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Tag: Zhang Nan

张楠

  • Zhang Nan

    Zhang Nan

    Character Introduction

    Zhang Nan (张楠), male, born on March 1, 1990 in Beijing, is a Chinese badminton doubles player.He was the mixed doubles badminton champion at the 2012 London Olympics and the men’s doubles badminton champion at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Zhang Nan is the second player in the history of the Olympic Games and the first Chinese player to hold Olympic gold medals in men’s doubles and mixed doubles. The first mixed doubles triple champion in the history of the World Championships. He is also a Grand Slam athlete who has won the Olympic Games, the World Championships, the Asian Games, the Asian Championships, the Military Games, the All England Championships, and a number of Badminton World Federation Super Series and Finals.

    Zhang Nan was born in Beijing to an ordinary family. His mother retired long ago, while his father worked as a cab driver. His parents sent him to play sports because he was weak and prone to illness. At the age of 9, Zhang Nan started practicing badminton in an amateur youth class in the city, and after less than two years of learning, he won first place in the singles tournament of the Beijing Primary B Group, and then entered the Shichahai Sports School to receive formal training. At the age of 14, Zhang Nan officially joined the Beijing badminton team and practiced with his coach Xiao Hui. When he first joined the team, he was still a singles player, but the coaching staff thought that he was tall, flexible, quick to react at the net, and had better doubles awareness and anticipation, so they moved him into the doubles team. His performance was so outstanding after switching to doubles that he was soon recommended to try out for the national team and was successfully selected for the second team of the Chinese national badminton team.

    In 2008, Zhang Nan represented the national team at the World Junior Badminton Championships in Pune, India, where he and Lu Lu reached the mixed doubles final, but were defeated by teammates Chai Biao/Jing Xie 0-2 (19-21, 15-21), finishing second. Early the following year, Zhang Nan paired up with Lu Lu in the Philippine Badminton Golden Grand Prix and won the title, his first open title in the adult category.

    In 2009, Zhang Nan was promoted to the first team with a few teammates, initially as a coach, but in less than a year, he was selected for the 2010 Thomas Cup, and eventually helped the Chinese men’s team to win the Thomas Cup, winning his first world championship title.

    Since then, due to the reorganization of the national team in response to the changes in the Olympic rules and format, Zhang Nan has been focusing more on mixed doubles; he and his partner Zhao Yunlei won the All England Badminton Superseries, the Japan Badminton Superseries, as well as the second place in the China Badminton Superseries and Hong Kong Badminton Superseries, and their performance has attracted a lot of attention. In November of the same year, Zhang Nan represented China at the Guangzhou Asian Games, winning one gold and one silver in the mixed doubles and men’s team events.

    In 2011, Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei’s combination continued to go from strength to strength, winning the Korea Premier Superseries, Asian Championships, Indonesia Premier Superseries, Hong Kong Superseries, China Premier Superseries and Badminton World Federation Superseries Finals; and in the World Badminton Championships held in London in August, defeating the host combination of Chris Edcock/Imogen Bankier 2-0 (21-15, 21-7). In August, Zhang Nan won the World Badminton Championships in London with a 2-0 (21-15, 21-7) victory over the host team of Chris Edelkirk/Imogen Banker, winning the World Championships for the first time, and helping the national team to win the World Championships for the second consecutive year.

    In July 2012, Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei represented China in the Olympic Games held in London, England. Badminton tournament in the mixed doubles event, and were seeded as the top pair. In the group stage, they easily defeated the combinations of Germany, Russia, and Great Britain to advance to the knockout rounds at the top of their group; and defeated Denmark’s Thomas Rebhorn/Camilla Rütter Juhl and Joakim Fischer Nielsen/Christina Petersen in the last eight and semifinal rounds, 2-0 and 2-1, respectively, to meet their teammates in the final. In the final, Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei defeated Xu Chen/Ma Jin 2-0 (21-11, 21-17) to win the Chinese delegation’s 20th gold of that Olympics, and to become China’s first ever Olympic couples’ champion.

