About Me
Who Am I
My name is Cristian Luque, and my life has revolved around the world of sports since I was young. As an amateur athlete, I discovered my passion for this field and later obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Activity and Sports Science, a Master’s Degree in Team Sports High Performance Training and a Postgraduate Degree in Injury Prevention. Since 2008 ,I have worked with athletes of different disciplines with a general focus on sports performance, though most of my experience is with tennis and badminton players. This includes nearly 8 years at the Sanchez-Casal Tennis Academy in Barcelona, starting as a physical trainer then taking on the position of Coordinator of the Sports Performance Department from 2015 to 2016. Following this, I relocated to China where I held the same Coordinator position at the Nanjing branch of the same Tennis Academy. There I had the opportunity to develop my training methods with players of different skill levels, including professional athletes such as tennis player Zhang Zhe. I also helped the Jiangsu provincial tennis team prepare for the 2017 National Games where they won the national championship.
From 2018 to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, I worked with the Chinese National Badminton Team as the strength and conditioning and return to play coach for two mixed doubles teams (Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong and Wang Yilu/Huang Dongping) and one women’s singles player (Chen Yufei). During this period they won two consecutive World Championships, the Sudirman Cup and became Olympic gold and silver medalists, in addition to winning many other smaller competitions along the way.
After more than 5 years in China and gaining a wealth of professional and personal experiences, I decided the time had come to return to Spain. The purpose of creating this learning and consultation space is to be able to continue to connect with professionals in the sports world and to pass on my knowledge and professional expertise. My goal is to help build the capacity of coaches working within the field of sports science, with a particular emphasis on tennis and badminton, at both the individual and institutional level.
After the build-up to the Tokyo Olympics, I decided to take a break to enjoy my work again. The build-up to the Games and a pandemic in between took a lot out of my mental and physical capacity to get involved in another project, so I thought it was best to take a break. Honestly, at the end of my time in China, I didn’t think I would ever come back to the team, but in life you can never say never.
In the end, I decided to come back to finish something I started years ago and to help people with whom I have not only a professional relationship but also a personal relationship that goes beyond badminton… First I came back for a few months during the Chinese team’s stay in Thailand and at the beginning of 2023 I came back for good to the national team to work with Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong.
From a professional point of view, the small company I started during COVID has also grown with the aim of helping people from all over the world and sharing my experience and knowledge with them. I have had the opportunity to work with athletes from different countries and sports and I continue to learn about the profession.
I have also had the opportunity to start new projects focusing on future generations of athletes. Our aim was to create a training system for young people where we focus not only on improving athletes, but also on education and personal development, so that children can express themselves, enjoy sport and the main goal is themselves, not the environment or the results. Investing in the grassroots is investing in the future.
In 2023, I was also very honoured to be able to participate in the Coaching Conference organised by the BWF during the World Championships in Denmark, together with other great professionals in the world of badminton. It is very fulfilling and a great responsibility to share my experience with coaches from all over the world. I always try to open my door to anyone who is interested in learning, because I understand that the meaning of this profession is not about competition, but about cooperation and growing together to make the sport better.
2024 was the year of the Games, the year when athletes have the opportunity to achieve the dreams they have been fighting for since they were children, and I was lucky enough to be part of the process of two athletes achieving what they had been looking for for so long.
I was also fortunate enough to work with two athletes during their preparation for the Games, Marvin Seidel and Anu Opeyori, who trusted my work to help them reach the Olympic Games in the best possible conditions.
On a professional level, what I value most is what you leave behind in others or where you’ve been, the relationships, the athletes you’ve helped achieve their goals, the people you’ve inspired, the people you’ve coached… all of these things are more valuable than all the titles you’ve won.
Now it’s time to catch my breath and continue to help all those who trust in my work and try to make badminton grow and gradually become a more professional sport at all levels.