For Eliana Zhang, badminton has never existed in a vacuum. It is part of a life built around discipline, balance, and sustained excellence, which she has learned to manage at a level few student athletes ever reach.
A fifth-year medical student in her final year at McGill, Zhang has played badminton for 18 years. The Montreal-raised athlete from Ile-Bizard picked up the sport nearly by accident after transitioning from summer tennis. She recalls her tennis coach, David Pealow, who also coached badminton in the winter, urging her to try the sport out for fun at the end of the season.
“When it was time to go back to tennis, I just never went back,” Zhang said in an interview with The Tribune.
That decision launched a career shaped by persistence and adaptation. Zhang rose quickly through Badminton Québec’s junior ranks, but the limits of provincial infrastructure became clear early on.
“I reached the top of my province as a junior, but then when nationals came, I got absolutely beaten by the Ontario and [British Columbia] kids,” she explained.
Rather than plateauing, Zhang adjusted. Beginning in 2015, she spent summers training in Toronto at E Badminton Training Centre and overseas in China. Eventually, Zhang benefited from elite coaching that followed her home to Montreal, where she trains at CB Excellence Yonex, with coach Jean-Paul Girard. Those opportunities helped her achieve results beyond traditional Quebec standards. Today, Zhang is the only Quebec athlete competing internationally and the only national team member on McGill’s badminton roster.
“I was very lucky to have the resources move to me,” Zhang reflected.
Despite her elite background, Zhang did not initially plan on competing for McGill—it was a friend and soon-to-be teammate who convinced her to join. What she found was a rare sense of alignment.
“The McGill team really bridges my two identities. They’re student-athletes. They understand the grind that neither my professional badminton friends nor my full-time medical school friends really get,” she said.
That understanding became crucial once Zhang entered medical school. Early on, she stepped away from badminton entirely after being told by a mentor that elite sport and surgical ambition could not coexist. Without the sport, she quickly felt the difference.
“My life was so much less structured. I had more free time, but I was procrastinating more. My health went out the door.”
Returning to badminton changed everything. She credits the sport with sharpening her ability to manage stress, a skill she now leans on heavily as she navigates residency interviews for ophthalmology, one of medicine’s most competitive specialties.
Zhang’s leadership evolved further this past summer at the 2025 FISU World University Games in the Rhine-Ruhr region of Germany. Competing alongside athletes from across Canada, she became more aware of her broader impact.
“I didn’t realize the amount of inspiration I was able to give people,” Zhang said. “I had been so focused on myself that I didn’t really think about the impact I could have on others.”
That realization has carried directly into her final varsity season. A two-time recipient of the Jean Béliveau Athletic Award, Zhang has shifted her focus toward mentorship, strategy, and leadership. As captain, she collaborates closely with the coaching staff on individualized training plans and, due to her coaching certifications, also serves as an on-court coach during tournaments.
With the RSEQ Championships looming, Zhang enters familiar territory. While the pressure of championship play remains, her preparation reflects years of navigating overlapping demands. Between residency interviews scheduled on the same day as competitions and an international tournament on the horizon, adaptability has become essential. Challenges remain—McGill is likely to face a vocal Université de Montréal crowd on the road, and many Martlets will be competing in their first university championship.
“A lot of [my teammates] haven’t played a tournament like this before, so it’s about reassuring them that the most important thing is to have fun,” Zhang emphasized
Beyond McGill, Zhang’s future in badminton is already taking shape. A coach for six years, she mentors junior athletes, including a 15-year-old national champion, and was recently elected President of the Badminton Canada Players Association. As her varsity career nears its close, Zhang hopes her story resonates with younger students considering varsity athletics.
Her advice is simple: “If you want to do it, do it. Don’t be scared.”
