Lezhi Zhu: The badminton talent from Hawke’s Bay, who can strike a shuttlecock at 300km/h-plus

Stephen Nelson, left, always loves a game with 15-year-old Lezhi Zhu, who has been selected for the New Zealand Junior Badminton Team to contest the Junior World Championships in Spokane, USA. Photo / Warren Buckland

Lezhi Zhu can hit a shuttlecock 300 kilometres an hour plus. When he strikes it with his badminton racquet, he means business.

That speed - and a whole lot of agility and concentration - is probably why the talented 15-year-old has achieved a feat that likely hasn’t happened in Hawke’s Bay for at least 50 years.

The Hastings Boys’ High School student has been named in the New Zealand Junior Badminton Team to contest the Junior World Championships in Spokane, USA in September this year.

It makes him, by all accounts, the first Hawke’s Bay player to make a New Zealand team in decades.

Zhu has been playing the sport for about six years now. He said he got into it after his dad encouraged him to start.

“It was really fun, and I just wanted to keep playing,” he said.

Besides training three to four times a week and the expert guidance of coach Cici Xie, Zhu also has the support of an extra special badminton colleague.

Badminton New Zealand chief executive and Hawke’s Bay local Stephen Nelson moved to region 18 months ago and met Zhu through the Meeanee Badminton Club.

He said it was always a joy to play with Zhu.

“He’s a very talented young player and just fun to play with,” Nelson told Hawke’s Bay Today.

He said the level of competition overseas was of a very high standard, but Zhu had definitely proved himself with his skills.

“Typically, your future world champions play in this tournament. The superstars of tomorrow will be playing,” Nelson told Hawke’s Bay Today.

“To put Lezhi’s achievement in context, I’ve been asking around the badminton community about the last time a Hawke’s Bay player made a New Zealand team. We’ve gone back 50 years and I don’t think there’s been a player that’s made a New Zealand badminton team in that time.”

Lezhi Zhu strikes the shuttlecock with immense power. Photo / Warren Buckland

Zhu said one of the things he was looking forward to about competition was the ability to meet new people and experience the skill levels of other players from around the world.

“My favourite thing about badminton is the people and the experiences you have playing people,” he said.

And what does it take to be the best of the best?

“A lot of courage,” Zhu said.

Nelson said the “power base” and central hub of the sport was in Auckland, so it was a remarkable achievement that Zhu had achieved the feat from Hawke’s Bay.

“[Auckland] is where most of the top players are. They get a lot more coaching and a lot more training than Lezhi, so I think what he has achieved is amazing.”

A team of 10 bright badminton wunderkinds from all over New Zealand will head to the USA for the championships, but because badminton is not a funded sport in New Zealand the team is having to fundraise to get there.

Zhu’s community have all been pitching in to help.

“It’s been quite cool. The club where Lezhi plays have done some fundraising to help raise some money and the Hawke’s Bay Badminton Association have also donated some money,” Nelson said.

Zhu’s advice for players getting into badminton was simple.

“Have fun. If you like it, then keep training and working hard.”

Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in late January. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.