    On August 17, 2016, Zhang Nan won the third place in mixed doubles badminton at the Rio Olympics. On August 20, the Rio Olympics badminton men’s doubles final, Fu Haifeng/Zhang Nan defeated the Malaysian duo Wu Weisheng/Chen Weiqiang 2-1, and the national badminton men’s doubles defended their title, which was the first gold of the national badminton team in the Rio Olympics.

    On August 28, 2017, in the men’s doubles final of the World Badminton Championships, Liu Cheng/Zhang Nan played well, and it only took 37 minutes to win two consecutive victories over the Indonesian duo Asan/Saputro with 21-10 and 21-17, and got the World Championships title for the first time, and China won the men’s doubles title at the World Championships again since 2011, and Zhang Nan won the world title in both men’s doubles and mixed doubles events.

    On May 27, 2018, the 2018 Thomas Cup came to a close in Bangkok, Thailand, with Zhang Nan and teammates Chen Long, Liu Cheng, Shi Yuqi, Li Junhui, and Liu Yuchen winning the title with a 3-1 comeback victory over Japan.

    On August 23, 2018, the Chinese men’s team consisting of Shi Yuqi, Li Junhui, Liu Yuchen, Chen Long, Liu Cheng and Zhang Nan won the men’s men’s badminton team final of the Asian Games in Jakarta with a 3-1 victory over the host Indonesian men’s team.

    On October 23, 2019, the men’s badminton team of the 7th World Military Games, China defeated South Korea 3-0 and won the gold medal in the men’s badminton team competition of this year’s Military Games. Men’s doubles Zhang Nan/Tan Qiang won the championship.

    On May 2, 2021, in the men’s doubles final of the 2021 National Badminton Championships and Qualifying Tournament for the National Games badminton event held in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, Beijing’s pair Zhang Nan/Feng Yanzhe lost to Guangdong’s pair Ren Xiangyu/Liang Weikang 0-2, and won the second place.

    On January 24, 2022, Huang Zhanzhong, head coach of the men’s doubles group of the Chinese badminton team, introduced in an interview that Zhang Nan and Liu Cheng, the men’s doubles champions of the 2017 World Badminton Championships, will be re-partnered to join hands in launching their impact and challenge towards the Paris Olympics.

    On August 20, 2022, Zhang Nan announced on his personal social media that he was quitting the national team, but would continue to compete as a professional player.

