Kevin Cordón

Kevin Haroldo Cordón Buezo (born 28 November 1986) is a Guatemalan badminton player. He won two men's singles titles at the Pan American Games, four titles at the Pan Am Championships (3 in singles and 1 in doubles), and six titles at the Central American and Caribbean Games (4 in singles and 2 in doubles). He is a five-time Olympian for Guatemala participating at the 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 and the 2024 Olympic Games.

Career Born in La Unión, Zacapa, Cordón was named after former England international footballer Kevin Keegan, of whom his father was a fan. In spite of badminton not being popular in Guatemala during his childhood, he became a badminton player as he thought it would give him a better chance of one day becoming an Olympian than if he played a different sport being the first member of his family to practice the sport. He began playing at the age of 11 and by 1998 he was a part of the Zacapa Department's youth team.

After winning the silver medal at the 2007 Pan American Games, Cordón qualified to the 2008 Olympic Games and was selected as the flag bearer of his nation's Olympic team. At the Beijing Games, he lost against the #3 seeded player, Bao Chunlai from China.

At the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games, he won three gold medals in the singles, doubles, and team events, being the Guatemalan athlete with the most medals won during the games.

Cordón then competed at the 2011 BWF World Championships in London, where he reached the quarterfinals after beating fifth-seeded Chen Long from China, Henri Hurskainen from Sweden and Pablo Abian from Spain to face the tournament's top-seeded Lee Chong Wei. There he lost to the Malaysian player in two straight sets.

Cordón was selected as the flag bearer for the Guatemalan team at the opening ceremony of the 2011 Pan American Games, and was also the top seeded player in the men's singles event. On 20 October 2011, he won his first Pan-American Games gold medal by beating Cuban competitor Osleni Guerrero in the final. Cordón did not lose one set in the tournament. In 2015, he successfully defended his men's singles Pan Am Games title at the Atos Markham Pan Am Centre in Toronto at the Pan American Games beating Canadian Andrew D'Souza 21–13, 21–14 in the final.

Cordón qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics singles competition. He won both of his group matches, beating 15th seed Englishman Rajiv Ouseph and Swedish player Henri Hurskainen in the process, thus winning a place in the round of 16. He lost his round of 16 match versus Sho Sasaki of Japan. He qualified again to the 2016 Summer Olympics, but had to withdraw due to injury after finishing the first match, losing a tough 3-setter against Adrian Dziolko of Poland.

Cordón qualified again for the 2020 Summer Olympics. He won both of his group matches, defeating Mexican Lino Munoz and the 8th-seeded Ng Ka Long, thus winning a place in the round of 16. He defeated Mark Caljouw of the Netherlands to advance to the quarter-finals for the first time ever. In the quarter-finals, he defeated Korean Heo Kwang-hee 21–13 and 21–18 to become the first Central American to advance to the Olympic badminton semi-finals. He lost the semi-final to eventual gold medalist Viktor Axelsen of Denmark and the bronze medal match to Indonesian Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, both in straight games.

Kevin Cordón twice won the continental Pan Am Badminton Championships in the men's singles event in 2009 and 2012 and also once the men's doubles Pan Am badminton event in 2009 with compatriot Rodolfo Ramirez.

Already as a junior player in 2004, he won the continental Pan Am Junior Badminton Championships boys' singles title in the U-19 category.

On 3 July 2024, he and female sport shooter Waleska Soto were chosen by the Guatemalan Olympic Committee to be the flag bearers in the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. Playing in his fifth Olympics, he broke the Olympic record for a badminton player, along with Pablo Abián. However, after losing his first group match, he withdrew from the tournament due to injury.

In 2026, at the age of 39, Cordón won the gold medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo.

