Natsu Saito (Japanese: さいとう なつ, June 9, 2000) is a Japanese female badminton player and an active member of the Japan national badminton team (Team B).
In March 2019, Natsu Saito played in the Waikato Badminton International, winning the mixed doubles title with Daiki Midorikawa.
Rin IWANAGA (Japanese: いわなが りん , May 21, 1998) is a Japanese female badminton player.
In April 2019, Suzu Iwanaga appeared in the Finnish Open Badminton Championships, where she teamed up with Takae Nakanishi to reach the quarterfinals of the women’s doubles tournament.
Mayu Matsumoto (Japanese: まつもと まゆ, August 7, 1995), won the 2018 World Badminton Championships by defeating compatriots Yuki Fukushima/Saika Hirota, and won the women’s doubles title at the 2019 World Badminton Championships by defeating the team of Yuki Fukushima/Saika Hirota again.
In July 2013, Mayu Matsumoto, along with Kazukona Nagahara and Kohei Matsumoto, represented Japan at the Asian Junior Badminton Championships in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, where Japan finished third in the team event, losing 0-3 to China in the first mixed team event.
In April 2014, Asashoryu Matsumoto teamed up with Nagahara and Kona to reach the women’s doubles final of the Rakugo Badminton International Series, eventually defeating the tournament’s No. 4 seeded team of Pachongphan Bongchuwong/Samnisa Tichaworasinkun of Thailand 2-0 (21-17, 21-11) to win their first FIBA tournament first title.
In July 2017, Asashoryu Matsumoto played in the Canadian Badminton Grand Prix with Kazukona Nagahara and won his first Grand Prix title by taking down teammates Hoshi Chiji/Shinoa Naryu of Japan 2-1 (21-16, 16-21, 21-18) in the final.
In August 2018, Matsumoto Mayu and Nagahara Wakona competed in the World Badminton Championships in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China, and were underdogs in the final against previous runners-up Yuki Fukushima/Saika Hirota from their record, but ultimately won the title with a hard-fought comeback against their teammates to win the title 2-1 (19-21, 21-19, 22-20).
On August 25, 2019, Mayu Matsumoto/Wakona Nagahara defeated Yuki Fukushima/Saika Hirota 2-1 in the final of the 2019 Badminton World Championships in Basel, Switzerland to repeat as women’s doubles champions. In May of the same year, she made her debut at the Sudirman Cup in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, helping the national team reach the final, eventually winning the team runner-up spot.
In March 2021, she played with Nagahara and Kona in the 2021 All England Open Badminton Championships, winning the Super 1000 title by defeating teammates Yuki Fukushima/Caihua Hirota 2-0 (21-18, 21-16) in the women’s doubles final.
In July 2021, she and her partner Nagahara and Kona were defeated by the Korean pair of Kim Soo Yeong/Kong Hee Yong 1-2 (14-21, 21-14, 26-28) in the last eight.
Hirota Sayaka (Japanese:ひろた さやか, August 1, 1994) is a current member of the Japan national badminton team (Team A). Her pairing with Yuki Fukushima debuted at No. 1 in the women’s doubles world rankings on June 21, 2018, the second Japanese pairing to reach No. 1 in the world rankings after Misaki Matsutomo/Reika Takahashi of the Sisters. They are known as the “Fukuhiro Team” by the media and fans.
In November 2013, the Fukuhiro team participated in the Malaysia Badminton International Challenge and made it to the semifinals.In September 2014, Ms. Hirota and Ms. Fukushima played in the Sydney Badminton International Championships. In the semifinals, they swept Ding Kexin/Tong Hao of China 3-0 (11-5, 11-9, 11-4). In the final, they won their first international title by breezing past the multinational duo of Silvina Kurniawan/Susan Wang, 3-0 (11-5, 11-5, 11-2).
In June 2016, Saikana Hirota switched to playing with Nabu Ono at the Spanish Open Badminton Championships, winning the women’s doubles final by defeating teammates Yuki Fukushima/Chiyo Shida of Japan 2-1 (21-14, 13-21, 21-19).
In April 2017, the Fukuhiro duo defeated China’s Huang Yaqiong/Tong Jinhua 2-1 (21-17, 18-21, 21-12) in the final of Malaysia’s premier badminton premier superseries, winning their first top-tier tournament title since the pair teamed up, while the pair reached the top 10 in the world rankings for the first time.
At the end of 2017, Fuguang was selected as the “WBF Progressive Athlete of the Year”.
In April 2018, Fukuhiro won their first ever title at the Badminton Asia Championships, defeating Misaki Matsutomo/Reika Takahashi in the final.
