Li Yongbo (Chinese: 李永波; pinyin: Lǐ Yǒngbō; born September 18, 1962) is a retired Chinese male badminton player and the former head coach of Chinese National Badminton Team.

Li Yongbo
李永波
Personal information
CountryChina
Born (1962-09-18) 18 September 1962 (age 61)
Dalian, Liaoning, China
EventMen's doubles
Medal record
Men's badminton
Representing  China
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1992 Barcelona Men's doubles
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1987 Beijing Men's doubles
Gold medal – first place 1989 Jakarta Men's doubles
Silver medal – second place 1985 Calgary Men's doubles
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Copenhagen Men's doubles
World Cup
Gold medal – first place 1988 Bangkok Men's doubles
Silver medal – second place 1984 Jakarta Men's doubles
Silver medal – second place 1985 Jakarta Men's doubles
Silver medal – second place 1987 Kuala Lumpur Men's doubles
Silver medal – second place 1989 Guangzhou Men's doubles
Bronze medal – third place 1990 Bandung/Jakarta Men's doubles
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Macau Men's doubles
Thomas Cup
Gold medal – first place 1986 Jakarta Men's team
Gold medal – first place 1988 Kuala Lumpur Men's team
Gold medal – first place 1990 Tokyo Men's team
Bronze medal – third place 1992 Kuala Lumpur Men's team
Sudirman Cup
Bronze medal – third place 1989 Jakarta Mixed team
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Copenhagan Mixed team
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 1990 Beijing Men's doubles
Gold medal – first place 1990 Beijing Men's team
Silver medal – second place 1986 Seoul Men's doubles
Silver medal – second place 1986 Seoul Men's team
Asian Championships
Gold medal – first place 1987 Semarang Men's team
Gold medal – first place 1989 Shanghai Men's team

Career edit

As a player, he was a men's doubles specialist noted for his quickness, reflexes, and power. From the mid-1980s to the early 1990s he shared numerous international titles with his regular partner Tian Bingyi. They were contemporaries and rivals of the famous Korean pair Park Joo-bong and Kim Moon-soo, largely dividing badminton's biggest doubles events between them for about eight seasons. Among many other tournaments around the world Li and Tian captured the (then biennial) World Championships in 1987 and 1989, the prestigious All-England Championships in 1987, 1988, and 1991, and the Danish Open in 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, and 1991.[1][2][3] They also played on Chinese Thomas Cup (men's international) teams that won consecutive world team titles in 1986, 1988, and 1990. Late in their partnership they won a bronze medal in men's doubles at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.

As the Chinese badminton women's doubles coach during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, his players were banned from competition for "tanking" their match against South Korea, who won the match but were also banned similarly[4] (as were the Indonesian women's doubles team). Li has admitted his role in the scandal; insiders say Li used fear tactics and intimidation to a strategic advantage in national and Olympic competition.[citation needed] By losing, his team would have avoided playing another Chinese team.

Following the conclusion of the Rio Olympics, where China won two gold medals, he stood down in 2017.[4]

Achievements edit

Olympic Games edit

Men's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
1988 Seoul National University Gymnasium, Seoul, South Korea (exhibition)   Tian Bingyi   Lee Sang-bok
  Lee Kwang Jin
15–11, 15–7   Gold
1992 Pavelló de la Mar Bella, Barcelona, Spain   Tian Bingyi   Rudy Gunawan
  Eddy Hartono
9–15, 8–15   Bronze

World Championships edit

Men's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
1985 Olympic Saddledome, Calgary, Canada   Tian Bingyi   Park Joo-bong
  Kim Moon-soo
15–5, 7–15, 9–15   Silver
1987 Capital Indoor Stadium, Beijing, China   Tian Bingyi   Razif Sidek
  Jalani Sidek
15–2, 8–15, 15–9   Gold
1989 Senayan Sports Complex, Jakarta, Indonesia   Tian Bingyi   Chen Kang
  Chen Hongyong
15–3, 15–12   Gold
1991 Brøndby Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark   Tian Bingyi   Jon Holst-Christensen
  Thomas Lund
7–15, 9–15   Bronze

World Cup edit

Men's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
1984 Senayan Sports Complex, Jakarta, Indonesia   Tian Bingyi   Liem Swie King
  Hariamanto Kartono
8–15, 1–15   Silver
1985 Senayan Sports Complex, Jakarta, Indonesia   Tian Bingyi   Liem Swie King
  Hariamanto Kartono
11–15, 15–11, 11–15   Silver
1987 Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia   Tian Bingyi   Park Joo-bong
  Kim Moon-soo
6–15, 15–6, 11–15   Silver
1988 National Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand   Tian Bingyi   Razif Sidek
  Jalani Sidek
Walkover   Gold
1989 Guangzhou Gymnasium, Guangzhou, China   Tian Bingyi   Park Joo-bong
  Kim Moon-soo
10–15, 11–15   Silver
1990 Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia   Tian Bingyi   Razif Sidek
  Jalani Sidek
12–15, 3–15   Bronze
1991 Macau Forum, Macau, China   Tian Bingyi   Park Joo-bong
  Kim Moon-soo
16–17, 14–17   Bronze

Asian Games edit

Men's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
1986 Olympic Gymnastics Arena, Seoul, South Korea   Tian Bingyi   Park Joo-bong
  Kim Moon-soo
8–15, 10–15   Silver
1990 Beijing Gymnasium, Beijing, China   Tian Bingyi   Park Joo-bong
  Kim Moon-soo
15–8, 15–4   Gold

IBF World Grand Prix (27 titles, 8 runners-up) edit

The World Badminton Grand Prix sanctioned by International Badminton Federation (IBF) since from 1983 to 2006.

