Ulla Strand (21 March 1943 – 7 August 2007) (born as Ulla Rasmussen) was badminton player of Denmark who excelled from the early 1960s to the early 1970s. Though she won three Danish national singles titles and reached the women's singles final at the All-England Championships in 1965, most of her major championship victories were in doubles (often with her sister Karin Jorgensen) and mixed doubles. Attractive and charismatic, she was a crowd favorite throughout her career.
| Ulla Strand | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | Ulla Rasmussen | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Denmark | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 21 March 1943[1] Copenhagen, Denmark | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 7 August 2007 (aged 64)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Doubles | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Career title(s) | 10 times All England Champion | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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She was included in the Badminton Hall of Fame in 1999. Ulla Strand died in 2007 after a long illness.[2]
Career
editStrand won 10 All England Open Badminton Championships titles, 7 in mixed doubles and 3 in women's doubles. She also won 21 Danish National Championships between 1961 and 1974, and 19 Nordic Championships between 1962 and 1973.
1972 Summer Olympics
editStrand competed in badminton at the 1972 Summer Olympics, as a demonstration sport competition. In women's singles, she lost in the first round against Noriko Nakayama, 11-5, 11-9. In mixed doubles she played with Svend Pri, and they were beaten in the final by Derek Talbot and Gillian Gilks of Great Britain, 15-6, 18-16.
Major achievements
edit| Rank | Event | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| European Championships | |||
| 3 | Women's doubles | 1974 | Vienna, AUT |
| Open Championships | |||
| 1 | Women's doubles | 1964, 1965, 1967 | All England Open |
| Mixed doubles | 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966 | ||
| 1 | Women's doubles | 1965 | Denmark Open |
| Mixed doubles | 1965, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973 | ||
| 1 | Women's doubles | 1962, 1967 | Dutch Open |
| Mixed doubles | 1962 | ||
| 1 | Women's singles | 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966 | Nordic Championships |
| Women's doubles | 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1973 | ||
| Mixed doubles | 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1972, 1973 | ||
| 1 | Women's singles | 1962, 1967 | Swedish Open |
| Women's doubles | 1963, 1965, 1967, 1968 | ||
| Mixed doubles | 1963, 1965 | ||
| 1 | Mixed doubles | 1966 | Canadian Open |
| 2 | Women's doubles | 1962, 1963, 1966 | All England Open |
| Mixed doubles | 1964 | ||
Achievements
editInternational tournaments
editMixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | All England |  Svend Pri
|
Pernille Mølgaard Hansen Per Walsøe
|
15–2, 15–10 |  Winner
|
| 1968 | Swedish Open | Svend Pri
|
Winner
| ||
| 1971 | Denmark Open | Svend Pri
|
 Ray Stevens Barbara Hood
|
15–13, 15–11 | Winner
|
| 1971 | All England | Svend Pri
|
Derek Talbot Gillian Gilks
|
15–12, 8–15, 15–11 | Winner
|
| 1971 | Dutch Open | Svend Pri
|
Derek Talbot Gillian Gilks
|
4–15, 15–6, 16–17 |  Runner-up
|
| 1972 | Swedish Open | Svend Pri
|
David Eddy Gillian Gilks
|
10-15, 8–15 | Runner-up
|
| 1972 | Denmark Open | Svend Pri
|
 Wolfgang Bochow Marieluise Wackerow
|
7–15, 15–13, 10–15 | Runner-up
|
| 1972 | All England | Svend Pri
|
Derek Talbot Gillian Gilks
|
12–15, 15–8, 15–12 | Winner
|
References
edit- ^ "Døde", Kristeligt Dagblad, August 13, 2007, accessed February 18, 2011. (in Danish)
- ^ a b "Ulla Strand er død", Danmarks Badminton Forbund, 2007, accessed February 18, 2011. (in Danish)