In May 2018, Yuki Fukushima/Saika Hirota represented the Japanese badminton team at the Uber Cup in Bangkok, Thailand, and won their first World Championship title by defeating the Thai duo of Jongkorn Phan/Rawinda 21-18,21-12 in the final as the No. 1 women’s doubles.
In June 2018, in the latest World Women’s Doubles Ranking, the Fukuhiro duo became the second Japanese women’s doubles pair to be ranked No. 1 globally on the list.
In June 2021, she injured her left knee to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during pre-Olympic training, and was only able to compete in the Olympics with conservative treatment, immobilizing pads, and bandages. In July of the same year, she and her partner, Yuki Fukushima, advanced to the quarterfinals of the women’s doubles badminton tournament of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the second place of Group A, and were defeated by the Chinese duo of Chen Qingcheng/Jia Yifan, stopping in the last eight of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with a score of 1-2 (21-18, 10-21, 10 The team was defeated by Chinese pair Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan 1-2 (21-18, 10-21, 10-21) in the last eight. She underwent surgery immediately after the Olympics and her recovery time is expected to be six months.
World Ranking – Women’s Doubles 13, Week 31, 2024
Olympic Points – Women’s Doubles 8, 76325 points
Finals Ranking – Women’s Doubles 45, 15820 points
Equipment Used
ARCSABER 11 Metallic Red; ARCSABER 11; ASTROX 88S; NANOGY 95; ASTROX 88S PRO; ASTROX 88S PRO new colors; ASTROX 88S Beige/Red; AERUS Z; SHB65ZMEX; 75TH AERUS Z
Major Achievements
2023 Said Modi Badminton International Women’s Doubles Quarterfinals
2023 China Shenzhen Badminton Masters Women’s Doubles Runner-up
2022 Asian Games Badminton Women’s Doubles Bronze Medalist
2023 Australian Badminton Open Women’s Doubles Final Four
2023 Japan Badminton Open Women’s Doubles quarter-finals
2023 Canada Open Badminton Women’s Doubles quarter-finals
2023 Indonesia Badminton Open Women’s Doubles Runner-up
2023 Sudirman Cup Mixed Team Championships Third Place Member
2023 Asian Badminton Championships Women’s Doubles Champion
2023 Swiss Open Badminton Women’s Doubles Runner-up
2023 Indonesia Badminton Masters Women’s Doubles Runner-up
2022 All Japan Badminton Championships Women’s Doubles Champion
2022 French Badminton Open Women’s Doubles Final Four
2022 Indonesia Badminton Open Women’s Doubles Runner-up
2022 Asian Badminton Championships Women’s Doubles quarter-finals
2021 All England Badminton Open Women’s Doubles Runner-up
2020 Denmark Badminton Open Women’s Doubles Champion
2020 All England Badminton Open Women’s Doubles Champion
2019 Badminton World Federation Year-end Finals Women’s Doubles Top Four
2019 China Fuzhou Badminton Open Women’s Doubles Champion
2019 Denmark Badminton Open Women’s Doubles quarter-finals
2019 China Badminton Open Women’s Doubles Final Four
2019 World Badminton Championships Women’s Doubles Runner-up
2019 Indonesia Badminton Open Women’s Doubles Champion
2019 Australian Badminton Open Women’s Doubles Champion
2019 Sudirman Cup Mixed Team Runner-up Member
2019 New Zealand Badminton Open Women’s Doubles Quarterfinals
2019 Badminton Asia Championships Women’s Doubles 3rd Runner-up
2019 Singapore Badminton Open Women’s Doubles Quarterfinals
2019 All England Badminton Open Women’s Doubles quarter-finals
2019 German Badminton Open Women’s Doubles quarter-finals
2019 Malaysia Badminton Masters Women’s Doubles Champion
2018 Hong Kong Badminton Open China Women’s Doubles Champion
2018 Denmark Badminton Open Women’s Doubles Champion
2018 Korea Badminton Open Women’s Doubles Runner-up
2018 Japan Badminton Open Women’s Doubles Champion
2018 Asian Games Badminton Women’s Doubles Bronze Medal
2018 Asian Games Badminton Women’s Team Gold Medal
2018 World Badminton Championships Women’s Doubles Runner-up
2018 Indonesia Open Badminton Women’s Doubles Champion
2018 Uber Cup Women’s Team Champion
2018 Asian Badminton Championships Women’s Doubles Champion
2018 All England Badminton Open Women’s Doubles Runner-up
2018 German Badminton Open Women’s Doubles Champion
2018 Badminton Asia Championships Women’s Team Champion
2018 Malaysia Badminton Masters Women’s Doubles Quarterfinals
2017 Badminton World League Super Series Finals Women’s Doubles Runner-up
2017 Hong Kong China Badminton Super Series Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
2017 Japan Badminton Super Tournament Mixed Doubles Runner-up
2017 Japan Badminton Super Series Women’s Doubles Quarter-finals
