Lee Hyo-jung (Korean: 이효정;Hanja: 李孝貞;Korean pronunciation:[i.ɦjo.dʑʌŋ]; born 13 January 1981) is a South Korean formerbadminton player.
She won the gold medal in badminton mixed doubles at the2008 Summer Olympics with her partner,Lee Yong-dae. Lee Hyo-jung and Lee Yong-dae were unseeded, and in the finals they beat the top seeds and 2005 and 2007 world championsLilyana Natsir andNova Widianto ofIndonesia, 21-11, 21-17.
Lee Hyo-jung also won the silver medal in badminton women's doubles at the aforementioned Olympics withLee Kyung-won; they were seeded fourth and lost to the second-seeded Chinese pair,Du Jing andYu Yang.
Lee became the first woman in Korean history to win gold medals at both the Olympics and the Asian Games. In the2010 Asian Games, she partnered withShin Baek-cheol instead of her usual partner, Lee Yong-dae. After winning the medal, she announced her retirement despite many pleas from her coaches and fans at home to continue playing until the London Olympics in 2012.
In 1998, Lee who attended the Haksan Girls' High School won the girls' singles, doubles, and mixed doubles events at the German Junior tournament. She was competed at theWorld andAsian Junior Championships. At the World Junior, she partnered with Jun Woul-sik in the girls' doubles and Choi Min-ho in the mixed doubles, captured the bronze and silver medals respectively.[1] She and Jun also won the silver medal at the Asian Junior.[2] Lee junior competed in some international senior (level 4) tournament, and won double titles at the Korea and Sri Lanka International, also women's doubles title at the Hungarian, Australian and Norwegian International tournaments.
In 2000, Lee won theAsian Championships in the women's doubles event with her partner Yim Kyung-jin.[3] At the age of 19, Lee competed at theSydney Olympics in the women's doubles with Yim and in the mixed doubles withLee Dong-soo. She and Yim defeated in the second round, while with Lee Dong-soo defeated in the first round.[4][5]
In 2002, she finished as the runners-up at theChinese Taipei andSingapore Open in the women's doubles event withHwang Yu-mi. In 2003, she and Hwang also the runner-up at theThailand and Chinese Taipei Open. In the mixed doubles event, Lee who was teamed-up withKim Yong-hyun achieved their best result by winning the bronze medal at theAsian Championships. In 2004, Lee competed for Korea at theSummer Olympics in women's and mixed doubles with partnerHwang Yu-mi andKim Yong-hyun.[6] Lee and Hwang had a bye in the first round and defeatedCheng Wen-Hsing andChien Yu Chin of Chinese Taipei in the second. In the quarterfinals, Lee and Hwang lost toZhao Tingting andWei Yili ofChina 8–15, 15–6, 15–13. In the mixed doubles event, Lee and Kim were seeded three, but the pairs defeat by the Danish pair in the second round in the rubber game.
In 2008, Lee won her firstAll England Open Championship title in women's doubles with partnerLee Kyung-won, beatingYang Wei andZhang Jiewen in the semifinals andDu Jing andYu Yang in the final. In August, she andLee Yong-dae won mixed doubles gold medals inBeijing Olympics, beatingLilyana Natsir andNova Widianto ofIndonesia and also with Lee Kyung-won grabbed the silver medal in the women's doubles event. In 2009, Lee and Lee Yong-dae became world number one. They won three titles: Korea Open Super Series, Asian Badminton Championship, and China Open Super Series. They also played for Korea in Sudirman Cup in May. In the final,Korea lost toChina 0-3. Lee and Lee were defeated by the Chinese pair,Zheng Bo andYu Yang.
