Lianne Tan, Belgium, finished second at the first European Games – in Minsk the Belgian spotlight is on her, but she does not feel any pressure.
At the first European Games in 2015 Belgian Lianne Tan claimed the silver medal losing to Danish Line Kjaersfeldt in the final. Four years later the educated dentist is ready for the knock-out stage of the European Games in Minsk.
- It is always the best feeling being on the podium, but I am for sure not a top favorite. Since the Olympic qualification started, I have been playing well and feeling well on court. I am not a favorite, but I hope I can do well, Lianne Tan said.
- The European top is here. All the best players are here except for Carolina (Marin), who is unfortunately not here. The draw is a bit stronger than four years ago, where some of the best players decided not to come.
In the spotlight
With sports like cycling and football taking most of the spotlight in Belgium, Lianne Tan appreciates that the media is focusing on badminton during the European Games.
- It is nice, that badminton gets a lot of attention at these kind of games. It is always nice to put badminton in the picture in Belgium, Tan said.
- Since me and my brother represented Belgium at the 2012 Olympic Games a lot of people know badminton and they know us, which is very nice. I can also feel the difference from the Baku Games and until now. Now I am the silver medalist from 2015, and people are all hoping that I can do the same again.