    World Ranking – Men’s Doubles 698, Week 36, 2024

    Olympic Points – Men’s Doubles 677, 1290 points 

    Finals Ranking – Men’s Doubles 207, 1290 points

    Equipment Used

    NANOGY 95,Li-Ning 1,Li-Ning Line 5,Turbo Charging 70

    Major Achievement

    • 2021 National Badminton Championships Men’s Doubles Runner-up
    • 2019 Military Games Badminton Mixed Doubles 3rd Runner-up
    • 2019 Military Games Badminton Men’s Doubles Champion
    • 2019 Military Games Badminton Men’s Team Champion
    • 2019 Macau Badminton Open Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2019 Netherlands Open Badminton Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2019 Indonesia Badminton Masters Men’s Doubles Champion
    • 2019 Belarus Badminton International Series Men’s Doubles Champion
    • 2019 Japan Badminton Masters Men’s Doubles Champion
    • 2018 China (Fuzhou) Masters Men’s Doubles Quarterfinals
    • 2018 Asian Games Badminton Men’s Team Champion
    • 2018 China Badminton Open Mixed Doubles Runner-up
    • 2018 World Badminton Championships Mixed Doubles Third Place
    • 2018 World Badminton Championships Men’s Doubles Third Runner-up
    • 2018 Thomas Cup Men’s Team Champion Member
    • 2018 Badminton Asia Championships Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2018 Badminton Asia Championships Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2018 All England Badminton Open Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2017 Denmark Badminton Premier Super Tournament Men’s Doubles Champion
    • 2017 World Badminton Championships Men’s Doubles Champion
    • 2017 13th National Games Badminton Men’s Doubles Fourth Place
    • 2017 Australian Badminton Premier Super Tournament Men’s Doubles Quarterfinals
    • 2017 Indonesia Badminton Premier Superseries Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2017 Sudirman Cup Mixed Team Runner-up
    • 2017 China Badminton Masters Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2017 Malaysia Badminton Premier Superseries Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2017 Swiss Badminton Golden Grand Prix Men’s Doubles Runner-up
    • 2017 Swiss Badminton Golden Grand Prix Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2017 All England Badminton Premier Grand Prix Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2017 Badminton Germany Golden Grand Prix Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2017 Badminton Asia Championships Mixed Team 3rd Runner-up
    • 2017 Thailand Badminton Masters Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2016 China Macau Badminton Golden Grand Prix Men’s Doubles Runner-up
    • 2016 China Macau Badminton Golden Grand Prix Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2016 China Badminton Super Tournament Mixed Doubles Runner-up
    • 2016 China Badminton Super Tournament Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2016 France Badminton Super Tournament Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2016 Brazil Rio Olympics Badminton Men’s Doubles Champion
    • 2016 Brazil Rio Olympics Badminton Mixed Doubles 3rd Runner-up
    • 2016 Indonesia Badminton Super Tournament Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2016 Badminton Asia Championships Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2016 Badminton Asia Championships Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2016 Singapore Badminton Premier Superseries Men’s Doubles Champion
    • 2016 Malaysia Badminton Premier Super Tournament Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2016 All England Badminton Open Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2015 Hong Kong China Badminton Premier Superseries Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2015 China Badminton Premier Superseries Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2015 Denmark Badminton Superseries Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2015 Korea Badminton Superseries Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2015 Korea Badminton Premier Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2015 Japan Badminton Premier Superseries Mixed Doubles Runner-up
    • 2015 Japan Badminton Superseries Men’s Doubles Runner-up
    • 2015 World Badminton Championships Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2015 Chinese Taipei Badminton Open Men’s Doubles Champion
    • 2015 Indonesia Badminton Super Tournament Men’s Doubles Runner-up
    • 2015 Indonesia Badminton Super Tournament Mixed Doubles Runner-up
    • 2015 Sudirman Cup Champion
    • 2015 Singapore Badminton Super Tournament Men’s Doubles Runner-up
    • 2015 Singapore Badminton Superseries Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2015 Malaysia Badminton Superseries Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2015 All England Badminton Championships Men’s Doubles Runner-up
    • 2015 All England Badminton Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2014 Badminton World League Super Series Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2014 Hong Kong China Badminton Super Series Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2014 China Badminton Super Series Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2014 Denmark Badminton Super Series Men’s Doubles Champion
    • 2014 Incheon Asian Games Badminton Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2014 Incheon Asian Games Badminton Men’s Team Runner-up
    • 2014 World Badminton Championships Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2014 Indonesia Badminton Premier Super Tournament Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2014 Japan Badminton Superseries Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2014 Thomas Cup Men’s Team 3rd Runner-up
    • 2014 Badminton India Premier Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2014 Swiss Badminton Golden Grand Prix Men’s Doubles Runner-up
    • 2014 All England Badminton Championships Mixed Doubles Runner-up
    • 2014 Malaysia Badminton Super Tournament Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2014 Korea Badminton Super Tournament Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2013 Badminton World Super Series Finals Mixed Doubles Runner-up
    • 2013 Hong Kong Badminton Super Series China Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2013 China Badminton Super Series Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2013 France Badminton Super Series Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2013 Denmark Badminton Super Tournament Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2013 Holland Badminton Grand Prix Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2013 Japan Badminton Super Tournament Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2013 China Badminton Masters Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2013 World Badminton Championships Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2013 Indonesia Badminton Superseries Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2013 Sudirman Cup Mixed Team Champion
    • 2013 Asian Badminton Championships Mixed Doubles Runner-up
    • 2013 12th National Games Badminton Mixed Doubles Runner-up
    • 2013 Swiss Open Mixed Doubles Runner-up
    • 2013 All England Badminton Championships Mixed Doubles Runner-up
    • 2013 Korea Badminton Super Tournament Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2012 BWF Super Series Finals Mixed Doubles Runner-up
    • 2012 Hong Kong Badminton Super Series Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2012 Denmark Badminton Super Tournament Mixed Doubles Quarter-Finals
    • 2012 China Badminton Masters Men’s Doubles Champion
    • 2012 London Olympics Badminton Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2012 Badminton Asia Championships Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2012 Malaysia Badminton Super Tournament Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2011 BWF Super Series Finals Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2011 China Badminton Super Series Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2011 Hong Kong Badminton Superseries Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2011 Hong Kong Badminton Super Series Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2011 France Badminton Super Tournament Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2011 Denmark Badminton Superseries Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2011 Japan Badminton Superseries Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2011 World Badminton Championships Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2011 Indonesia Badminton Superseries Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2011 Singapore Badminton Super Tournament Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2011 Badminton Asia Championships Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2011 Badminton Asia Championships Men’s Doubles quarter-finals
    • 2011 Korea Badminton Super Tournament Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2010 BWF Super Series Finals Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games Mixed Doubles Runner-up
    • 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games Men’s Team Champion
    • 2010 Hong Kong Badminton Super Tournament Mixed Doubles Runner-up
    • 2010 China Badminton Super Tournament Mixed Doubles Runner-up
    • 2010 Japan Badminton Super Tournament Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2010 Japan Badminton Super Tournament Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2010 Thomas Cup Men’s Team Champion
    • 2010 All England Badminton Mixed Doubles Champion
    • 2010 Germany Badminton Open Men’s Doubles Runner-up
    • 2010 Korea Badminton Super Tournament Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2010 Malaysia Badminton Super Tournament Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2009 East Asian Games Mixed Doubles Runner-up
    • 2009 East Asian Games Men’s Doubles 3rd Runner-up
    • 2009 East Asian Games Men’s Team Champion
    • 2009 China Badminton Super Tournament Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals
    • 2008 World Junior Badminton Championships Mixed Doubles Runner-up
    • 2008 World Junior Badminton Championships Mixed Team Champion
  • Olympic Debut Silver: Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang Grow Through Regret