Achievements Pan American Games Men's singles Year Venue Opponent Score Result 2007 Riocentro Sports Complex, Pavilion 4B, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Mike Beres 21–13, 11–21, 10–21 Silver Silver 2011 Multipurpose Gymnasium, Guadalajara, Mexico Osleni Guerrero 23–21, 21–19 Gold Gold 2015 Atos Markham Pan Am Centre, Toronto, Canada Andrew D'Souza 21–13, 21–14 Gold Gold 2019 Polideportivo 3, Lima, Peru Brian Yang 21–15, 13–21, 3–13 retired Bronze Bronze 2023 Olympic Training Center, Santiago, Chile Brian Yang 18–21, 6–21 Silver Silver

Pan Am Championships Men's singles Year Venue Opponent Score Result 2008 Club de Regatas, Lima, Peru David Snider 21–23, 21–6, 19–21 Bronze Bronze 2009 Coliseo Olímpico de la Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico Stephan Wojcikiewicz 21–11, 21–19 Gold Gold 2012 Manuel Bonilla Stadium, Lima, Peru Osleni Guerrero 23–21, 21–19 Gold Gold 2018 Teodoro Palacios Flores Gymnasium, Guatemala City, Guatemala Jason Ho-Shue 14–21, 17–21 Bronze Bronze 2019 Gimnasio Olímpico, Aguascalientes, Mexico Osleni Guerrero 11–21, 20–22 Silver Silver 2021 Sagrado Corazon de Jesus, Guatemala City, Guatemala Jason Ho-Shue 17–21, 18–21 Bronze Bronze 2022 Palacio de los Deportes Carlos "El Famoso" Hernández, San Salvador, El Salvador Brian Yang 21–17, 21–14 Gold Gold 2023 G.C. Foster College of Physical Education and Sport, Kingston, Jamaica Uriel Canjura 22–20, 12–21, 14–21 Bronze Bronze 2024 Teodoro Palacios Flores Gymnasium, Guatemala City, Guatemala Uriel Canjura 14–21, 21–17, 21–13 Gold Gold 2025 Videna Poli 2, Lima, Peru Victor Lai 10–21, 14–21 Bronze Bronze

Men's doubles Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result 2008 Club de Regatas,Lima, Peru Rodolfo Ramírez Toby Ng William Milroy 16–21, 9–21 Silver Silver 2009 Coliseo Olímpico de la Universidad de Guadalajara,Guadalajara, Mexico Rodolfo Ramírez Antonio de Vinatea Martín del Valle 21–18, 17–21, 23–21 Gold Gold 2014 Markham Pan Am Centre,Markham, Canada Aníbal Marroquín Phillip Chew Sattawat Pongnairat 13–21, 7–21 Bronze Bronze

Central American and Caribbean Games Men's singles Year Venue Opponent Score Result 2006 Pavilion of Parque del Este, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Ilian Perez Gold Gold 2010 Raymond Dalmau Coliseum, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico Pedro Yang 21–15, 21–12 Gold Gold 2014 Omega Complex, Veracruz, Mexico Osleni Guerrero 20–22, 21–13, 24–22 Gold Gold 2018 Coliseo Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla, Colombia Osleni Guerrero 21–16, 14–21, 25–23 Gold Gold 2026 Pabellón de Tenis de Mesa, Santo Domingo Este, Dominican Republic Luis Montoya 19–21, 21–10, 21–17 Gold Gold

Men's doubles Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result 2006 Pavilion of Parque del Este,Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Rodolfo Ramírez Lazaro Jerez Ilian Perez 21–12, 13–21, 15–21 Bronze Bronze 2010 Raymond Dalmau Coliseum,Mayagüez, Puerto Rico Rodolfo Ramírez Andrés López Lino Muñoz 18–21, 21–17, 21–6 Gold Gold 2014 Omega Complex,Veracruz, Mexico Aníbal Marroquín Rodolfo Ramírez Jonathan Solís 22–20, 22–20 Gold Gold

