Chen Yuniang

Badminton career Chen, known for her speed and power, possesses an extensive range of strokes and a formidable smash that can pierce through defenses. She achieved her first national title in 1963 and went on to establish an impressive record in the following years. From 1963 to 1974, she dominated the national badminton scene by winning the women's singles and doubles championships a remarkable 12 times.

Chen's first taste of international success came at the Games of the New Emerging Forces (GANEFO) held in Jakarta, Indonesia, in November 1963. She won the gold medal in the women's doubles event with Liang Xiaonu and also earned a bronze medal in women's singles event. In order to compensate for this, the Chinese team arranged friendly matches against prominent European and Asian badminton powerhouses as an alternative method to assess their athletes' skills and abilities. However, due to the Cultural Revolution and the resulting isolation of China from the international community, the friendly matches against other badminton powerhouses were put on hold until many years later. In a dominant display, the Chinese visitors achieved a resounding 10–0 victory over the Danes. Chen played a crucial role in this triumph, comprehensively winning both her singles and doubles matches. Later that month, Chen and her teammates traveled to England for a series of friendly matches against the English players and won convincingly against their opponents.

In May 1974, China participated in a 7-nation international invitation tournament held in Bangkok, Thailand. The tournament featured strong badminton teams from Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. During the tournament, China exhibited their dominance by securing victories in the majority of their matches. They particularly excelled against the Indonesian, winning five out of seven matches with two unbroken ties. Additionally, they also emerged victorious against the Malaysian. Following their impressive performance in Thailand, the Chinese team embarked on a tour to Singapore in June 1974 for a three-day friendly match series. Once again, China demonstrated their prowess on the badminton court, securing a resounding 11–1 victory over the Singaporean team. Chen's exceptional performance continued as she won all her matches during the friendly series, further solidifying her reputation as the best woman player in the world. Chen also competed in the mixed doubles event, partnering with Tang Xianhu. They secured a bronze medal after defeating Pornchai Sakuntaniyom and Thongkam Kingmanee from Thailand in the bronze medal match.

Following her achievements at the Asian Games, Chen concluded her competitive career. She said, “I kept a clean record. But after the Asian Games, I was not so fit and gave up playing in competitions. Instead, I decided to coach our budding players.” She then transitioned into full time coaching and took on the role of coaching the Chinese national team after retiring from active play. In more than ten years of coaching, Chen has trained more than a dozen high-level players for the country such as Han Aiping, Guan Weizhen, Tang Jiuhong, and also Zhang Ning, the women's singles champion of the Athens and Beijing Olympic Games. In 1979, Chen was elected as the vice-chairman of the China Badminton Association.

Political career In 1971, Chen joined the Chinese Communist Party. She also served as a delegate to the National People's Congress for 3 consecutive terms in 1975, 1978 and 1983.

Personal life In 1975, at the age of 28, Chen tied the knot with Zhang Guangming, her childhood sweetheart from Indonesia. The couple have a son together.

Since 2000, Chen and her husband have been residing in Hong Kong, where they have developed a keen interest in photography.

Honours and awards In 1986, Chen was awarded the IBF Distinguished Service Award. In 2002, she was inducted into the IBF Hall of Fame.

Achievements Asian Games Women's singles Year Venue Opponent Score Result 1974 Amjadieh Sport Complex, Tehran, Iran Liang Qiuxia 11–8, 11–7 Gold Gold

Mixed doubles Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result 1974 Amjadieh Sport Complex, Tehran, Iran Tang Xianhu Sakuntaniyom Pornchai Kingmanee Thongkam 15–12, 15–9 Bronze Bronze

Invitational tournament Women's singles Year Tournament Opponent Score Result 1976 Asian Invitational Championships Sylvia Ng 11–4, 11–6 Bronze Bronze