Tag: Zhang Jun

张军

  • Zhang Jun: Facing More Challenges Next Olympics, Giving More Opportunities to Young Players

    Zhang Jun: Facing More Challenges Next Olympics, Giving More Opportunities to Young Players

    After ten days of intense competition, five Olympic badminton gold medals were awarded at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena in Paris, with the Chinese badminton team (CBA) ultimately securing 2 golds and 3 silvers. Each medal comes with its own story, intertwining joy, growth, and regret for the CBA players.

    From the distribution of medals and rankings, it is evident that traditional powerhouses like Indonesia and Japan were not as dominant as in the past, while teams from Thailand and India showed strong potential. Zhang Jun believes that in the next Olympic cycle, the CBA will face more challenges and will provide more opportunities for young players. He hopes the young players will grow quickly, catching up with and surpassing their predecessors.

    It is encouraging to see that young CBA players have already made a name for themselves in this Olympics. The women’s doubles pair Liu Shengshu/Tan Ning and the men’s doubles pair Liang Weikeng/Wang Chang, both composed of post-2000s athletes, showed great promise. Liu and Tan defeated strong pairs from Korea and Japan in the knockout stages, while Liang and Wang staged multiple comebacks from deficits in both the group and knockout stages. Although they narrowly missed the gold in the finals, they displayed the spirit of men’s doubles and gained valuable experience. “There will be more finals waiting for us in the future. We’ll be back in the next Olympic final,” Wang Chang said.

    Alongside joy and growth, the Paris Olympics also brought some regret for the CBA. Neither of the two men’s singles players reached the semifinals, falling short of expectations. Zhang Jun pointed out that the men’s singles players were not adequately prepared for the difficulties. For example, Shi Yuqi was in good form before the Olympics, defeating several main rivals and winning multiple titles, “but the Olympic stage is different.”

    Additionally, in women’s singles, last Olympics champion Chen Yufei was eliminated in the quarterfinals by her teammate He Bingjiao. Zhang Jun expressed regret over her exit, attributing it to excessive pressure that prevented her from performing at her best. “Having experienced the baptism of the Olympic stage, I believe Chen Yufei will come back stronger. I trust she can overcome adverse situations and emotions. People grow gradually; you won’t always succeed, and you will face setbacks and failures. This is all normal.”

    The conclusion of the badminton events at the Paris Olympics marks the beginning of preparations for the Los Angeles Olympic cycle. The blend of joy and regret forms the backdrop of daily life. The end signifies the past, and the CBA will carry diverse memories into the next phase.


  • Zhang Jun Rates Chinese Badminton Team Performance: Just Passing, Wang Chang Could Have Done Better

    Zhang Jun Rates Chinese Badminton Team Performance: Just Passing, Wang Chang Could Have Done Better

    The badminton events of the 2024 Paris Olympics concluded last night, with the Chinese badminton team securing 2 gold and 3 silver medals. In a post-match interview, head coach Zhang Jun remarked that the team’s performance was just passing. He noted that Wang Chang could have performed better in the men’s doubles final, attributing some of the shortcomings to the inexperience of the younger players.


    Zhang Jun sighed and commented, “I would rate our performance around 60 to 65 points, just passing. In our key events, our women’s doubles and mixed doubles teams won gold. Congratulations to Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong, as well as Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan, for turning their silver medals from three years ago into gold. This is a reward for their hard work over the years.”


    When asked about his satisfaction with the doubles events, Zhang Jun responded, “Overall, I am satisfied with our doubles teams, but there are both satisfactions and regrets. I have a bit of regret regarding the men’s doubles; they could have done better. If they had released their potential earlier, perhaps the outcome would have been different. In the first game, especially, Wang Chang wasn’t able to perform freely; he seemed a bit tense.”

  • Zhang Jun

    Zhang Jun


    Character Introduction

    Zhang Jun (张军) (26 November 1977), a native of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, is a Chinese former men’s badminton player, and the current president of the China Badminton Association and head coach of the doubles team of the Chinese national badminton team.

    Zhang Jun joined the Suzhou Sports School in 1986, and four years later joined the Jiangsu Provincial Sports Team, and later in 1996 he was selected for the national team.

    Zhang Jun, who is good at attacking from the backcourt, finished second in the men’s doubles event at the China Open in 1997, the year after he was selected for the national team, and one year later won the men’s doubles title at the Swiss Open, as well as the men’s doubles second place at the Asian Championships and the men’s team silver medal at the Asian Games in Bangkok.

