| Yang Yang 杨阳 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | China | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1963-12-08)8 December 1963 (age 61) Nanjing,Jiangsu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Handedness | Left | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Men's singles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Yang Yang (simplified Chinese:杨阳;traditional Chinese:楊陽; born December 8, 1963, inNanjing,Jiangsu) is a former Chinesebadminton player.
He is the first men's singles player in the world to have won twoWorld Badminton Championships consecutively (1987 and1989). He also won the men's singles gold medal when badminton was a demonstration sport at the1988 Summer Olympics. He possessed great agility, quick footwork, accurate power, and coolness under pressure, and is widely regarded as one of the finest singles players in the history of the sport.
Yang began training in 1975, when he was 12 years old. He was recruited by theChinese national team in 1983. He won his first Chinese national championship title in 1984. In 1985, he won theHong Kong Open by defeatingMorten Frost. In 1986, he won theJapan Open and theHong Kong Open for the second straight year, and also helped China to regain theThomas Cup (men's world team championship) fromIndonesia by winning key matches. In the late 80s he dominated international singles play, winning theWorld Championships overMorten Frost in1987 and over youngArdy Wiranata in1989. In 1988 he also won the Olympic exhibition event in Seoul (badminton became an official Olympic sport at the next games inBarcelona). In 1989 he added the venerableAll-England Championships to his tally; thus, by twenty-five, he captured all the titles by which "greatness" in the sport is generally measured.
As a member of China's golden badminton generation of the 1980s which included the almost equally brilliant singles starsZhao Jianhua andXiong Guobao, Yang Yang played an important role in making Chinathe major world badminton superpower. His play was instrumental in China's consecutiveThomas Cup (men's world team) titles in1986,1988, and1990.
In 1991, he retired as a player and started coaching in Malaysia. Inthe very next year, he guidedMalaysia to its firstThomas Cup victory in 25 years, the only occasion since1967 in which neitherIndonesia norChina has won the cup. He then stayed in Malaysia to develop his business for badminton equipment. He returned to China in year 2000, and opened a badminton club named after himself in Nanjing.
Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Seoul National University Gymnasium,Seoul,South Korea |  Icuk Sugiarto | 15–4, 15–10 |  Gold |
Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Olympic Saddledome,Calgary,Canada |  Morten Frost | 8–15, 5–15 |  Bronze |
| 1987 | Capital Indoor Stadium,Beijing,China | Morten Frost | 15–2, 13–15, 15–12 |  Gold |
| 1989 | Senayan Sports Complex,Jakarta,Indonesia | Ardy Wiranata | 15–10, 2–15, 15–5 | Gold |
Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Istora Senayan,Jakarta,Indonesia |  Han Jian | 12–15, 10–15 |  Silver |
| 1985 | Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia | Morten Frost | 15–12, 14–17, 10–15 | Bronze |
| 1986 | Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia | Morten Frost | 9–15, 1–15 | Bronze |
| 1987 | Stadium Negara,Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia | Zhao Jianhua | 15–6, 2–15, 12–15 | Silver |
| 1988 | National Stadium,Bangkok,Thailand | Zhao Jianhua | 15–5, 15–6 | Gold |
| 1989 | Guangzhou Gymnasium,Guangzhou,China |  Foo Kok Keong | 17–14, 15–6 | Gold |
| 1990 | Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia | Wu Wenkai | 12–15, 9–15 | Bronze |
Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Olympic Gymnastics Arena,Seoul,South Korea | Zhao Jianhua | 9–15, 16–17 | Silver |
| 1990 | Beijing Gymnasium,Beijing,China | Zhao Jianhua | 10–15, 11–15 | Silver |
Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Stadium Negara,Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia | Zhao Jianhua | 10–15, 15–5, 6–15 | Silver |
The World Badminton Grand Prix sanctioned by International Badminton Federation (IBF) from 1983 to 2006.
Men's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Hong Kong Open | Morten Frost | 15–10, 15–11 |  Winner |
| 1986 | Japan Open | Ib Frederiksen | 5–15, 15–6, 15–8 | Winner |
| 1986 | Hong Kong Open | Icuk Sugiarto | 6–15, 15–8, 15–6 | Winner |
| 1986 | World Grand Prix Finals | Morten Frost | 18–13, 15–8 | Winner |
| 1987 | Scandinavian Open | Icuk Sugiarto | Walkover | Winner |
| 1987 | Malaysia Open | Steen Fladberg | 4–15, 15–10, 15–7 | Winner |
| 1987 | Indonesia Open | Eddy Kurniawan | 15–6, 15–8 | Winner |
| 1988 | Hong Kong Open | Icuk Sugiarto | 15–7, 1–15, 11–15 |  Runner-up |
| 1989 | Japan Open | Foo Kok Keong | 15–2, 15–10 | Winner |
| 1989 | All England Open | Morten Frost | 15–6, 15–7 | Winner |
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Konica Cup |  Sompol Kukasemkij | 15–10, 15–2 | Winner |
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