BALTIMORE, Md. — Presley Smith is one of the best badminton players in the world, and he is putting Baltimore on the map in a sport that does not always get the spotlight.
Smith, a Baltimore Polytechnic Institute graduate, is a top 25 internationally ranked men's and mixed doubles player. He recently won the Pan American Championships in both categories, making him the No. 1 ranked player in both North and South America.
Because of his high international ranking and top spot in the Americas, Smith is in prime position to clinch a spot in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Baltimore's Presley Smith climbs badminton world rankings, eyes 2028 Olympics
Smith spoke about what reaching this level means to him and what it could mean for the sport back home.
"Once I build it up, 'Oh he was an Olympic athlete', two times maybe, he was top ten in the world, something like this it shows. It really builds up the hype around it in the community," Smith said.
Smith is a true globetrotter, having played on courts in over a dozen countries on multiple continents. He spoke with WMAR over video chat from his hotel room in Taipei, Taiwan, before a tournament there.
"First of all I never thought I would make it this far, where I'm at right now. Number one in the U.S., I never thought as a kid I would get here. But traveling the world is something special. Not everyone gets to do it and it's while I'm playing my favorite sport doing what I love. It's a little different than the general sport, yeah. I feel like you won't travel the world as much," Smith said.
Beyond his Olympic ambitions, Smith has goals for life after competition. He hopes to return to Baltimore to grow the sport in the community where he first fell in love with it.
"I really hope to go back. Maybe after I retire I can help with coaching in the area because it's the area I grew up playing, it's where I learned to fall in love with the sport and I know the talent is there. But they just need someone to guide them and hopefully one day I can go back and coach the younger generation," Smith said.
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