    Olympic Debut Silver: Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang Grow Through Regret

    In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, while Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng claimed the men’s doubles silver medal, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang were still in elementary school in Guangzhou and Ningbo, just starting to play badminton. They pounded their chests in frustration in front of the television at the “Fengyun” duo’s near victory.

    By the time Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng finally fulfilled their dream by winning the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang had begun systematic training at sports schools. As young athletes, they harbored the budding desire to emulate the Fengyun duo.

    In the 2016 Rio Olympics, as Zhang Nan and Fu Haifeng secured a hard-fought gold for the Chinese badminton team, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang had entered the Zhejiang provincial team and the Guangzhou city team for professional training, becoming “rising stars” with the goal of joining the national team.


    During the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, when Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen earned a silver medal despite the men’s doubles overall decline, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang had not yet paired up to compete.

    In May 2022, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang began their partnership, starting from a world ranking outside the top 400. Within two years, they climbed to the top of the world rankings and entered their first Olympic journey as the top seeds in the men’s doubles at the Paris Olympics.

    On the evening of August 4, 2024, in the men’s doubles final at the Paris Olympics, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang, after losing the first set 17-21, made a strong comeback by winning the second set 21-18, forcing the match into a deciding set. Despite trailing, they tenaciously fought back but ultimately lost by two points to the defending champions, Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin, securing a silver medal in their first Olympic outing.

    New Blood for China’s Badminton Team in the Paris Cycle

    Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen’s silver medal in Tokyo did not lead to a third consecutive Olympic gold for China in men’s doubles. With Li Junhui’s retirement, the instability in both performance and personnel in the men’s doubles category called for new talent. It was at this juncture that the post-2000 duo, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang, emerged.

    Their debut at the Thailand Open in May 2022, a 500-level tour event, required them to start from the qualifiers due to their low ranking. Despite the setbacks, they battled their way into the top 16, ultimately losing to Japan’s top pair, Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi.