2017 World Badminton Championships Women’s Doubles Runner-up
2017 Badminton Australia Premier Superseries Women’s Doubles Quarter-finals
2017 Malaysia Badminton Premier Superseries Women’s Doubles Champion
2017 Badminton India Premier Superseries Women’s Doubles Quarterfinals
2017 Germany Badminton Golden Grand Prix Women’s Doubles Champion
2016 Chinese Taipei Badminton Masters Women’s Doubles Champion
2016 Spain Badminton International Women’s Doubles Champion
2016 New Zealand Badminton Golden Grand Prix Women’s Doubles Champion
2015 China Macau Badminton Golden Grand Prix Women’s Doubles Quarter-finals
2015 Scottish Badminton Grand Prix Women’s Doubles Champion
2015 Korea Badminton Masters Women’s Doubles Final Four
2015 New Zealand Badminton Golden Grand Prix Women’s Doubles Runner-up
2015 Osaka Badminton International Challenge Women’s Doubles Runner-up
2015 Vietnam Badminton International Challenge Women’s Doubles Quarter-finals
2014 Sydney Badminton International Women’s Doubles Champion
2014 New Zealand Badminton Grand Prix Women’s Doubles Final Four
2013 Malaysia Badminton International Challenge Women’s Doubles Final Four
Eriko Hirose (Japanese: ひろせ えりこ , March 16, 1985), born Inomagawa-cho, Kawabe-gun, Hyogo Prefecture, is a Japanese female badminton player who announced her retirement in December 2014.
Eriko Hirose enrolled at Aomori Yamada High School in Aomori Prefecture, a well-known badminton powerhouse. During her first and second years of high school, she partnered with Yang Ailin, an international student from China, and won the women’s doubles event at the National High School Championships and the National High School Selection Tournament; in addition, she assisted the school in achieving two consecutive women’s team victories at the most important National High School Championships. In the women’s singles program, she was the runner-up in the 2002 National High School Championships and twice dominated the All-Japan Junior Badminton Championships.
In 2004, Hirose won her first All-Japan Badminton Championships and the National Ranking Tour Women’s Singles Championships, and in December of the same year, she defeated Lulan, Jeon Jae-juan, and Sara Ki Posana in the Indonesia Open, finishing second in the women’s singles, her best result since she began participating in international tournaments.
In April 2006, Eriko Hirose made her debut for Japan at the Uber Cup Women’s Badminton Team Championships in Tokyo/Sendai, where she was defeated by Dutch No.2 Jodie Melendijk in the last eight, leaving Japan with a 2-3 loss in total matches. Towards the end of the year, Hirose had the opportunity to represent the Japanese national team at the Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, where she helped her team win the silver medal in the women’s team event, but only managed to reach the last eight in the women’s singles event.
In 2007, Eriko Hirose played at the Super Series level, reaching the quarterfinals of the Malaysia Super Series and the Singapore Super Series in the first half of the year. In July, Hirose, who was ranked No. 7 in the world at the time, suffered a ruptured right medial thigh muscle during the Philippine Open, which had a major impact on her participation in the Olympic Games Points Tournament; she also withdrew from the Japan Super Series, China Super Series and Russia Golden Grand Prix, which were held in the second half of the year.
In 2008, Hirose’s performance continued to slump, only reaching the quarterfinals of the India Golden Grand Prix in April, but eventually qualifying to represent Japan in the women’s singles event at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China in August. In the round of 16 against France’s Pi Hongyan, she lost 1-2 (21-12, 16-21, 21-6) in three sets, ending her first trip to the Olympics.
In March 2011, Eriko Hirose competed in the All England Premier Super Tournament, knocking out India’s Saina Neville in the quarter-finals and then defeating Bulgaria’s Petia Nedelchova in the semi-finals to reach the final, equaling the record of Japanese women’s badminton singles players who reached the final of the All England Open 32 years ago. Unfortunately, she faced China’s Wang Shixian in the final and eventually lost 0-2 (22-24, 18-21) to finish second.
In December 2014, at the age of 29, Eriko Hirose announced her retirement after the All Japan Comprehensive Badminton Championships, ending her 23-year career as an athlete.
In 2017, Eriko Hirose began coaching the Japan national badminton team’s B team.