BWF International Challenge/Series (47 titles, 21 runners-up) Men's singles Year Tournament Opponent Score Result 2007 Bulgarian International Jan Fröhlich 13–21, 7–17 retired Runner-up 2007 Cyprus International Chetan Anand 8–21, 24–26 Runner-up 2008 Peru International Andrés Corpancho 21–14, 21–14 Winner 2008 Miami PanAm International Christian Lind Thomsen 21–18, 21–10 Winner 2008 Brazil International Andrés Corpancho 21–15, 21–14 Winner 2008 Puerto Rico International Kaveh Mehrabi 21–13, 21–9 Winner 2009 Giraldilla International Ari Trisnanto 21–19, 14–21, 18–21 Runner-up 2009 Puerto Rico International Pedro Martins 18–21, 21–13, 21–17 Winner 2009 Mexican International Charles Pyne 21–11, 21–13 Winner 2009 Santo Domingo Open Rodolfo Ramírez 21–17, 21–12 Winner 2009 Guatemala International Rodolfo Ramírez 21–16, 21–12 Winner 2010 Suriname International Abdul Aditya 23–21, 21–9 Winner 2010 Miami PanAm International Hock Lai Lee 13–21, 21–14, 21–18 Winner 2010 Santo Domingo Open Pedro Martins 10–21, 13–21 Runner-up 2010 Guatemala International Rodolfo Ramírez 21–14, 21–16 Winner 2010 Brazil International Hock Lai Lee 13–21, 17–21 Runner-up 2011 Peru International Michael Lahnsteiner 23–21, 6–21, 21–12 Winner 2011 Slovenian International Hsu Jen-hao 14–21, 21–19, 10–21 Runner-up 2012 Guatemala International Howard Shu Walkover Winner 2012 Brazil International Niluka Karunaratne 17–21, 22–20, 21–19 Winner 2014 Mercosul International Rodolfo Ramírez 21–14, 21–16 Winner 2014 Argentina International Daniel Paiola 21–12, 21–18 Winner 2014 Chile International Rodolfo Ramírez 9–11, 11–9, 11–2, 11–6 Winner 2014 Guatemala International Pablo Abián 11–4, 8–11, 5–11, 10–11 Runner-up 2015 Peru International Series Daniel Paiola 21–16, 22–20 Winner 2015 Mercosul International Marius Myhre 21–14, 21–17 Winner 2015 Mauritius International Luka Wraber 21–12, 21–18 Winner 2015 Guatemala International Ygor Coelho 22–20, 21–11 Winner 2015 Brazil International Ygor Coelho 18–21, 22–20, 19–21 Runner-up 2015 Puerto Rico International Howard Shu 21–17, 21–15 Winner 2016 Guatemala International Osleni Guerrero Walkover Runner-up 2017 Yonex / K&D Graphics International Kento Momota 7–21, 15–21 Runner-up 2017 Carebaco International Karan Rajan Rajarajan 21–19, 21–18 Winner 2017 Internacional Mexicano Aníbal Marroquín 21–12, 21–9 Winner 2017 Guatemala International Leodannis Martínez 21–17, 21–18 Winner 2018 Peru International Osleni Guerrero 22–20, 14–21, 21–15 Winner 2018 International Mexicano Maxime Moreels 21–19, 21–14 Winner 2018 Guatemala International Timothy Lam 21–12, 21–13 Winner 2018 Suriname International Elias Bracke 21–13, 21–15 Winner 2019 Jamaica International Kodai Naraoka 17–21, 8–21 Runner-up 2019 Peru International Brian Yang 21–15, 13–21, 12–21 Runner-up 2019 International Mexicano Lino Muñoz 21–16, 21–13 Winner 2019 Guatemala International Lino Muñoz 21–6, 11–3 retired Winner 2019 Brazil International Lino Muñoz 21–19, 21–19 Winner 2019 Santo Domingo Open Brian Yang 8–21, 4–21 Runner-up 2019 Suriname International Brian Yang Walkover Runner-up 2021 Guatemala International Victor Lai 21–13, 21–11 Winner 2022 Mexican International Jonathan Matias 21–10, 21–13 Winner 2022 El Salvador International Uriel Canjura 18–21, 23–21, 18–21 Runner-up 2023 Brazil International Ygor Coelho 22–20, 14–21, 21–16 Winner 2023 Guatemala International Ygor Coelho 21–17, 11–21, 21–23 Runner-up 2023 Peru Challenge Takuma Kawamoto 12–21, 21–16, 14–21 Runner-up 2023 Guatemala International Giovanni Toti 21–8, 21–19 Winner 2023 Mexican International Aria Dinata 21–15, 21–15 Winner 2023 El Salvador International Ygor Coelho 21–17, 15–21, 21–19 Winner 2025 Giraldilla International Yeison del Cid 21–15, 22–24, 18–21 Runner-up 2025 Bolivia International Roberto Herrera 21–11, 21–15 Winner 2025 Costa Rica Future Series Dumindu Abeywickrama 21–18, 12–21, 21–16 Winner 2025 Perú International Arthur Wakhevitsch 8–15, 15–12, 15–11 Winner 2025 Guatemala International Jonathan Matias No data Runner-up

