Yang Yang (badminton)

Yang Yang
杨阳
Yang Yang; 杨阳
Personal information
Country	China
Born	8 December 1963 (age 60); Nanjing, Jiangsu
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Handedness	Left
Men's singles
Highest ranking	1
Medal record
Men's badminton
Representing China
World Championships
World Cup
Sudirman Cup
Thomas Cup
Asian Games
Asian Championships

Yang Yang (simplified Chinese: 杨阳; traditional Chinese: 楊陽; born December 8, 1963, in Nanjing, Jiangsu) is a former Chinese badminton player.

He is the first men's singles player in the world to have won two World Badminton Championships consecutively (1987 and 1989). He also won the men's singles gold medal when badminton was a demonstration sport at the 1988 Summer Olympics. He possessed great agility, quick footwork, accurate power, and coolness under pressure, and is widely regarded as one of the finest singles players in the history of the sport.

Career

Yang began training in 1975, when he was 12 years old. He was recruited by the Chinese national team in 1983. He won his first Chinese national championship title in 1984. In 1985, he won the Hong Kong Open by defeating Morten Frost. In 1986, he won the Japan Open and the Hong Kong Open for the second straight year, and also helped China to regain the Thomas Cup (men's world team championship) from Indonesia by winning key matches. In the late 80s he dominated international singles play, winning the World Championships over Morten Frost in 1987 and over young Ardy Wiranata in 1989. In 1988 he also won the Olympic exhibition event in Seoul (badminton became an official Olympic sport at the next games in Barcelona). In 1989 he added the venerable All-England Championships to his tally; thus, by twenty-five, he captured all the titles by which "greatness" in the sport is generally measured.

China's Golden Generation

As a member of China's golden badminton generation of the 1980s which included the almost equally brilliant singles stars Zhao Jianhua and Xiong Guobao, Yang Yang played an important role in making China the major world badminton superpower. His play was instrumental in China's consecutive Thomas Cup (men's world team) titles in 1986, 1988, and 1990.

Retirement

In 1991, he retired as a player and started coaching in Malaysia. In the very next year, he guided Malaysia to its first Thomas Cup victory in 25 years, the only occasion since 1967 in which neither Indonesia nor China has won the cup. He then stayed in Malaysia to develop his business for badminton equipment. He returned to China in year 2000, and opened a badminton club named after himself in Nanjing.

Achievements

Olympic Games (exhibition)

Men's singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result
1988	Seoul National University Gymnasium, Seoul, South Korea	Icuk Sugiarto	15–4, 15–10	Gold

World Championships

Men's singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result
1985	Olympic Saddledome, Calgary, Canada	Morten Frost	8–15, 5–15	Bronze
1987	Capital Indoor Stadium, Beijing, China	Morten Frost	15–2, 13–15, 15–12	Gold
1989	Senayan Sports Complex, Jakarta, Indonesia	Ardy Wiranata	15–10, 2–15, 15–5	Gold

World Cup

Men's singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result
1984	Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia	Han Jian	12–15, 10–15	Silver
1985	Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia	Morten Frost	15–12, 14–17, 10–15	Bronze
1986	Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia	Morten Frost	9–15, 1–15	Bronze
1987	Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Zhao Jianhua	15–6, 2–15, 12–15	Silver
1988	National Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand	Zhao Jianhua	15–5, 15–6	Gold
1989	Guangzhou Gymnasium, Guangzhou, China	Foo Kok Keong	17–14, 15–6	Gold
1990	Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia	Wu Wenkai	12–15, 9–15	Bronze

Asian Games

Men's singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result
1986	Olympic Gymnastics Arena, Seoul, South Korea	Zhao Jianhua	9–15, 16–17	Silver
1990	Beijing Gymnasium, Beijing, China	Zhao Jianhua	10–15, 11–15	Silver

Asian Championships

Men's singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result
1985	Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Zhao Jianhua	10–15, 15–5, 6–15	Silver

IBF World Grand Prix (9 titles, 1 runners-up)

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

Men's singles

Year	Tournament	Opponent	Score	Result
1985	Hong Kong Open	Morten Frost	15–10, 15–11	Winner
1986	Japan Open	Ib Frederiksen	5–15, 15–6, 15–8	Winner
1986	Hong Kong Open	Icuk Sugiarto	6–15, 15–8, 15–6	Winner
1986	World Grand Prix Finals	Morten Frost	18–13, 15–8	Winner
1987	Scandinavian Open	Icuk Sugiarto	Walkover	Winner
1987	Malaysia Open	Steen Fladberg	4–15, 15–10, 15–7	Winner
1987	Indonesia Open	Eddy Kurniawan	15–6, 15–8	Winner
1988	Hong Kong Open	Icuk Sugiarto	15–7, 1–15, 11–15	Runner-up
1989	Japan Open	Foo Kok Keong	15–2, 15–10	Winner
1989	All England Open	Morten Frost	15–6, 15–7	Winner

Sources

Badmintoncn.com: Yang Yang (in Chinese)
羽壇“王中王”回歸故鄉續寫傳奇 (in Chinese)