Five things you should know about World Champion Ratchanok Inthanon

Thailand’s Ratchanok Inthanon did not only become her country’s first badminton world champion, she is also the the youngest badminton world champion in the history of the sport. The 18-year-old prodigy beat Olympic champion and reigning World No 1 Xuerui Li in the final to set yet another record. She beat India’s PV Sindhu in the semi-finals, and looks like becoming a hurdle for the Indians to overcome if they are ever going to lift a major title - Ratchanok beat Saina in the semi-finals at the All-England Championships earlier this year. Here are five things you should know about badminton’s newest rising star: [caption id=“attachment_1027021” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Ratchanok Inathon is the youngest-ever to win the badminton world championships. AFP[/caption] - Ratchanok’s parents were factory workers. When she was young, the owners of the dessert-producing factory where her parents worked were worried she would be burned by the boiling water and hot sugar. So she was banished to the factory badminton court to keep her out of harm’s way. That is how she learned the game. - Ratchanok is used to setting youngest-ever records. At 14, she became the youngest-ever champion at the BWF World Junior Championships in Malaysia in 2009 - In 2011, Ratchanok became the first three-time winner at the World Junior Championships. - She won her first international title at the age of 16 and did it without dropping a game. - Ratchanok was the youngest-ever finalist at the All-England championships earlier this year and the first Thai woman to reach the final. However, she lost to Tine Rasmussen in the final.