Sayaka Takahashi (born July 29, 1992) is a Japanese badminton player with a left-handed grip. Formerly affiliated with Panasonic Badminton Division, she joined Unisys Japan in February 2013 and is currently a member of the Japan national badminton team. She is a member of the Japan national badminton team. Her sister is fellow badminton player Reika Takahashi.
In 2012, Takahashi won her first international professional title at the Badminton International Challenge in Austria, defeating Hong Kong’s Chen Zhijia 2-0 (21-11, 21-19) in the women’s singles final. She went on to play in the Malaysian Badminton Grand Prix and reached the final of the women’s singles again, but lost to Thailand’s Bussanran Embrupon and finished second.
In August 2013, Takahashi competed in the Women’s Singles event at the World Badminton Championships in Guangzhou, China. After defeating a Malaysian in the first round, she advanced to the second round with a 2-0 win over her teammate, 12th-seeded Miurazu Mitani, but lost 0-2 (19-21, 17-21) in the third round against 13th-seeded Yeonsu Bae of South Korea to stop in the round of 16.
In the women’s singles final of the 2014 WBF German Open, Sayaka Takahashi performed well and won the title after a three-set thriller against top-seeded South Korean player Sung Ji Hyun, 21-17, 8-21 and 21-12.
In July 2018, Sayaka Takahashi played in the Singapore Open Badminton Championships and won the Super 500 Women’s Singles title with a 2-0 (25-23, 21-14) victory over the tournament’s 7th seed, Gao Fangjie of China, in the Women’s Singles final.
On October 17, 2021, she won the second place in the 2021 Uber Cup World Women’s Badminton Team Championships.
Ayane Kurihara(くりはら あやね, September 27, 1989) is a Japanese female badminton player and a former member of the Japan national badminton team (Team A).She retired from the sport at the end of 2019.
In June 2010, Kurihara Ayane appeared in the Russian Badminton Grand Prix, winning her first international singles title by defeating the tournament’s top seed and host, Ayla Dill, 2-0 (21-19, 21-19) in the women’s singles final.
In March 2011, Kurihara Bunyon played in the Badminton Golden Grand Prix in Germany and won the runner-up spot in the women’s singles final, defeating the tournament’s fifth seed, Liu Xin of China, 1-2 (13-21, 21-15, 9-21).
In November 2014, she played in the Malaysia Badminton International Challenge with Naryu Shinoa and won her first international doubles title by defeating the tournament’s No. 2 seed and Indonesian powerhouse Mareta Deya Giovanni/Rosilta Ika Putri Sari 2-0 (21-14, 21-17) in the women’s doubles final.
In August 2016, she represented Japan in the mixed doubles event at the Olympic Games badminton tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, playing as the 14th seed with Kenta Kurihara. In the quarterfinals, Bunny Kuribun and Kenta Souno faced Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei of China and were defeated 0-2 (14-21, 12-21).
In July 2018, Bunny Kurihara switched to playing with Fair Gondo in the Akita Badminton Masters, winning her first Super 100 doubles title by defeating Indonesian powerhouse Alfran Eko Prasetya/Anyanlika Wiradama 2-1 (21-9, 21-23, 21-17) in the mixed doubles final.
Bunny Kuribara announced her retirement at the end of 2019 and is expected to take up a general staff position at Unisys Japan every other April.
Okuhara Nozomi is a Japanese female badminton player and an active member of the Japan national badminton team. Born in Omachi City, Nagano Prefecture, she graduated from Omachi Municipal Ninkodai Junior High School, and is currently studying at Saitama Prefectural Omiya Higashi High School. In April 2013, she joined the badminton team of Unisys Japan Ltd.
Hope Okuhara started playing badminton at the age of 6. To help strengthen her nutrition, her father and grandfather started beekeeping. Hope Okuhara says she will bring home-made honey with her to the Rio Olympics. She said, “Drinking honey gives you more strength, and sometimes it’s effective to drink honey when you have an upset throat. I don’t have to add anything else, I just drink it straight.” Besides badminton, Okuhara hopes to enjoy swimming.
In October 2011, Okuhara competed in the women’s singles at the World Junior Badminton Championships in Taoyuan, Taiwan, where she was defeated in the semifinals by the eventual champion, Rachano Indanon of Thailand, and did not advance to the finals. In December of the same year, Okuhara competed in the All Japan Comprehensive Badminton Championships held in her home country and won the women’s singles title, becoming the youngest winner (16 years and 8 months) in the event’s history.
At the end of 2015, she then won the Badminton World Federation Superseries Finals with back-to-back victories over world No. 1 Marin of Spain and China’s Olympic mainstay Wang Yihan.