    At the Indonesia Masters, still starting from the qualifiers, this young duo made an unexpected run to the finals, defeating the world number one pair, Gideon/Sukamuljo, along the way. Although they lost to Indonesia’s Alfian/Ardianto in the final, it was a pleasant surprise.

    Their world ranking soared from 424 to 179, signaling hope for China’s men’s doubles.

    Hope, however, is a beautiful expectation that is not yet realized. They lost in the semifinals of the Malaysia Open to Ahsan/Setiawan and didn’t progress far in the Singapore Open. The entire men’s doubles team failed to qualify for the World Championships, highlighting a crisis.

    Nevertheless, at the Japan Open, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang triumphed, defeating the third, fifth, and seventh seeds, winning their first 750-level tournament, and becoming the only champions for China in that event.

    Despite missing the Denmark Open, an early exit in the French Open, failing to reach the semifinals in the Hylo Open, and another early exit in the Australian Open, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang climbed to the 17th position by year-end, with a promising future ahead.

    2023: Rising to World Number One

    By 2023, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang, affectionately dubbed the “Liang-Wang” duo by fans, had a strong start to the year, reaching the finals in both the Malaysia and India Opens, winning silver and then gold. Despite an early exit in the German Open and a semifinal finish in the All England, their world ranking rose to seventh by April.

    The Sudirman Cup marked their first team event together. Although their appearances were limited, they stood on the championship podium with their teammates, fulfilling their childhood dream of becoming “world champions.”

    Returning to the Thailand Open, a year after starting as qualifiers, they won the tournament as seeded players, a perfect anniversary gift and a testament to their continuous rise.

    At the Singapore Open, they reached the finals again, though they narrowly lost to a Japanese pair. Their consistent performance, with six finals and three championships in a year, brought them to second in the world rankings.

    “From the Sudirman Cup to Singapore, the Olympic qualifying events have given us a good start and laid a solid foundation for the upcoming competitions. As young players, we don’t need to carry too much burden; we will continue to strive for more points and aim for the Olympic stage.” Their childhood dream was gradually becoming a reality.


    With a bronze medal at the World Championships and a championship at the China Open, the “Liang-Wang” duo remained at a high competitive level. On October 31, the BWF updated its rankings, and they reached the world number one spot for the first time, achieving another goal.

    However, in the Hangzhou Asian Games, they lost as the first doubles pair in the team final, but China eventually won the gold medal. In the individual event, they didn’t reach the men’s doubles quarterfinals, leaving no Chinese pairs in the semifinals. The year ended with ups and downs, securing only the China Masters title, and finishing as runners-up in the Finals in Hangzhou, losing to Kang Min-hyuk and Seo Seung-jae, but they retained their world number one ranking by year-end.

    Men’s Doubles: The Most Competitive Field

    As the Olympic year approached, it was time to sprint. At the first 1000-level event of the year, the Malaysia Open, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang won the title by defeating Indian stars Rankireddy/Shetty. Though they didn’t win gold in the Asian and European circuits thereafter, their ranking dropped to third. However, at the Asian Championships in April, they reclaimed the title and regained their crown.

    In May, at the Thomas Cup, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang, now the undisputed top men’s doubles pair, defeated Alfian/Ardianto in the final, securing a crucial point and helping China reclaim the Thomas Cup with a 3-1 victory over Indonesia.

    In June, they won the Indonesian Open, the last tournament before the Paris Olympics, and reclaimed the world number one ranking. This meant they would enter the Olympic stage as the top seeds.

    No one could have imagined that the duo, ranked over 400 just two years ago, would become China’s contenders in Paris. However, men’s doubles is the most competitive of badminton’s five events. Despite their number one ranking, pairs from India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Denmark, Japan, and Chinese Taipei all pose significant challenges. In men’s doubles, it’s about skill, consistency, on-the-day performance, and mental state.

    Yet, the “Liang-Wang” duo remains fearless. As they said after winning their first major title at the Japan Open: “We can do it. We attack every opportunity. We are capable and strong!”

    Although they didn’t win gold in Paris, their shining moment will come. Here’s hoping they fulfill their dreams in Los Angeles.