    In 1999, Zhang Jun won the Sudirman Cup, one of the most important badminton tournaments, and a year later, because of an injury to his long-time partner, Zhang Jun, before the Sydney Olympics, Zhang Jun was changed to play mixed doubles, and Zhang Jun and Gao Diamond worked well together at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, eventually winning the gold medal in the badminton mixed doubles event, which was the first mixed doubles gold medal in the history of China’s Olympic Games. The gold medal was the first mixed doubles gold medal in China’s Olympic history.

    In the same year, Zhang Jun and Gao Diamond won the Thailand Open Mixed Doubles Championships, and went on to finish in the quarter-finals of the Malaysia and Japan Open Mixed Doubles Championships. 2001 saw Zhang Jun and Gao Diamond teaming up again to win the International Badminton Super Grand Prix, and finish third in the Men’s Doubles at the World Badminton Grand Prix Finals. In mixed doubles, Gao and Zhang won the third place in the World Grand Prix mixed doubles, the mixed doubles title in the World Championships, the quarter-finals of the China-Japan Open, the All England Open and the second place in the South Korea Open.

    In 2002, Zhang Jun and Gao Diamond won the third place in the All England Championships, the China Open Championships, the Asian Championships, the Asian Games, the Asian Games, the Indonesia Open, the Indonesia Open, the Men’s Doubles, and the Japan Open.

    A year later, Gao and Zhang won the mixed doubles event at the Japan and All England Opens, and in 2004, the pair won their 14th gold medal and defended their title at the Athens Olympics with a 2-1 victory over Great Britain.

    In 2005, Zhang Jun and Cai Yun won the men’s doubles gold medal at the 10th National Games, and became members of the Sudirman Cup Champions**.

    Zhang Jun retired and coached the Chinese national badminton team, successively training a new generation of Olympic champions such as Cai Yun, Fu Haifeng, Zhang Nan, etc. At the beginning of 2017, he became the head coach of the doubles team of the Chinese national team, and at the beginning of 2018, in the middle of the session of the adjustment of the Chinese Badminton Association, he was elected as the vice-chairman of the Chinese Badminton Association.

    On 28 January 2019, at the Sixth National Congress of the China Badminton Association, Zhang Jun was elected President of the China Badminton Association.

    Equipment Used

    BG-65Ti; ARMORTEC 700; SHB-98MX; MUSCLE POWER 100; SHB-89MG; ISOMETRIC TOUR 800; 1461-075; 1473; W10011VC; 1483

    Major Achievements

    • 2006 German Badminton Open Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2006 All England Badminton Championships Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2006 China Badminton Masters Mixed Doubles Runner-up
    • 2006 Malaysia Badminton Open Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2005 National Games Badminton Men’s Doubles Champion
    • 2005 Sudirman Cup Champion Main Member
    • 2005 Singapore Open Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2005 China Badminton Masters Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2005 Hong Kong Badminton Open Mixed Doubles 3rd Runner-up
    • 2004 Athens Olympic Games Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2004 Indonesia Open Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2003 Japan and All England Badminton Open Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2002 All England Badminton Championships Mixed Doubles 3rd place
    • 2002 China Badminton Open Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2002 Badminton Asian Championships Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2002 Asian Games Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2002 Indonesia Open Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2001 International Badminton Super Grand Prix Men’s Doubles Champion
    • 2001 World Badminton Grand Prix Final Men’s Doubles 3rd Runner-up
    • 2001 World Badminton Championships Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2001 China and Japan Open Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2001 All England Open Mixed Doubles Champion
    • Member of 2001 Sudirman Cup Mixed Team Champion
    • 2001 Korea Open Mixed Doubles Runner-up
    • 2000 Sydney Olympic Games Badminton Mixed Doubles Gold Medalist
    • 2001 China Badminton Open Men’s Doubles Champion
    • 2001 Malaysia Badminton Open Mixed Doubles Quarter-finalist
    • 2001 Japan Badminton Open Mixed Doubles Quarter-finalist
    • 2001 Thailand Badminton Open Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 1999 The 6th Sudirman Cup Champion Main Member
    • 1998 Swiss Open Men’s Doubles Champion
    • 1998 Badminton Asian Championships Men’s Doubles Runner-up
    • 1998 Asian Games Badminton Men’s Team Runner-up Main Member
    • 1997 China Badminton Open Men’s Doubles Runner-up