At the 2016 All England Open, she became Japan’s first All England women’s singles champion in 39 years with back-to-back victories over Wang Yihan, Wang Shixian, and other Chinese mainstays.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Okuhara hopefully defeated India’s Sindhu in the semifinals and suffered a withdrawal from Li Xuerui in the third-place match to win the bronze medal, the first Olympic medal won by Japanese women’s singles.
In the women’s singles final of the Glasgow Badminton World Championships on August 27, 2017, Japan’s Hope Okuhara and India’s Sindhu battled through three sets before winning 2-1 to win their first individual World Series singles title. It was also a major breakthrough for Japanese players in the tournament after Misaki Matsutomo/Reika Takahashi won the Olympic women’s doubles title at the 2016 Rio Olympics, the first time a Japanese player has won the women’s singles final of the World Championships.
On February 11, 2018, at the 2018 Badminton Asian Team Championships held in Malaysia, Okuhara Hope defeated He Bingjiao 2-1 in 1 hour and 6 minutes to win the team title.
In May 2018, Hope Okuhara played in the Uber Cup and helped the Japanese women’s team win the title with a clean sweep, while becoming a member of Japan’s first generation of Uber Cup champions.
On August 22, 2018, in the women’s team badminton tournament at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, the Japanese team consisting of Akane Yamaguchi/Yuki Fukushima/Caihua Hirota/Hope Okuhara/Misaki Matsutomo/Reika Takahashi won the women’s team title with a 3-1 comeback victory over China.
In March 2021, in the women’s singles final of the All England Open Badminton Championships, Okuhara hoped to win the title after 2016 by defeating Lee Wonderful 2-0 to win the title.
On December 3, 2023, Okuhara hoped to win the women’s singles title at the Said Modi International (super300) in India, ending a two-year drought of individual tournament titles.
On December 3, 2023, she retired in the final of the 2023 All Japan Championships, and did not win the All Japan Championships.
Sonoda Keigo (Japanese: そのだ けいご , February 20, 1990) is a Japanese male badminton player and a former member of the Japan national badminton team (A team). Born in Kumamoto Prefecture, he graduated from Kumamoto Prefectural Yatsushiro Third Junior High School and Kumamoto Prefectural Yatsushiro Higashi High School. He has been with Tonami Transportation Co. since 2010, and is currently part of the company’s Human Resources Department, where he is a member of the company’s badminton team and the vice-captain, player No. 2. He retired from badminton in April 2022, and has coached the Tonami Transportation badminton team.
In 2011, Keigo Sonoda competed for Tonami Transportation in the Men’s Singles at the All Japan Comprehensive Badminton Championships, winning a bronze medal. In April of the same year, he competed in the Osaka Badminton International Challenge, defeating teammate Sho Sentani 2-1 (18-21, 21-16, 21-16) in the men’s singles final to win his first international title. He also won the men’s doubles final with Zunetoshi Kurose, sweeping teammates Chou Wada/Tatsuya Watanabe 2-0 (21-14, 21-14) to win the title once again, and is also the double champion winner of this tournament.
In 2012, Sonoda won his first international professional title at the Canadian Open Men’s Doubles Final, defeating teammates Yukiyuki Saeki / Ryota Hata 2-0 (21-15, 21-10) with Kenshi Kamura.
In 2014, Keigo Sonoda represented Japan in the Thomas Cup men’s team event, ultimately helping Japan win its first ever Thomas Cup.
In November 2016, he played in the Hong Kong Badminton Superseries with Kenshi Kaemura, winning the men’s doubles final by defeating the tournament’s No. 4 seed and Danish powerhouse, Mathias Bowie/Karsten Mogensen, 2-0 (21-19, 21-19).
In April 2017, Keigo Sonoda participated in the World Badminton Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, where he and Kenshi Kamura played in the men’s doubles event, as the No. 4 seed, and faced the new and veteran Indonesian duo of Muhammad Ahsan/Liane Agang Saputra in the semifinals, but ended up losing 0-2 (12-21, 15-21) to this Indonesian duo, and did not have a chance to break into the final.
In June 2018, Keigo Sonoda and Kenshi Kaemura played in the Malaysia Open Badminton Championships, winning the men’s doubles final with a 2-0 (21-8, 21-10) sweep of teammates Dayu Endo/Indah Watanabe. In July of the same year, he competed at the World Badminton Championships in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China, where he and Kenshi Kaimura played in the men’s doubles as the tournament’s No. 5 seeds, and won the World Championships men’s doubles runner-up title, defeating the tournament’s No. 4 seeds, Li Junhui/Liu Yuchen of China, 0-2 (12-21, 19-21) in the final.
In May 2019, Keigo Sonoda represented Japan at the Sudirman Cup in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, helping the national team win second place in the mixed team.
