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June 13, 2024

A Father's Day tribute: Dedicated dad cheers on his Olympic-bound twins

By Mary Gorges, Talent Brand Content Manager, Marvell

Annie and Kerry at Olympics

Marvell principal hardware engineer Simon Xu regularly goes from circuits to the courts. In his time outside of the semiconductor company, he's a mentor to his twin daughters, Annie and Kerry.

And not just any mentor. This July, the 24-year-old twins will be heading to the Paris Olympics to compete side-by-side in women’s doubles badminton. This is backyard badminton taken to a whole other level. “Badminton has the fastest flying objects in Olympic sports,” says Annie. “The bird can go more than 300 miles an hour over the net. For this level of play, you need extremely good body coordination, fast reflexes, lots of stamina and strong arms.”

Annie and Kerry at Olympics

 

The journey to the tourneys

Annie and Kerry's badminton journey began when they were about 10 years old. Simon wanted his daughters to enjoy sports and exercise and introduced them to the sport at an indoor gym where they could observe and train. “He let us pick a sport we were excited about,” Kerry recalls. By the time they were 13, the twins started competing in local tournaments, with Simon often stepping in to coach. He notes, “The problem-solving skills honed as a hardware engineer can be applied in coaching my daughters, helping me analyze their opponents and giving them better strategies.”

Annie and Kerry at Olympics

 

Qualifying for the Olympics

The twins continued to play recreationally as much as six hours a week while attending UC Berkeley, where they both graduated in 2020 with degrees in Economics. With more time to train, they transitioned to professional badminton. Last October, the sisters earned a silver medal in women’s doubles at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. This, along with their #1 ranking in the USA and in over 20 other tournaments in the qualification period, earned them a spot in the 2024 Olympics.

U.S. badminton doesn’t have a national team, so all costs and support fall largely on the family. The Xu family relied on savings, donations and personal funds to cover travel and competition expenses.

Their trip to Paris follows many trips – to as many as 40 international tournaments in just the last two years – to compete and qualify. “I did go with them to China last month. Seeing them there was exciting,” says Simon. Even when he is not able to attend matches, he keeps up with his daughters’ competitions through studying the tournament results after work. His coworkers also send their support. As Simon mentions, “At Marvell, I have colleagues who send me news articles mentioning the twins.”

Annie and Kerry with Marvell badminton team

Twins (in back row) with the Marvell badminton team in a recent tournament

 

The Olympic dream

Annie and Kerry's first time qualifying for the Olympics is a dream come true. They’ll be flying to Paris at the end of July to participate in the opening ceremonies, with the badminton events scheduled to start on July 25.

Annie and Kerry with their family

While Simon won’t be able to join them in Paris, their mother will. As Annie and Kerry step onto the Olympic stage, they carry with them not only their dreams but also the hopes and pride of everyone who has supported them along the way.

Happy Father’s Day to all dads this holiday!

Tags: What Makes Marvell

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