Karin Suter-Erath (born 24 November 1970) is a Swiss para badminton player and a former wheelchair tennis player.[1]

Karin Suter Erath
Personal information
Born (1970-11-24) 24 November 1970 (age 53)
Basel, Switzerland
Sport
Country Switzerland
SportPara badminton
Disability classWH1
Medal record
Wheelchair tennis
Representing  Switzerland
Paralympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Athens Women's doubles
Para badminton
Representing  Switzerland
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2011 Guatemala City Women's doubles
Gold medal – first place 2013 Dortmund Women's singles
Silver medal – second place 2011 Guatemala City Women's singles
Silver medal – second place 2013 Dortmund Women's doubles
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Guatemala City Mixed doubles
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Dortmund Mixed doubles
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Stoke Mandeville Women's singles
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Basel Women's singles
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2012 Dortmund Women's singles
Gold medal – first place 2012 Dortmund Mixed doubles
Gold medal – first place 2014 Murcia Women's singles
Gold medal – first place 2014 Murcia Women's doubles
Gold medal – first place 2014 Murcia Mixed doubles
Gold medal – first place 2016 Beek Women's singles
Gold medal – first place 2016 Beek Women's doubles
Gold medal – first place 2016 Beek Mixed doubles
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rodez Women's doubles
Silver medal – second place 2010 Manchester Women's singles
Silver medal – second place 2012 Dortmund Women's doubles
Silver medal – second place 2018 Rodez Women's singles

Suter-Erath was a very keen handball and soccer player when aged 13 and played in European handball leagues from the ages of 17 to 27. She studied physical education at university and became a secondary school teacher once she graduated.[2]

In 1997, Suter-Erath was paralysed from the waist down in an accident which caused her to stop playing handball. While in rehab in Nottwil, she tried out wheelchair tennis and when she completed her rehab then she took the sport up professionally.[3] In 2004, Suter-Erath teamed up with Sandra Kalt and competed in the 2004 Summer Paralympics and won their first ever Paralympic medal in the women's doubles. From 2005 to 2007, she reached to world number six and was voted as Basel's Athlete of the Year alongside Roger Federer and FC Basel a year later.

As well as being very successful in wheelchair tennis, she took up para badminton and won a silver medal in the women's doubles at the 2010 Para Badminton European Championships in Manchester then won eight medals in the BWF Para-Badminton World Championships and twelve medals in the European championships.[4]

Wheelchair tennis statistics

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Karin Suter-Erath
Country (sports)  Switzerland
Singles
Career record227-132
Highest rankingNo. 6 (13 February 2006)
Paralympic Games1R (2004)
Doubles
Career record172-92
Highest rankingNo. 6 (17 November 2003)
Paralympic Games  (2004)

Paralympic Games

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Outcome Year Tournament Surface Partner Opponent Score
Bronze 2004 Summer Paralympics Hard   Sandra Kalt   Chiyoko Ohmae
  Mie Yaosa
7–5, 6–3

Para-badminton statistics

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World Championships

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Women's singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result
2011 Guatemala City, Guatemala   Son Ok-cha 19–21, 14–21   Silver
2013 Helmut-Körnig-Halle,
Dortmund, Germany
  Son Ok-cha 21–16, 15–21, 21–11   Gold
2015 Stoke Mandeville Stadium, Stoke Mandeville, England   Wang Ping 10–21, 19–21   Bronze
2019 St. Jakobshalle, Basel, Switzerland   Sarina Satomi 14–21, 13–21   Bronze

Women's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2011 Guatemala City, Guatemala   Sonja Haesler Round Robin   Gold
2013 Helmut-Körnig-Halle,
Dortmund, Germany
  Sujirat Pookkham   Lee Sun-ae
  Son Ok-cha
11–21, 21–19, 19–21   Silver

Mixed doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2011 Guatemala City, Guatemala   Avni Kertmen   David Toupe
  Sonja Haesler
13–21, 14–21   Bronze
2013 Helmut-Körnig-Halle,
Dortmund, Germany
  Thomas Wandschneider   Lee Sam-seop
  Son Ok-cha
19–21, 21–23   Bronze

References

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  1. ^ "Karin Suter-Erath - Athlete Bio". International Paralympic Committee. 3 July 2019.
  2. ^ "Karen Suter-Erath: The epitome of a para-sportswoman". Passionate People. 3 July 2019.
  3. ^ "Karin Suter-Erath - Swiss Paralympic (in German)". Swiss Paralympic Committee. 3 July 2019.
  4. ^ Griffin, Bobby (3 July 2019). "Suter-Erath in the hunt for another title". Badminton Europe.
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