on the coaching corner of now oldest Badminton World Championships medallist Chou Tien Chen.The 36-year-old from Chinese Taipei lost to Kodai Naraoka of Japan in 74 minutes finishing with his second medal at the Worlds.When the men’s singles semi-final lineup came up, it read 21 years, 21 years, 25 years, and 36 years.The 36-year-old in the list has displayed remarkable consistency and guile in recent years despite the younger generation taking over.One has to understand the character of the man to know where the consistency and guile comes from.Smaller battlesFor Chou, staying consistent on the badminton court and fighting younger opponents is easier than the battle he fought with cancer.Story continues below this adWhen asked about the battle with cancer, Chou said, “It’s more of a psychological battle than anything. I was always afraid of the high quality physical training impacting my body. I had to say to myself that you have to be very careful,” said Chou.His physical trainer, Victoria, called it a miracle. “I call it a miracle because I appreciate the chance that we have a chance to continue. We get to stay on court and we are grateful,” said Victoria.Innovative thingsBack in 2019, Chou did something no badminton player would dare to do in recent times.He ended his ties with his then coach and decided to go full time without any coach and just with Victoria on his side as physiotherapist, mentor, and emotional support.Story continues below this ad Chou Tien Chen is the oldest Badminton World Championships medallist. (AP)The reason was that he thought he could do better by planning his tactics and strategies.“I think even though he is a player, he has a brain just like a coach. He has a professional vision. So he teaches me the strategies first and I make notes. During the game, when I see him executing the strategies, I am like, wow this is what he meant,” explained Victoria.Seven years later, with two World championship medals, two Asian Championships medals and still in the world top 10, the decision looks absolutely perfect.A trailblazerApart from being a shuttler par excellence, Chou is a charity worker, a champion of migrant workers’ cause and trailblazer in Chinese Taipei.Story continues below this ad“He is referred to as the first one in our nation. The first one means the pioneer. It is something we call Chou and Tai Tzu-ying,” one of the Journalists from Chinese Taipei told The Indian Express.After Tai bid farewell to the sport, Chou has been the face of Chinese Taipei badminton with the likes of Lin Chun-yi rising around that.“We always had someone to look up to. Tai Tzu-ying and Chou Tien Chen have been the sporting heroes for us,” Lin had said during the India Open.If one has to compare, Chou has the same status as Sachin Tendulkar in India or Lionel Messi in Argentina.Story continues below this adA much-loved figure in Taiwan, he first crossed paths with migrant issues. In November 2020, he urged kindness towards poor Indonesian migrants who were infected by the coronavirus and couldn’t travel back. Subtly first and then directly he urged fellow Taiwanese to treat them humanely.Later in December 2024, he helped Kaixiang Chen, a fellow Taiwanese entrepreneur who started a non-profit ‘1-40’ for migrants from the Philippines and stayed true to his words.Not slowing downAn immortal in the badminton World now with his contemporaries fading away, Chou’s consistency comes from his mindset.When asked why he thinks success is still coming to him, Chou said, “I don’t know. I just keep letting the shuttle back. Keep diving, keep going, and keep smashing.”Story continues below this adThat quote displays that everything comes to you if you’re persistent enough.When asked how long he will continue for, “I have a dream and when I wake up, I think how can I improve. If you don’t have a dream, there is nothing you will do. So, it is good to have a dream,” Chou said.With the 15 points system being implemented next year, you never know how long Chou can extend his career.But he has one cheeky reply to end it, “Of course, I get more time now.”