Written by Daniel Lane (via Australian Olympic Team)

The competitiveness that epitomises Australian Olympic Team member Tiffany Ho’s approach to badminton is a stark contrast to the tender touch and empathy she displays in the wards at one of Sydney’s busiest hospitals.

The 26-year-old, whose dream to compete at the Olympics was ignited when she was a 10-year-old who watched the 2008 Beijing Games opening ceremony on television, also realised at around about that same time nursing was her vocation.

“Most of my family works in the health sector,” said Ho, who was defeated last night during her final match of the Paris 2024 Olympics 21-6, 21-3 against Vietnam’s Thuy Linh Nguyen at the Port de La Chappele.

“My mother, Ethol Ho, who passed away when I was 11, was a nurse and I heard all the stories from my relatives about how caring she was, and that inspired me,” said Ho.

“I liked helping people from a young age – especially the elderly – so nursing was my calling. I just couldn’t see myself doing anything else.”

Ho, who works at Concord Repatriation General Hospital in Sydney, said even the most adrenaline-charged of matches don’t match the day-to-day demands of her job.

“At work I’m dealing with people’s lives, whereas in sport it’s pressure, but it’s all on myself,” she said. “Any pressure in badminton comes from within, but in nursing there’s a constant pressure because you’re in charge of the patients’ health.

“When you work in hospital things don’t always pan out the way you want them to. There are days where things can go wrong, and when that happens it’s about staying calm and thinking logically through what is often high-pressure.”

The Olympian said despite the stresses that form a nurse’s lot, she finds it rewarding to help people in what may be the toughest times of their lives.

“Seeing them get the help they need makes me happy,” said Ho.

Ho, who won her first tournament when she was nine and found she loved the thrill of victory, is ecstatic to be in the Olympic city.

“Paris is a dream fulfilled,” she said. “The Olympics has been the dream ever since I was a little girl, and having that dream become a reality is quite wild. There’s time when I still can’t believe it . . .

“I’m just super excited, and feel grateful to everyone who has put in so much time and effort for me to be here.

Ho, who is ranked as the world’s 80th best female player, prides herself on fighting until the end. That, she laughs, is the legacy of having three brothers teach her from a young age about competitiveness.

“I love to work hard in a match, I’ll always grind it out,” she said. “I have a very strong mental game, and if I find myself in a situation where I’m down a lot of points I don’t give up . . . I have a ‘never give up’ attitude and I’ll keep grinding and grinding. I want to feel exhausted after a game or after a training session because I want to feel as though I’ve done everything I can.”