Repeating as the national champion in any sport is a difficult feat, but winning the top title in the country three years in a row is something special.
There is, however, one Prince Rupert athlete that can lay claim to being a three-time Canadian champion and Adrian Liu and his partner Derrick Ng became back-to-back-to-back Men's Doubles Badminton national champions earlier this month in Gatineau Quebec. After making it to the final without losing a single set, Liu and NG defeat Nathan Choi and Alvin Lau of Vancouver in straight sets 21-15 and 21-9.
"To win my third national title in a row was a feeling of something so unreal. I thought after defending our title in 2012 against a fellow national team member in a nail biting close three sets was a true feeling of relief but I was wrong. Proving our dominance throughout this national championships was truly one of the top highlights of our career thus far," said Liu.
"The difference in this years final compared to the 2012 final was the level of focus and preparation. Last year we were travelling quite a bit to try and qualify for the Olympics so although nationals was important it was still 2nd priority. But this year it sat on the top of our list, seeing as we are only competing half as much as we did during Olympic qualifying year."
With the national championships now complete Liu and Ng are turning their immediate attention to the Sudirman Cup in Malaysia in May, but they're long term goal is a much larger international stage.
"Our main focus is to try and secure funding and get jobs to try and earn/save up money for the 2016 Olympics in Rio. This makes opportunities to train outside the country to improve our game play and knowledge very hard, but nothing comes easy," said Liu, who said he is proud of his roots.
"To come from a small town and represent Prince Rupert on the national/international stage brings me such great honour and pride. To show the big city what a small town can produce with the instillment from past mentors and coaches and what a little hard work and a lot of heart can do... Without all of you my achievements would not have been possible."