Ra Kyung-min

Ra Kyung-min (; born 25 November 1976) is a badminton player from South Korea. Ra was a dominating mixed doubles team with her partner Kim Dong-moon from the late 1990s to early 2000s, resulting in a 70–match winning streak and 14 consecutive titles in international tournaments.

Career Ra made her debut at the Olympic Games in Atlanta 1996. She played in the women's singles and mixed doubles event. In the singles, she was defeated by Huang Chia-chi of Chinese Taipei in the first round with the score of 6–11, 7–11. In the mixed doubles, she competed with her senior Park Joo-bong, reaching in to the final round and settled for the silver medal after beaten by their compatriot Kim Dong-moon and Gil Young-ah in rubber games, 15–13, 4–15, and 12–15.

Ra made her second appearance at the Olympic Games in Sydney 2000. Competed as the third seed in the women's doubles with Chung Jae-hee, they lost in the semi-final match against Huang Nanyan and Yang Wei of China, and again lost to another Chinese pair in the bronze medal match Gao Ling and Qin Yiyuan. In the mixed doubles, she competed as second seed with Kim Dong-moon, reaching in to the quarter-final round, defeated by Zhang Jun and Gao Ling.

Ra competed for Korea in 2004 Summer Olympics in women's doubles with partner Lee Kyung-won. They had a bye in the first round and defeated Pernille Harder and Mette Schjoldager of Denmark in the second. In the quarterfinals, Ra and Lee beat Mia Audina and Lotte Bruil of the Netherlands 15–5, 15–2. They lost the semifinal to Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen of China 6–15, 4–15, but won the bronze medal match against Wei Yili and Zhao Tingting, also of China, 10–15, 15–9, 15–7. She also competed in mixed doubles with partner Kim Dong-moon. They had a bye in the first round and defeated Chris Bruil and Lotte Bruil of the Netherlands in the second. In the quarterfinals, Ra and Kim lost to Jonas Rasmussen and Rikke Olsen of Denmark 14–17, 8–15.

Ra was inducted into the Badminton Hall of Fame in 2009.

Record Ra Kyung-min holds the world record for shortest badminton international match that last for just six minutes defeating Julia Mann of England in women's singles during the 1996 Uber Cup with 11–2, 11–1.

Personal life She married her mixed doubles partner Kim on 25 December 2005, and they went to Canada to study. There they had a son named Kim Han-wool in July 2007, and a daughter named Kim Han-bi in 2008. She retired when she got pregnant in February 2007, and made a comeback in September 2009.

Achievements

Olympic Games Women's doubles

Mixed doubles

World Championships Women's doubles Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result 1999 Brøndby Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark Chung Jae-hee Ge Fei Gu Jun 4–15, 5–15 Silver Silver 2001 Palacio de Deportes de San Pablo, Seville, Spain Lee Kyung-won Wei Yili Zhang Jiewen 11–15, 3–15 Bronze Bronze

Mixed doubles Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result 1999 Brøndby Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark Kim Dong-moon Simon Archer Joanne Goode 15–10, 15–13 Gold Gold 2001 Palacio de Deportes de San Pablo, Seville, Spain Kim Dong-moon Zhang Jun Gao Ling 10–15, 15–12, 16–17 Silver Silver 2003 National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, United Kingdom Kim Dong-moon Zhang Jun Gao Ling 15–7, 15–8 Gold Gold

Asian Games Women's doubles Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result 1998 Thammasat Gymnasium 2, Bangkok, Thailand Chung Jae-hee Ge Fei Gu Jun 11–15, 9–15 Bronze Bronze 2002 Gangseo Gymnasium, Busan, South Korea Lee Kyung-won Gao Ling Huang Sui 11–8, 11–7 Gold Gold

Mixed doubles Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result 1998 Thammasat Gymnasium 2, Bangkok, Thailand Kim Dong-moon Lee Dong-soo Yim Kyung-jin 15–6, 15–8 Gold Gold 2002 Gangseo Gymnasium, Busan, South Korea Kim Dong-moon Khunakorn Sudhisodhi Saralee Thungthongkam 11–4, 11–0 Gold Gold

Asian Championships Women's singles Year Venue Opponent Score Result 1992 Cheras Indoor Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Zhou Lei 12–10, 8–11, 5–11 Bronze Bronze

Women's doubles Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result 1999 Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Chung Jae-hee Ge Fei Gu Jun 8–15, 10–15 Silver Silver 2003 Tennis Indoor Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, Indonesia Lee Kyung-won Hwang Yu-mi Lee Hyo-jung 15–9, 15–7 Gold Gold

