Text by BWF
“I was thinking about retiring, but I will keep going, I will try 2028,” declared Mexico’s Luis Ramon Garrido, after a sensational spell of badminton that all but took down world No.17 Lee Cheuk Yiu in what could have been the biggest upset of Paris 2024.
Garrido made light of the immense gulf in rankings and experience – he’s No.66, and an infrequent face on the World Tour – taking the battle to Lee after a first game hammering when he got just five points.
“Windy conditions, it was tricky on court. It was pretty fast, and he played a fantastic first game, so well done to him,” said Garrido. “In the second, I told myself that we are here at the Olympics, we have to fight, no one is going to give you anything for free, so I said, let’s go forward, let’s face it. I just tried to take him with my face, my screaming, my body language.”
The match was on edge, and emotions boiled over on either side, with Lee celebrating wildly after he’d taken the last point for a 21-5 15-21 21-17 victory. Garrido might have lost both his group matches – he’d earlier fallen 21-17 21-12 to world No.11 Chou Tien Chen – but he’d won a different battle within himself: his performance has convinced him to stick on for much longer, with LA 2028 being a target.
For the 28-year-old who’d been on the verge of death nine years ago – he had a condition called rhabdomyolysis, a condition that causes muscle to break down – just to compete at Paris 2024 was the journey of a lifetime. He’s had more than his share of ill-luck, with multiple surgeries on both knees. Having done himself proud with his performances against top players like Chou and Lee, Garrido promised there would be more to come from him.
“I had my chance against Chou. He also told me, oh my god, where did you come from? He meant where was I all these years. I almost passed away in 2015 and had eight knee surgeries. My knees are totally destroyed playing badminton. This is the first game ever won by a Mexican at the Olympics. We have been represented since 2008 and I was close to winning the match,” said Garrido.
“I was thinking about retiring, but I will keep going, I will try 2028. In this track, I’m sure I can play with the top players. Just look at me, I play the same level as Chou, the same level as Lee, and they’re two of the best players in the world – so why cannot I do it?
“I almost died in 2015, so I don’t care about dying on court. I will keep doing badminton because I love the sport.”