In 2010, Lee competed in the2010 Uber Cup as a member of the South Korean women's national team. There she led her team to its first Uber Cup trophy, winning all 4 doubles matches she competed in through the tourney. In the finals, she and her partnerKim Min-jung won against WR #1Ma Jin andWang Xiaoli, beating them 18–21, 21–12, 21–15. Although Lee and Kim were not regular partners and Lee Hyo-Jung stopped playing WD regularly in international games, Lee played exceptionally well, proving why she was the most successful player in the 2008 Olympics, winning both gold and silver medals. In June, Lee continued on playing women's doubles with Kim Min-jung, winning the Indonesia Open and the Chinese Taipei Grand Prix Gold, and finishing as a runner-up in the Singapore Open. While waiting for Lee Yong-dae to recover from his injury, she played mixed doubles withShin Baek-cheol.
In August, Lee partnered again with Lee Yong-dae in the Kumpoo Macau Open Badminton Championships, Chinese Taipei Grand Prix Gold, and World Championship, but their best finish was reaching the quarterfinals in the Chinese Taipei Grand Prix. They were hit with Lee Hyo Jung's back injury and Lee Yong-dae getting used to playing again after rehab and possibly not fully recovering from the previous injury. Due to these reasons, the head coach of the Korea Badminton Team was quoted as saying that Lee Hyo-jung and Lee Yong-dae had not had sufficient time to practice together. Lee Yong-dae decided to stop playing mixed doubles altogether, possibly due to the strain on his injured elbow from playing both men's and mixed doubles. In November, Lee Hyo-jung entered Asian Games in three games total: women's, mixed, and team event. In the women's doubles and team event, she won bronze medals. However, in mixed doubles, she partnered with Shin Baek-cheol, with whom she had previously played only two tournaments, but they still managed to win against two Chinese pairs (Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei, He Han Bin and Ma Jin) at their home court, becoming the first woman in Korean history to win both Olympic and Asian Game gold medals.
Women's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium, Beijing,China | 15–21, 13–21 |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium, Beijing, China | 21–11, 21–17 |
Women's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim,United States | 4–15, 3–15 | Bronze |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad,India | 21–18, 9–21, 18–21 | Bronze |
Women's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Tianhe Gymnasium, Guangzhou,China | 9–21, 12–21 | Bronze | ||
| 2006 | Aspire Hall 3, Doha,Qatar | 16–21, 12–21 | Bronze | ||
| 2002 | Gangseo Gymnasium, Busan,South Korea | 2–11, 9–11 | Bronze |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Tianhe Gymnasium, Guangzhou,China | 21–19, 21–14 | Gold |
Women's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Suwon Indoor Stadium, Suwon,South Korea | 11–21, 18–21 | Silver | ||
| 2008 | Bandaraya Stadium, Johor Bahru,Malaysia | 18–21, 5–21 | Bronze | ||
| 2005 | Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad,India | 15–13, 8–15, 15–5 | Gold | ||
| 2004 | Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium, Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia | 6–15, 15–11, 15–7 | Gold | ||
| 2003 | Tennis Indoor Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta,Indonesia | 9–15, 7–15 | Silver | ||
| 2000 | Istora Senayan, Jakarta,Indonesia | 15–8, 15–13 | Gold |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Suwon Indoor Stadium, Suwon,South Korea | 21–12, 21–15 | Gold | ||
| 2005 | Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad,India | 11–15, 17–14, 10–15 | Silver | ||
| 2003 | Tennis Indoor Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta,Indonesia | 13–15, 8–15 | Bronze |
Girls' doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Sports and Aquatic Centre, Melbourne,Australia | 16–17, 1–15 | Bronze |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Sports and Aquatic Centre, Melbourne,Australia | 6–15, 10–15 | Silver |
Girls' doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia | 13–15, 8–15 | Silver |
TheBWF Superseries, launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in2007,[7] is a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned byBadminton World Federation (BWF). BWF Superseries has two level such asSuperseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries features twelve tournaments around the world, which introduced since 2011,[8] with successful players invited to the Superseries Finals held at the year end.