Mixed doubles Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result 1998 Nimibutr Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand Kim Dong-moon Sun Jun Ge Fei 15–7, 15–8 Gold Gold 1999 Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Kim Dong-moon Liu Yong Ge Fei 15–7, 15–13 Gold Gold 2001 PhilSports Arena, Manila, Philippines Kim Dong-moon Bambang Suprianto Minarti Timur 11–15, 15–4, 15–3 Gold Gold 2004 Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Kim Dong-moon Sudket Prapakamol Saralee Thungthongkam 15–10, 17–16 Gold Gold

Asian Cup Mixed doubles Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result 1996 Olympic Gymnasium No. 2, Seoul, South Korea Park Joo-bong Kang Kyung-jin Kim Mee-hyang 15–6, 15–8 Gold Gold

IBF World Grand Prix (56 titles, 9 runners-up) The World Badminton Grand Prix sanctioned by International Badminton Federation (IBF) from 1983 to 2006.

Women's singles Year Tournament Opponent Score Result 1994 Singapore Open Yuliani Sentosa 12–9, 11–5 Winner 1995 Canadian Open Bang Soo-hyun 0–11, 7–11 Runner-up 1995 Thailand Open Lim Xiaoqing 4–11, 0–11 Runner-up 1996 Swedish Open Zhang Ning 11–6, 2–11, 4–11 Runner-up 1997 Swedish Open Gong Zhichao 4–11, 4–11 Runner-up 2001 U.S. Open Mette Sørensen 6–8, 7–4, 7–3, 7–2 Winner

Women's doubles Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result 1997 Hong Kong Open Chung Jae-hee Liu Lu Qian Hong 15–7, 15–12 Winner 1998 Swedish Open Jang Hye-ock Huang Nanyan Liu Zhong 15–12, 15–9 Winner 1998 All England Open Jang Hye-ock Ge Fei Gu Jun 7–15, 7–15 Runner-up 1999 Swedish Open Chung Jae-hee Huang Sui Lu Ying 15–6, 15–11 Winner 1999 All England Open Chung Jae-hee Huang Sui Lu Ying 15–6, 15–8 Winner 1999 World Grand Prix Finals Chung Jae-hee Ge Fei Gu Jun 2–15, 4–15 Runner-up 2000 Korea Open Chung Jae-hee Huang Nanyan Yang Wei 15–6, 8–15, 15–5 Winner 2000 Chinese Taipei Open Chung Jae-hee Helene Kirkegaard Rikke Olsen 15–9, 15–7 Winner 2000 All England Open Chung Jae-hee Ge Fei Gu Jun 5–15, 3–15 Runner-up 2001 Korea Open Kim Kyeung-ran Huang Nanyan Yang Wei 13–15, 10–15 Runner-up 2001 Swiss Open Lee Kyung-won Helene Kirkegaard Rikke Olsen 7–3, 8–6, 2–7, 7–4 Winner 2001 U.S. Open Kim Kyeung-ran Pernille Harder Majken Vange 7–1, 7–0, 7–3 Winner 2002 Swiss Open Lee Kyung-won Gail Emms Lotte Jonathans 7–1, 7–1, 7–1 Winner 2002 Japan Open Lee Kyung-won Gao Ling Huang Sui 7–5, 1–7, 7–2, 6–8, 7–1 Winner 2003 Korea Open Lee Kyung-won Ann-Lou Jørgensen Rikke Olsen 11–5, 11–5 Winner 2003 Dutch Open Lee Kyung-won Hwang Yu-mi Lee Hyo-jung 15–4, 15–9 Winner 2003 German Open Lee Kyung-won Yang Wei Zhang Jiewen 15–6, 15–17, 15–8 Winner 2003 Chinese Taipei Open Lee Kyung-won Hwang Yu-mi Lee Hyo-jung 15–9, 15–8 Winner 2004 Korea Open Lee Kyung-won Yang Wei Zhang Jiewen 8–15, 15–9, 6–15 Runner-up 2004 Japan Open Lee Kyung-won Wei Yili Zhao Tingting 15–6, 5–15, 15–1 Winner