Men's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
1984 Denmark Open   Tian Bingyi   Morten Frost
  Jens Peter Nierhoff
15–7, 15–2   Winner
1985 German Open   Ding Qiqing   Zhang Xinguang
  Tian Bingyi
15–5, 12–15, 15–7   Winner.
1985 Denmark Open   Tian Bingyi   Razif Sidek
  Jalani Sidek
17–14, 15–8   Winner
1985 Swedish Open   Ding Qiqing   Thomas Kihlström
  Stefan Karlsson
15–12, 14–18, 18–15   Winner
1985 Indonesia Open   Tian Bingyi   Liem Swie King
  Hariamanto Kartono
5–15, 10–15   Runner-up
1986 China Open   Tian Bingyi   Huang Zhen
  Chen Hongyong
15–6, 15–8   Winner
1986 Denmark Open   Tian Bingyi   Dipak Tailor
  Martin Dew
15–9, 15–3   Winner
1986 English Masters   Tian Bingyi   Dipak Tailor
  Martin Dew
11–15, 15–5, 15–11   Winner
1987 Scandinavian Open   Tian Bingyi   Michael Kjeldsen
  Jens Peter Nierhoff
15–2, 15–11   Winner
1987 All England Open   Tian Bingyi   Bobby Ertanto
  Rudy Heryanto
15–9, 15–8   Winner
1987 China Open   Tian Bingyi   Zhang Qiang
  Zhou Jincan
15–10, 15–6   Winner
1987 Thailand Open   Tian Bingyi   Eddy Hartono
  Liem Swie King
15–13, 15–11   Winner
1987 Malaysia Open   Tian Bingyi   Razif Sidek
  Jalani Sidek
Walkover   Runner-up
1987 World Grand Prix Finals   Tian Bingyi   Zhang Qiang
  Zhou Jincan
15–9, 15–4   Winner
1988 Japan Open   Tian Bingyi   Park Joo-bong
  Kim Moon-soo
18–15, 15–4   Winner
1988 Swedish Open   Tian Bingyi   Chen Kang
  Chen Hongyong
Walkover   Winner
1988 All England Open   Tian Bingyi   Razif Sidek
  Jalani Sidek
15–6, 15–7   Winner
1988 Thailand Open   Tian Bingyi   Razif Sidek
  Rashid Sidek
15–3, 15–5   Winner
1988 China Open   Tian Bingyi   Chen Kang
  Chen Hongyong
13–15, 15–8, 15–3   Winner
1988 English Masters   Tian Bingyi   Razif Sidek
  Jalani Sidek
15–11, 15–4   Winner
1988 Denmark Open   Tian Bingyi   Razif Sidek
  Jalani Sidek
15–6, 8–15, 15–4   Winner
1988 Malaysia Open   Tian Bingyi   Razif Sidek
  Jalani Sidek
15–12, 15–12   Winner
1989 Swedish Open   Tian Bingyi   Park Joo-bong
  Lee Sang-bok
17–14, 15–2   Winner
1989 French Open   Tian Bingyi   Huang Zhen
  He Xiangyang
15–3, 15–6   Winner
1989 Denmark Open   Tian Bingyi   Razif Sidek
  Jalani Sidek
15–10, 15–11   Winner
1989 World Grand Prix Finals   Tian Bingyi   Razif Sidek
  Jalani Sidek
9–15, 5–15   Runner-up
1990 Japan Open   Tian Bingyi   Park Joo-bong
  Kim Moon-soo
15–3, 16–17, 13–18   Runner-up
1990 Swedish Open   Tian Bingyi   Razif Sidek
  Jalani Sidek
15–7, 15–9   Winner
1990 All England Open   Tian Bingyi   Park Joo-bong
  Kim Moon-soo
14–17, 9–15   Runner-up
1990 Singapore Open   Tian Bingyi   Eddy Hartono
  Rudy Gunawan
4–15, 8–15   Runner-up
1990 Denmark Open   Tian Bingyi   Jesper Knudsen
  Thomas Stuer-Lauridsen
15–8, 15–6   Winner
1991 All England Open   Tian Bingyi   Park Joo-bong
  Kim Moon-soo
12–15, 15–7, 15–8   Winner
1991 China Open   Tian Bingyi   Huang Zhanzhong
  Zheng Yumin
15–8, 15–10   Winner
1992 Korea Open   Tian Bingyi   Park Joo-bong
  Kim Moon-soo
10–15, 10–15   Runner-up
1992 Japan Open   Tian Bingyi   Chen Kang
  Chen Hongyong
15–10, 8–15, 10–15   Runner-up

References edit

  1. ^ :::Internationalbadminton.org::: Archived 2008-05-17 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ [1][permanent dead link]
  3. ^ "Denmark Open". Archived from the original on 2007-12-28. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
  4. ^ a b Chan, Kin-wa (11 April 2017). "Legendary Chinese badminton coach Li Yongbo to step down as head after 24 years". South China Morning Post. Hong Kong. Retrieved 21 November 2018.

External links edit