In July 2021, he and Kenshi Kamura competed in the men’s doubles badminton tournament at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, advancing to the last eight of the tournament as the second-ranked team from Group C. They were defeated in the last eight by the Indonesian duo of Hendra Setyawan/Muhammad Ahsan to reach the last eight.
On September 8, 2021, he announced his retirement from the Japan national team, and will concentrate on the domestic tournaments of his club. on April 10, 2022, Keigo Sonoda’s national teammate Isao Watanabe held a retirement show for him, along with Kenshi Kaemura and Taiyuki Endo, and he will be coaching the badminton team of Tonami Transportation Ltd. after retiring from the national team.
Kenichi Tago (Japanese: たご けんいち , July 16, 1989) is a Japanese male badminton player. Born in Saitama Prefecture, he was a longtime member of the Japanese national badminton team.In September 2015, he was expelled from the national team for multiple disciplinary violations; in April 2016, he was indefinitely disqualified from the Badminton Association’s Registered Players’ Association and dismissed outright from the company he belonged to for allegedly entering and leaving an illegal casino; the ban was lifted in 2020.
In March 2010, Kenichi Taner played in the All England Badminton Super Tournament, defeating names such as Nguyen Chin Minh, Joachim Persson, Chen Jin, and Bao Chunlai along the way, and ultimately finishing second in the final to Li Zongwei, but having already set the best record for a Japanese men’s singles player. After that, he turned full-time athlete. In November of the same year, Taner represented Japan at the Guangzhou Asian Games, competing in the men’s singles and team events in badminton.
In May 2014, Kenichi Taner appeared in the 2014 Thomas Cup as a starter as the No. 1 singles player for the Japanese men’s team. In the final, when facing the Malaysian No. 1 Lee Chong Wei, despite his inability to break through, he relied on the stronger overall Japanese team to win by defeating the Malaysian team by a total score of 3-2. This time, Kenichi Tanaka not only made history for the Japanese men’s team, but also the moment he became the world champion.
In October 2015, the Japanese national team announced that Kenichi Tanaka had been dismissed from the team, citing numerous disciplinary violations.
On April 7, 2016, Kenichi Tanaka, who was playing in the premier Malaysian badminton super tournament, left Malaysia immediately as he was suspected of entering and exiting an illegal casino and had to return to Japan for police investigation.
On April 8, 2016, Kenichi Taner and junior Kento Momota held an apology press conference in Tokyo. Tianer admitted that he began to indulge in DB when he suspended training after the injury.Tianer said in tears at the press conference that he would take most of the responsibility, and in order to involve the younger generation of Kento Momota feel quite guilty: “I can’t stick to my position, but also involve the younger generation of Momota, I’m sorry for everyone, and I hope that everyone can give Momota another chance. ”
On April 10, 2016, the Badminton Association of Japan held an emergency council to formally deal with the case against Kento Momota. The association ultimately decided that it would not recommend Momota as a representative of the Japanese national team for the Rio Olympics, while Tada was indefinitely disqualified from being a registered player with the Badminton Association.
On November 1, 2020, the Badminton Association of Japan lifted Kenichi Taner’s ban.
Equipment Used
ARCSABER 10; NANORAY Z SPEED Bright Orange; VOLTRIC Z-FORCE II LCW; NANORAY Z SPEED Yellow; DUORA 10; VOLTRIC 80; ARCSABER Z-Slash; ARMORTEC 700; ARMORTEC 900 TECHNIQUE; shb-101m/mid (jp)
Major Achievements
2014 Indonesia Badminton Premier Super Tournament Men’s Singles Runner-up
2014 Japan Badminton Premier Superseries Men’s Singles Quarterfinals
2014 Thomas Cup Men’s Team Champion
2014 Malaysia Badminton Premier Men’s Singles Quarter-finals
2014 Korea Badminton Premier Men’s Singles Quarter-finals
2013 All Japan Badminton Championships Men’s Singles Champion
2013 BWF Super Series Finals Men’s Singles Quarter-finals
2013 Badminton Super Series France Men’s Singles 1st Runner-up
Japan Badminton Super Tournament 2013 Men’s Singles 1st Runner-up
2013 Badminton India Superseries Men’s Singles 1st Runner-up
2013 Malaysia Badminton Super Series Men’s Singles Quarter-finals
2012 All Japan Badminton Championships Men’s Singles Champion
2012 Hong Kong Badminton Super Tournament Men’s Singles Quarter-finals
2012 France Badminton Super Tournament Men’s Singles Quarter-finals
