Tan Ya-Ting says Tokyo 2020 will be her last Olympic Games
World number two Tan Ya-Ting revealed that Tokyo 2020 will be her last Olympics during a recent interview with the official website of the upcoming Games in Japan.
“I told myself not to care too much about the result, just train hard for it and try to do my best at the Games,” said the recurve archer from Chinese Taipei. “I want to see if I can do better this time than last time.”
The 27-year-old is seeded third and finished ninth at London 2012, then seeded fourth and finished fifth at Rio 2016, while also taking a bronze medal in the team competition.
There is funding for elite archers in Chinese Taipei until their mid-20s and the end of their university studies. Most retire afterward, although recently careers appear to be extending. Reigning world champion Lei Chien-Ying, Ya-Ting's teammate, is now 30.
“After Rio 2016, I was already thinking that I could almost retire if I got a gold medal,” said Ya-Ting. “But because I thought it was a pity that I didn’t get a medal in the individual event, I wanted to give it another go to see if I could live up to my expectations.”
Official confirmation of the Chinese Taipei squad for this summer’s postponed Olympics hasn’t yet been issued. Ya-Ting, however, is a near lock.
When the Games are over, medallist or not, she has a somewhat surprising career path in mind. Fascinated by nail art, the talented elite archer wants to open a nail salon.
“Archery may be one of my specialities but I hope I can also find a second, or a third, speciality,” Ya-Ting said. “I hope I can learn more than archery in my life. I hope I can broaden my horizons.”
Read the full interview on the Tokyo 2020 website.