On November 12, junior Jie Xuan Tang placed first in the NYC Individual Boys Badminton Championship. Following several years of training and preparation in the sport, Jie Xuan celebrated the elusive accomplishment with his teammates there to support him. The last Harrisite to have won the champion title, prior to Jie Xuan, was Andy Ng in 2019. 

Reflecting on what this achievement means to him, Jie Xuan said, “It feels like a symbol of my improvement after years of playing badminton.” Jie Xuan has put in six years of playing badminton both inside and outside of the Townsend Harris team, leading him to great success. 

Boys Badminton coach and Physical Education teacher Matthew Lemanczyk expressed a similar sentiment, crediting Jie Xuan’s achievements to his work ethic. “ [Jie Xuan] is willing to do whatever it takes to be successful. He trains for badminton year-round and he continues to improve from year to year,” said Mr. Lemanczyk.

Last year, Jie Xuan placed third at the Championship and vowed to improve his skills for the next year through hours of practice with the team. He said, “Even though I am the only one who won, I feel like it was a team effort as we practiced together almost every day for hours on end.” 

Mr. Lemanczyk said, “Jie Xuan is a remarkable athlete who is willing to help out players on the team, constantly providing teammates [with] feedback.” In fact, after Jie Xuan’s achievement, THHS’s Badminton team finished as a city finalist. 

“The team is extremely proud of him for his win, and I believe he deserved every moment of it,” said his teammate, senior Brian Hsu. 

Looking towards the future, Jie Xuan hopes to keep practicing his badminton skills and continue to improve as an athlete.