Mixed doubles Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result 1995 Thailand Open Park Joo-bong Nikolai Zuyev Marina Yakusheva 15–1, 15–4 Winner 1996 Japan Open Park Joo-bong Kim Dong-moon Gil Young-ah 15–7, 15–1 Winner 1996 Korea Open Park Joo-bong Simon Archer Julie Bradbury 15–9, 15–11 Winner 1996 Swedish Open Park Joo-bong Chen Xingdong Peng Xinyong 15–4, 15–6 Winner 1996 All England Open Park Joo-bong Simon Archer Julie Bradbury 15–10, 15–10 Winner 1997 U.S. Open Kim Dong-moon Bambang Suprianto Rosalina Riseu 15–1, 15–3 Winner 1997 Hong Kong Open Kim Dong-moon Ha Tae-kwon Chung Jae-hee 15–12, 15–3 Winner 1997 China Open Kim Dong-moon Liu Yong Ge Fei 15–10, 15–6 Winner 1998 Japan Open Kim Dong-moon Jens Eriksen Marlene Thomsen 15–12, 15–9 Winner 1998 Swedish Open Kim Dong-moon Chen Gang Tang Yongshu 15–3, 15–3 Winner 1998 All England Open Kim Dong-moon Michael Søgaard Rikke Olsen 15–2, 11–15, 15–5 Winner 1998 World Grand Prix Finals Kim Dong-moon Simon Archer Joanne Goode 15–6, 15–9 Winner 1999 Korea Open Kim Dong-moon Liu Yong Ge Fei 15–6, 15–8 Winner 1999 Swedish Open Kim Dong-moon Ha Tae-kwon Chung Jae-hee 15–1, 15–4 Winner 1999 Singapore Open Kim Dong-moon Michael Søgaard Rikke Olsen 15–4, 15–8 Winner 1999 World Grand Prix Finals Kim Dong-moon Tri Kusharjanto Minarti Timur 15–5, 15–7 Winner 2000 Korea Open Kim Dong-moon Tri Kusharjanto Minarti Timur 15–13, 15–3 Winner 2000 All England Open Kim Dong-moon Liu Yong Ge Fei 15–10, 15–2 Winner 2000 Swiss Open Kim Dong-moon Zhang Jun Gao Ling 15–8, 15–9 Winner 2000 Malaysia Open Kim Dong-moon Tri Kusharjanto Minarti Timur 15–7, 15–8 Winner 2001 Korea Open Kim Dong-moon Zhang Jun Gao Ling 15–8, 15–11 Winner 2001 Hong Kong Open Kim Dong-moon Khunakorn Sudhisodhi Saralee Thungthongkam 3–7, 7–0, 7–2, 7–2 Winner 2002 All England Open Kim Dong-moon Jens Eriksen Mette Schjoldager 7–3, 7–3, 7–0 Winner 2002 Swiss Open Kim Dong-moon Jonas Rasmussen Jane F. Bramsen 7–3, 7–5, 1–7, 7–4 Winner 2002 Korea Open Kim Dong-moon Michael Søgaard Rikke Olsen 7–1, 7–3, 7–5 Winner 2002 Japan Open Kim Dong-moon Nova Widianto Vita Marissa 7–3, 7–2, 7–2 Winner 2002 Singapore Open Kim Dong-moon Nathan Robertson Gail Emms 11–2, 13–10 Winner 2003 Korea Open Kim Dong-moon Kim Yong-hyun Lee Hyo-jung 11–5, 11–4 Winner 2003 Singapore Open Kim Dong-moon Zheng Bo Zhang Jiewen 15–5, 15–9 Winner 2003 Indonesia Open Kim Dong-moon Zhang Jun Gao Ling 10–15, 15–11, 15–6 Winner 2003 Malaysia Open Kim Dong-moon Nathan Robertson Gail Emms 15–6, 15–5 Winner 2003 Dutch Open Kim Dong-moon Kim Yong-hyun Lee Hyo-jung 15–4, 15–2 Winner 2003 Denmark Open Kim Dong-moon Kim Yong-hyun Lee Hyo-jung 17–16, 15–10 Winner 2003 German Open Kim Dong-moon Zhang Jun Gao Ling 15–12, 11–15, 15–8 Winner 2003 Hong Kong Open Kim Dong-moon Zhang Jun Gao Ling 15–7, 15–10 Winner 2003 Chinese Taipei Open Kim Dong-moon Nova Widianto Vita Marissa 15–7, 15–5 Winner 2004 Swiss Open Kim Dong-moon Zhang Jun Gao Ling 15–2, 15–8 Winner 2004 All England Open Kim Dong-moon Kim Yong-hyun Lee Hyo-jung 15–8, 17–15 Winner 2004 Korea Open Kim Dong-moon Kim Yong-hyun Lee Hyo-jung 15–5, 15–11 Winner

IBF International (2 titles, 4 runners-up) Women's singles Year Tournament Opponent Score Result 1991 Hungarian International Park Soo-yun 0–11, 4–11 Runner-up 1992 Wimbledon Open Fiona Smith 2–11, 11–8, 4–11 Runner-up

Women's doubles Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result 1991 Hungarian International Choi Ma-ree Kim Shin-young Park Soo-yun 9–15, 6–15 Runner-up 1999 Australian International Lee Hyo-jung Chung Jae-hee Yim Kyung-jin 17–16, 6–15, 15–3 Winner 2005 Canadian International Jun Woul-sik Ha Jung-eun Oh Seul-ki 15–5, 15–9 Winner

Mixed doubles Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result 1991 Hungarian International Hwang Sun-ho Kim Young-gil Park Soo-yun 3–15, 12–15 Runner-up