Nhat Nguyen: 'I’m totally okay saying I am obsessed with badminton'

The man who stands on the cusp of a second Games is more mature and he isn’t nearly so quick to see red when things fail to go his way

Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen in action against Viktor Axelsen of Denmark.

Appearing at an Olympic Games is a universal goal. The business of making it happen can be unique to the sport you choose. For some it is a sprint, one or two events where you absolutely have to be ‘on it’ or else, for others it is a marathon.

Badminton’s path of choice is a year-long global grind. It is a blur of events and airports and flatpack hotels, a sporting egg hunt, as players seek the points required to book their spots in Paris next summer. Some, inevitably, are further along this path than others.