2012 All England Badminton Championships Men’s Singles Quarter-finals
2012 Malaysia Badminton Super Tournament Men’s Singles Runner-up
2012 Thomas Cup Men’s Team Bronze Medal
2011 All Japan Badminton Championships Men’s Singles Champion
2011 French Open Men’s Singles Runner-up
2010 All Japan Badminton Championships Men’s Singles Champion
2010 All England Badminton Championships Men’s Singles Runner-up
2010 Asian Badminton Championships Men’s Singles Bronze Medal
2010 Thomas Cup Men’s Team Bronze Medal
2009 All Japan Badminton Championships Men’s Singles Champion
2009 Hong Kong Badminton Super Tournament Men’s Singles Quarter-finals
2009 East Asian Games Men’s Team Bronze Medal
2008 All Japan Badminton Championships Men’s Singles Champion
2008 Japan Badminton Super Tournament Men’s Singles Quarter-finals
2008 Indonesia Badminton Super Tournament Men’s Singles Quarter-finals
2007 World Junior Badminton Championships Men’s Singles Runner-up
Goh Liu Ying (May 30, 1989), formerly known by her stage name Goh Liu Ying, is a Malaysian female badminton player who specializes in mixed doubles. Her partnership with Tan Beng Soon was ranked as high as world number three. She was the silver medalist in mixed doubles badminton at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
In 2001, at the age of 11, Goh Liu Ying was selected for the badminton team in the state of Malacca, and two years later went to train at the Bukit Jalil Sports School in Kuala Lumpur.
In 2008, Goh Liu Ying suffered a serious injury while preparing for the Uber Cup, and although she did not have to undergo surgery, she recuperated for six months. After her comeback, she partnered Tan Beng Soon to win four international titles in five years, making her one of the best performing mixed doubles in Malaysian badminton history.
In April 2010, Goh Liu Ying and Tan Beng Soon won the Mixed Doubles title at the 2010 Badminton Asia Championships in New Delhi, India, Malaysia’s first ever mixed doubles gold medal at the Asian Championships.
In September 2012, Goh Liu Ying and Tan Beng Soon won the Japan Badminton Superseries Mixed Doubles, defeating the 5th seeded Indonesian duo of Muhammad Reza/Liliana Nasir 2-0 in the final to win the Superseries title for the first time in their careers.
In January 2013, Goh Liu Ying and Tan Beng Soon competed in the Malaysia Badminton Super Series, winning the runner-up spot in the Mixed Doubles final against the tournament’s No. 2 seeded and Danish powerhouse pair of Jorgen Fischer Nielsen/Christina Petersen, 0-2 (13-21, 18-21).
In May 2014, Goh Liu Ying underwent knee surgery to eradicate an old injury that had accumulated six years earlier. While waiting to recover from the injury, she signed a contract with the Cheryl P. Hsieh Modeling Academy to work as an amateur model.
In June 2015, she represented Malaysia at the Southeast Asian Games badminton tournament held in Singapore, where the Malaysian women’s team won the second place in the first team event; and the mixed doubles final with Tan Beng Soon went down 1-2 (21-18, 13-21, 23-25) to Indonesian powerhouse Pravin Jordan/Debbie Susanto, winning the silver medal at the East Games.
In August 2016, she competed in the mixed doubles badminton tournament at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She played with Tan Beng Soon,, and lost to Tontowi Ahmad/Liliana Nasir 0-2 (14-21, 12-21) in the final , winning the silver medal, Malaysia’s best result in the mixed doubles event at the Olympics.
On May 13, 2017, Goh Liu Ying traveled to Halle, Germany to undergo surgery to resolve old shoulder and knee problems. She was expected to return to Malaysia in early June to continue her reconstruction, but her actual comeback will take as long as 4 to 6 months.
In January 2018, Goh Liu Ying once again played in the Thailand Badminton Masters with her old partner’s Tan Beng Soon, and struck the first blow in the mixed doubles final by defeating the tournament’s No. 7 seed and hosts, Dechapong Pao Uranuko/Putita Supachai Kung, 2-1 (21-15, 14-21, 21-16).
From New Year’s Day 2019, she and Tan Beng Soon withdrew from the Malaysian national team in favor of a freelance role in their bid to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in mixed doubles.
After the 2021 BWF World Tour Finals, it was announced on December 7, 2021 that she and Tan Beng Soon were splitting up.
In January 2023, Goh Liu Ying and Tan Beng Soon suffered a round-robin defeat against Indonesian duo Kusayanto/Kusumawati at the Malaysia Open Badminton Championships, 21-18,15-21,7-21, which was also Goh Liu Ying’s curtain-raiser, and, finally, officially retired from the sport on January 14th.