Women's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Indonesia Open | 21–12, 12–21, 21–11 | |||
| 2010 | Singapore Open | 17–21, 20–22 | |||
| 2009 | Swiss Open | 11–21, 12–21 | |||
| 2009 | Korea Open | 19–21, 8–21 | |||
| 2009 | Malaysia Open | 21–15, 21–12 | |||
| 2008 | All England Open | 12–21, 21–18, 21–14 | |||
| 2007 | Denmark Open | 21–12, 19–21, 19–21 | |||
| 2007 | Swiss Open | 15–21, 10–21 |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Swiss Open | 21–14, 21–18 | |||
| 2009 | China Open | 21–18, 15–21, 21–15 | |||
| 2009 | Indonesia Open | 17–21, 21–8, 16–21 | |||
| 2009 | Swiss Open | 16–21, 15–21 | |||
| 2009 | Korea Open | 21–8, 21–7 | |||
| 2009 | Malaysia Open | 14–21, 19–21 | |||
| 2008 | Hong Kong Open | 14–21, 16–21 | |||
| 2008 | China Open | 21–16, 21–15 | |||
| 2008 | Korea Open | 15–21, 21–14, 21–18 | |||
| 2008 | Malaysia Open | 14–21, 15–21 | |||
| 2007 | Swiss Open | 14–21, 21–16, 21–18 |
The BWF Grand Prix has two levels:Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It is a series of badminton tournaments, sanctioned byBadminton World Federation (BWF) since 2007. The World Badminton Grand Prix has been sanctioned by the International Badminton Federation since 1983.
Women's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Chinese Taipei Open | 21–14, 22–20 | |||
| 2008 | German Open | 21–17, 21–16 | |||
| 2007 | Macau Open | 15–21, 7–21 | |||
| 2006 | Thailand Open | 21–18, 21–9 | |||
| 2006 | Macau Open | 21–17, 14–21, 14–21 | |||
| 2006 | Chinese Taipei Open | 21–18, 9–21, 21–17 | |||
| 2005 | Indonesia Open | 15–4, 15–5 | |||
| 2005 | Thailand Open | 9–15, 15–11, 15–13 | |||
| 2005 | Swiss Open | 15–8, 15–12 | |||
| 2005 | Korea Open | Walkover | |||
| 2003 | Chinese Taipei Open | 9–15, 8–15 | |||
| 2003 | Dutch Open | 4–15, 9–15 | |||
| 2003 | Thailand Open | 9–11, 11–5, 6–11 | |||
| 2002 | Singapore Open | 1–11, 8–11 | |||
| 2002 | Chinese Taipei Open | 11–4, 12–13, 8–11 |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | German Open | 9–21, 27–25, 21–18 | |||
| 2006 | Chinese Taipei Open | 21–17, 21–23, 13–21 | |||
| 2005 | China Open | 10–15, 10–15 | |||
| 2005 | German Open | 15–12, 17–14 | |||
| 2005 | Malaysia Open | 15–12, 15–11 | |||
| 2005 | Thailand Open | 15–12, 15–12 | |||
| 2005 | Korea Open | 17–14, 15–9 | |||
| 2004 | Malaysia Open | 2–15, 11–15 | |||
| 2004 | All England Open | 8–15, 15–17 | |||
| 2004 | Korea Open | 5–15, 11–15 | |||
| 2003 | Denmark Open | 16–17, 10–15 | |||
| 2003 | Dutch Open | 4–15, 2–15 | |||
| 2003 | Swiss Open | 7–11, 11–9, 5–11 | |||
| 2003 | Korea Open | 5–11, 4–11 |
Women's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Korea International | 19–21, 10–21 | |||
| 1999 | Norwegian International | 15–7, 15–3 | |||
| 1999 | Australian International | 17–16, 6–15, 15–3 | |||
| 1999 | Hungarian International | 15–9, 15–13 | |||
| 1998 | Sri Lanka International | 15–10, 15–5 | |||
| 1997 | Korea International | 15–5, 15–9 |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Korea International | 21–14, 15–21, 21–9 | |||
| 1999 | Hungarian International | 15–5, 9–15, 3–15 | |||
| 1998 | Sri Lanka International | 15–13, 17–15 | |||
| 1997 | Korea International | 15–8, 15–9 |