During this pause in tournament play, we have spoken to many of the emerging talents across Europe. Today we speak with Katharina Fink, a teenage talent who wants the Italian flag to fly high in European badminton.  

Fink, 17, is already very self-aware of what the context is being a budding badminton player in Italy as she says. 

- Having been both training and playing in other countries before, the main difference is the few numbers of people playing the sport and knowing about it. Nevertheless, there is competition, especially in the female categories, it is well-staffed, and I feel, that the number of young players with great potential is rising.

These are very mature and positive words from the young Italian who play both women’s singles and doubles at junior level. Asked why she chose to play badminton and not other sports; she responds in great detail. 

- Looking back when I was 10, I had tried it all. From ice-skating to tennis, snowboarding and ski camps in the winter, riding in summer. I ‘ping-ponged’ from sport to sport until that is, I had my first ever badminton training. 

- Next to the court where I was playing with a girl who missed two out of three shuttles, I occasionally turned my head to admire the kids, who have been playing for a long time already.  I really liked how they moved, how fast they could play the shuttle over the net. Since then I wanted to be as good as them. I happened to improve quickly, moreover I felt the desire burning inside me.

Such poetic words about the sport we love from Fink. Words that many fans of the sport can really relate to. 

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I see it as a big motivation 

Fink still has a couple of years left at junior level to develop, and then make her first few steps into a senior career. Talking about the goals she would like to achieve in the sport, she states. 

- I do have a lot of milestones and goals I want to achieve in my sports career. I wish to be counted as one of the best female badminton athletes that ever existed. 

Fink reflects on the lack of badminton culture in Italy, but firmly believes it is time to evolve and make a breakthrough. She takes much inspiration from Carolina Marin, as an icon who rapidly developed the sport in their neighbours across the Mediterranean, Spain. 

- It tells me that everybody who truly wants to can achieve something. Without doubt, Marin and the team behind her worked hard to reach such standards. I see it as a big motivation and I am happy that there existed a few Europeans ladies, just like herself, that manage to compete with Asia repeatedly. 

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Closer to this mission 

Discussing her next targets in the sport, Fink is already looking to take the same path as many champions did before her. 

- My big goal is to hold the medal in my hand at the European Junio Championships in both singles and doubles. My doubles partner, Yasmine Hamza, and I are working towards it and we are eager to improve every day to come closer to this mission.

Some of you reading this might be intrigued by Katherina’s surname of ‘Fink’, as not sounding Italian. Not to worry, Fink explains its origin. 

- I was born into a German-speaking region in Italy called South Tyrol. Because of history, the vast majority of us speak German in their everyday lives. Gene wise though I am mixed, half Czech on my mother’s side and quarter Swiss, quarter Italian on my father’s.

Lastly, Fink lets us know if she has ever considered moving abroad to chase her badminton dreams. A crucial choice that many players like her will have to mull over. 

- I think that there surely will be times where I choose to go abroad for a certain amount of time to train in different countries and I am looking forward to doing so. I do believe that opening up to different training methods can help you improve drastically, but there is always a certain risk included.

- Luckily, my coach has great connections all around the world, that allows us to train in different places and implement new strategies in our training back in Italy.