Sometime after March last year, having played the final of the YONEX Swiss Open 2023, Chou Tien Chen’s results started to dip.

A series of early exits followed, broken by the occasional  quarterfinal. Eventually, it was months later – in November – that he competed in another final, at the HYLO Open which he won beating Lee Cheuk Yiu.

Chou’s standout feature has been his consistency, and so something was off-script when his results continued to waver. In February, having won the PRINCESS SIRIVANNAVARI Thailand Masters 2024, Chou revealed what he’d gone through over the past year: he’d had surgery for colorectal cancer.

Thankfully, the cancer had been detected early, in April before the Badminton Asia Championships, and the surgery required was a minor procedure. But what had made him reluctant to talk about what he’d been going through?

“I didn’t want to give an excuse,” he said, of the many early losses he suffered during his comeback from surgery. He wanted to continue playing because the Olympic dream was very much on.

“You keep playing because you have a dream, right? Olympics is always our dream,” referring to his physio Victoria Kao, whom he credits with aiding his recovery. “I haven’t got an Olympic medal yet, I really want to get a medal. We always focus on that and we do everything to improve for the Olympics, so thinking, sleeping or eating… you just need to be very focussed.”

While he has yet to regain his consistency, Chou says he feels fine, physically and mentally, except that he tends to lose focus at times during matches. Still, he hasn’t jeopardised his Olympic chances, as he currently stands at No.14 in the Race to Paris; his position aided by a runner-up place at the YONEX Swiss Open and a semifinal at the Madrid Spain Masters.

“The diagnosis was last April, before the Asian Championships,” Chou recalls. “I was training with Viktor (Axelsen), and before that I did a physical check. When they did a more detailed check, it was cancer. When we got the news, it was a shock. I was playing the Asian Championships at the time. I always eat well and sleep well, so we don’t know why it happened. But we kept it a secret until last month. Now it’s a good time to tell everyone, because I became champion again, and my physical condition is better now, I can show everyone my attitude, and that life is not just about badminton, that you need to keep your character. I want to tell everyone that when you have a loss and going through negative emotions, you have to stay positive and you find your answer. So I really want to encourage everyone for that, so I put this information for everyone.”

The surgery itself was minor, but as a part of his large intestine was affected, he was told to eat only light food.

“I sometimes lose focus quickly. Sometimes I play really good, and sometimes I feel stuck.”

What’s more important to him though is his perspective on life after surgery, his belief that sharing this experience will inspire others:

“My physical condition is much better than before and my confidence is better. It’s important for me, so when I won the Thailand Masters, I shared with everyone in church, and then with everyone else… at this age, I can still go through this experience and I can do more. You can face everything with positive energy and focus.”

Chou’s beliefs are reflected in his aspirations for the Olympics. He doesn’t just seek a medal for himself; he hopes the Games will be full of positivity.

“I want to pray for this place (Adidas Arena), because this place is for every athlete’s dream. It’s important that we face each other with good attitude for a good fight here, whether you lose or win, we can create a great Games here. It’s very exciting to do that. Everyone is good physically, psychologically, they push everyone else to the limit, so I’m happy to be here.”