Men's doubles Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result 2009 Peru International Rodolfo Ramírez José Vicente Martínez Javier Tur 16–21, 8–2 retired Winner 2009 Puerto Rico International Rodolfo Ramírez Phillip Chew Halim Haryanto 21–19, 13–21, 21–16 Winner 2009 Santo Domingo Open Rodolfo Ramírez Phillip Chew Halim Haryanto 21–23, 21–15, 21–17 Winner 2009 Guatemala International Rodolfo Ramírez Mathew Fogarthy David Neuman 21–16, 21–14 Winner 2010 Suriname International Rodolfo Ramírez Virgil Soeroredjo Mitchel Wongsodikromo 21–14, 21–16 Winner 2010 Santo Domingo Open Rodolfo Ramírez Adrian Liu Derrick Ng 21–18, 24–22 Winner 2010 Guatemala International Rodolfo Ramírez Adrian Liu Derrick Ng 21–23, 20–22 Runner-up 2017 Mercosul International Aníbal Marroquín Rodolfo Ramírez Jonathan Solís 21–15, 13–21, 13–21 Runner-up BWF International Challenge tournament BWF International Series tournament BWF Future Series tournament

Record against selected opponents Includes results against CACSO Games finalists, Pan Am Games finalists, Pan Am Championships finalists, Super Series finalists, World Championship semifinalists, Olympic quarter-finalists, and all Olympic opponents.

Ygor Coelho 4–1 Mike Beres 0–1 Andrew D'Souza 1–0 Jason Ho-Shue 2–2 Brian Yang 1–5 Stephan Wojcikiewicz 3–0 Bao Chunlai 0–1 Chen Long 1–0 Osleni Guerrero 10–5 Ilian Perez 0–1 Jan Fröhlich 1–3 Peter Gade 0–1 Joachim Persson 1–1 Viktor Axelsen 0–1 Rajiv Ouseph 1–1 Marc Zwiebler 0–2 Pedro Yang 2–0 Ng Ka Long 1–0 Ajay Jayaram 0–2 Lakshya Sen 0–2 Parupalli Kashyap 0–1 Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 0–1 Taufik Hidayat 0–1 Kento Momota 0–1 Sho Sasaki 0–2 Lee Chong Wei 0–2 Lino Muñoz 14–1 Mark Caljouw 1–1 Adrian Dziółko 2–1 Heo Kwang-hee 1–0 Lee Hyun-il 0–1 Pablo Abián 2–7 Niluka Karunaratne 2–1 Henri Hurskainen 2–2 Boonsak Ponsana 0–1 Howard Shu 9–0 Nguyễn Tiến Minh 1–0