Equipment Used
NANORAY Z SPEED Bright Orange; JETSPEED S 12 F; Li-Ning 1; 3D CALIBAR 900I; JETSPEED S 10; AURASPEED 90S; ARCSABER 7; TECTONIC 7I
Major Achievements
2021 Badminton World Finals Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
2021 All England Open Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
2020 Malaysia Badminton Masters Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
2019 Chinese Taipei Badminton Open Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
2019 Japan Badminton Open Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
2019 New Zealand Badminton Open Mixed Doubles Champion
Indonesia Badminton Masters Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals 2019
Malaysia Badminton Masters Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals 2019
TAN Pearly, a native of Kedah, Malaysia, is a women’s badminton player and runner-up in the women’s doubles at the 2018 Asian Youth Championships and World Youth Championships.
Originally from Kedah, Malaysia, Tan Kang Lok was introduced to badminton by her badminton loving father, and at the age of 13, she entered the Bukit Jalil Sports School for training, and won her first international junior title at the German Junior Championships in 2017, and since then has won many domestic junior tournaments.
In 2018, the duo of Tan Kang Lok and Doi Wei took second place at both the Asian Youth Championships and the World Youth Championships that year. Their performances at the Asian Youth Championships and the World Youth Championships saw the pair seen as Malaysia’s women’s doubles hopefuls, however, the pair split up when Doo Yi Wee suffered from sinusitis and withdrew from the national team.
With Doi Wei leaving the national team, Tan Kang Lok was eventually paired with Muralitharan Tina, who had just joined the national team.In June 2019, Tan Kang Lok and Muralitharan Tina competed in their first tournament after being paired together, the Malaysian International Series, and ended up defeating the Indonesian duo of F. D. Kusuma/R. Sugi in the final, 2-1 (21-16, 11-21, 21-18) Kusuma/R Sugiarto in the final, defeating the Indonesian pairing of F.D. Kusuma/R Sugiarto 2-1 (21-16, 11-21, 21-18) to win their first career international title. In September of the same year, the duo reached the final of the Sydney International again, but lost 1-2 (17-21, 21-17, 13-21) to Taiwan’s Ching Yu-chieh/Tzeng Yu-chieh and finished as runners-up.
In March 2021, Chan Kang Lok and Muralitharan Tina played in the Swiss Open and defeated Bulgarian seeded players Gavrila Stoeva/Stefani Stoeva in two straight games (21-19, 21-12) to clinch their first Tour Championships trophy of the year.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
World Ranking – Women’s Doubles 13, Week 30, 2024
Olympic Points – Women’s Doubles 14, 62304 points
Finals Ranking – Women’s Doubles 18, 37300 points
Equipment Used
JETSPEED S 10 Fluorescent Rose; JETSPEED S 12 F; ASTROX 88S PRO; ARCSABER 7 PRO; 75TH AERUS Z; EXBOLT65 SHA960; P9500 PENG; SHB65Z3LEX; ECLIPSION Z
Major Achievements
2024 Malaysia Badminton Masters Women’s Doubles Quarter-finals
2023 Hong Kong Badminton Open Women’s Doubles Runner-up
2023 Malaysia Badminton Masters Women’s Doubles Runner-up
2023 Sudirman Cup Mixed Team Championships Third Runner-up Member
2023 German Badminton Open Women’s Doubles Quarter-finalist
2023 Indonesia Badminton Masters Women’s Doubles Quarter-finals
2023 India Open Badminton Women’s Doubles quarter-finals
2022 French Open Women’s Doubles Champion
2022 Commonwealth Games Badminton Women’s Doubles Gold Medal
2022 Commonwealth Games Badminton Mixed Team Gold Medal
2022 Malaysia Badminton Masters Women’s Doubles Final Four
2022 Indonesia Badminton Masters Women’s Doubles Final Four
2022 Thailand Badminton Open Women’s Doubles Final Four
2021 Sudirman Cup Mixed Team 3rd Runner-up
2021 Swiss Open Women’s Doubles Champion
2020 Badminton Asia Championships Women’s Team 3rd Runner-up
2019 Bangladesh Badminton International Women’s Doubles Champion
2019 Badminton India International Challenge Women’s Doubles Champion
2019 Malaysia Badminton International Series Women’s Doubles Champion
2018 World Junior Badminton Championships Women’s Doubles Runner-up
2018 Asian Youth Badminton Championships Women’s Doubles Runner-up
2018 Asian Youth Badminton Championships Mixed Team 3rd Runner-up
2017 World Junior Badminton Championships Mixed Team Runner-up
2017 Asian Junior Badminton Championships Mixed Team 3rd Runner-up
2016 World Junior Badminton Championships Mixed Team Runner-up
