| Anna Lao AM | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Country | Australia |
| Born | 7 May 1962 (1962-05-07) (age 63)[1][2] |
| Height | 166 cm (5 ft 5 in) |
| Years active | 1989-1992 |
| Handedness | Right |
| Women's singles & doubles | |
| Career record | 93 wins, 48 losses |
| Highest ranking | 5 |
| BWF profile | |
Anna Oi Chan LaoAM (born 7 May 1962)[1][2] is a former Australianbadminton player. She is the most successful badminton player in the history of Australian badminton.
She was ranked 5th in the1992 Summer Olympics inBarcelona, where badminton had only been introduced for the first time as an Olympic sport. Lao played in the quarterfinals for women's singles and women's doubles where most participants only make it through one discipline.
In the2021 Queen's Birthday Honours, Lao was appointed as aMember of the Order of Australia for her significant service to badminton, sports & to the multicultural community.[3]
Lao was ranked 2nd in China before she left to represent Australia in the Olympics, in which she was ranked 1st in Australia. She held the times of Master of Sports in China in 1985. Prior to her participation in the Olympics, she held the titles of theAustralian Open in 1988, 1989 and 1991 in women's singles, doubles and mixed doubles.
Lao also reached the semifinals of the1989 Malaysia Open. She was also a champion at the1991 New Zealand Open and the1992 French Open. She was a semifinalist at the1992 Swedish Open.
Badminton was first introduced to theOlympic Games in the1992 Barcelona Olympics. She placed 5th in women's singles & women's doubles.
Lao played with her doubles partnerRhonda Cator. Their first game with Swiss playersSilvia Albrecht &Bettina Villars were a success scoring 15–3, 15–6. Their second round was with Polish playersBożena Bąk & Wioletta Wilk Sosnowska where they won 15–3, 15–12. Lao and Cator entered the quarterfinals with the world championsLin Yanfen &Yao Fen where they lost 13–18, 5–15.
| 1992 Summer Olympics – Women's doubles | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 1st |  Rhonda Cator |  Silvia AlbrechBettina Villars | 15–3, 15–6 | Win |
| 2nd |  Bożena Bąk Wioletta Wilk | 15–3, 15–12 | Win | |
| QF |  Lin Yan FenYao Fen | 13–18, 5–15 | Lost | |
Lao played a total of 4 games and entered the quarterfinals. Her first game was with Bettina Villars, whom she played against previously in doubles and won easily in two games. Her second round was withCamilla Martin, a player from Denmark who later on received theEuropean Championship three times. Lao won 11–6, 12–11. She later played with the European champion at the time,Elena Rybkina. Lao won in three games. After winning the third round of games, she was placed in the quarterfinals where she versed world championTang Jiuhong, and lost both games.
| 1992 Summer Olympics – Women's singles(1) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 1st | Bettina Villars | 11–0, 11–4 | Win |
| 2nd |  Camilla Martin | 11–6, 12–11 | Win |
| 3rd |  Elena Rybkhina | 7–11, 11–7, 11–8 | Win |
| QF | Tang Jiuhong | 1–11, 9–11 | Lost |
Women's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Australian Open | Rhonda Cator | 11–5, 11–0 |  Winner |
| 1990 | Australian Open |  Susi Susanti | 1–11, 4–11 |  Runner-up |
| 1991 | Australian Open | Rhonda Cator | 11–9, 11–1 | Winner |
| 1991 | New Zealand Open | Rhonda Cator | 11–0, 12–11 | Winner |
Women's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Australian Open | Teresa Lian | Rhonda CatorGillian Sanderson | 15–9, 15–3 | Winner |
| 1990 | Australian Open | Rhonda Cator | Lisa CampbellSusi Susanti | 15–8, 15–2 | Winner |
| 1991 | Australian Open | Rhonda Cator | Teresa LianSong Yang | 15–3, 15–4 | Winner |
| 1991 | New Zealand Open | Rhonda Cator | Lisa CampbellAdele Macdonald | 15–7, 15–7 | Winner |
| 1992 | French Open | Rhonda Cator |  Katrin SchmidtKerstin Ubben | 15–7, 15–5 | Winner |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Australian Open |  He Tim | Gary SilvesterTracey Small | 15–11, 15–10 | Winner |
| 1990 | Australian Open | He Tim | Ardy WiranataSusi Susanti | 15–11, 15–12 | Winner |
| 1991 | Australian Open | He Tim | Peter BlackburnLisa Campbell | 15–5, 15–4 | Winner |
| 1991 | New Zealand Open | Darren Macdonald | Peter BlackburnLisa Campbell | 8–15, 16–17 | Runner-up |
