Wong Peng Soon

Early life Wong was born into a large and wealthy family in Johor Bahru, Malaya. He was the seventh son of Mr Wong Ah Yam and Madam Mak Qui Tong. His granduncle is Wong Ah Fook, who was a good friend of Sultan Abu Bakar and was the contractor responsible for the construction of Istana Besar. Wong has nine brothers and seven sisters. Of his siblings, five brothers and a sister were also prominent Johore badminton players. The family stayed in a mansion at Jalan Ah Siang, Johor Bahru.

Badminton career Having grown up in a family with a love for badminton, Wong started playing the sport since young. His career began when he joined Mayflower Badminton Party in Singapore as a teenager, and went on to win numerous club and interstate competitions. He excelled in the singles event and quickly rose to become a household name in Singapore and Malaya.

In 1938, Wong won his first Singapore Open singles title and went on to win the tournament six more times in 1939, 1941, 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1951. in 1947 with Wong Chong Teck, and in 1948 and 1949 with Teoh Peng Hooi. Additionally, he teamed up with his sister, Waileen Wong to claim three mixed doubles titles in 1939, 1948 and 1949. With a total of 14 combined titles, Wong was the second most successful male shuttler in the competition's history, trailing only behind rival, Ong Poh Lim.

Wong captured his first two Malaysia Open singles titles in 1940 and 1941 before a hiatus due to World War II interrupted his career until 1947, when he reclaimed the crown. He then went on an impressive streak, winning five consecutive titles from 1949 to 1953. His eight Malaysian singles titles were also a long-standing international circuit record jointly held by the legendary Rudy Hartono (eight-time All England champion) and Morten Frost (eight-time Denmark Open champion) till it was surpassed by Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia in 2013. Wong also triumphed in three mixed doubles events in 1937 and 1938 with his sister, Waileen Wong, and in 1940 with Lee Chee Neo. He was also a member of the victorious Malayan Thomas Cup teams of 1949, 1952, and 1955, serving as captain of the last. His achievements in 1955 were remarkable because he was 38 years old at the time, an age by which most badminton players were considered past their prime.

Wong also won the Surrey Open men's doubles title alongside Englishman Noel Radford, and both the men's singles and doubles titles at the Scotland championships, again with Radford in 1950. Additionally, he claimed the Denmark Open men's singles title in 1951, and triumphed in the Bombay Open men's singles and doubles events with Abdullah Piruz in the same year. Wong also secured the men's singles title at the Selangor Open, along with winning both the men's singles and doubles titles at the Philippines Open with Cheong Hock Leng in 1952.

Wong retired from competitive badminton after the 1955 Thomas Cup. He became a badminton coach for the Singapore Youth Sports Centre. He also coached the Malayan team in its bid to retain the Thomas Cup in 1958, when Malaya lost the title to Indonesia. Wong later took up coaching stints in Thailand, Canada, India and Japan, as well as at the Haarlem Badminton Club of Holland in 1966.

Professionalism Wong was an advocate of strong work ethic, physical fitness, and mental preparation. He will cycle from Johor to Singapore just for training even though it was many kilometers away. He was a disciplinarian who adhered to a routine of rigorous training that included sessions of skipping lasting more than an hour. Wong always studied his opponents before playing against them.

Personal life Wong married Doreen Poi Chim Neo at a church in Seremban on 3 August 1947 and moved to Singapore shortly after.

Death Wong died on 22 May 1996 at Toa Payoh Hospital, Singapore, at the age of 79, due to pneumonia. His wake was attended by the officials from Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) as well as then Minister for Community Development, Abdullah Tarmugi. A one-hour Mass was also held at the Church of St Vincent de Paul where Wong had worshipped. More than 150 relatives and friends gathered to bid a final farewell to Wong at the Mount Vernon Crematorium where he was cremated.

Honours and awards In the 1956 New Year Honours, Wong's contribution to the sport was recognised when he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) "for services to sport in the Federation of Malaya". In 1962, he made local history as the first and still the only sportsperson to date to be awarded the Sijil Kemuliaan (Certificate of Honour) by the Government of Singapore.

In 1985, the International Badminton Federation (IBF) awarded Wong the Distinguished Services Award for his services to the sport. In 1986, Wong was inducted into the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) Sports Museum Hall of Fame.

Three years after his death, the International Badminton Federation (IBF) inducted him into its Hall of Fame posthumously in May 1999. Then chairman of the IBF, H R Ward, commented, that "Wong was one of the most remarkable players" and "had enhanced the sport through exceptional achievements". In a Straits Times poll of 2000, Wong was voted as Singapore's "Sports Personality of the Century". The Olympic Council of Malaysia inducted Wong into its Hall of Fame in 2004.

Achievements Tournaments Men's singles Year Tournament Opponent Score Result Ref1938 Malaysia Open Tan Chong Tee 2–15, 15–9, 11–15 Runner-up 1939 Singapore Open S. A. Durai 15–6, 15–11 Winner 1940 Malaysia Open Ooi Teik Hock 15–1, 15–7 Winner 1947 Malaysia Open Lim Kee Fong 15–8, 15–12 Winner 1948 Singapore Open Ong Poh Lim 15–9, 15–11 Winner 1949 Malaysia Open Ooi Teik Hock 15–6, 15–10 Winner 1949 Singapore Open Loong Pan Yap 15–3, 15–4 Winner 1950 All England Poul Holm 15–7, 15-10 Winner 1950 Malaysia Open Ooi Teik Hock 15–13, 15–4 Winner 1950 North Scotland Open Noel Radford 15–4, 15–5 Winner 1951 All England Ong Poh Lim 15–18, 18–14, 15–7 Winner 1951 Bombay Open Devinder Mohan 15–11, 15–4 Winner 1951 French Open Ong Poh Lim 9–15, 8–15 Runner-up 1951 Malaysia Open Law Teik Hock 15–3, 15–6 Winner 1951 Singapore Open Ong Poh Lim 18–13, 15–8 Winner 1952 All England Eddy Choong 15–11, 18–13 Winner 1952 Malaysia Open Abdullah Priuz 15–8, retired Winner 1952 Philippines Open Cheong Hock Leng 15–3, 15–3 Winner 1954 Singapore Open Ong Poh Lim 15–9, 10–15, 16–17 Runner-up 1955 All England Eddy Choong 15–7, 14–17, 15–10 Winner 1955 Manchester Open Eddy Choong 8–15, 5–15 Runner-up 1955 Selangor Open Eddy Choong 7–15, 15–7, 16–17 Runner-up

Men's doubles Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result Ref1936 Singapore Open Chan Chim Bock Seah Eng Hee Tan Chong Tee 21–16, 21–23, 13–21 Runner-up 1937 Malaysia Open Chan Chim Bock A. S. Samuel Chan Kon Leong 23–20, 18–21, 15–21 Runner-up 1937 Singapore Open Chan Chim Bock Seah Eng Hee Tan Chong Tee 21–4, 22–23, 20–24 Runner-up 1938 Singapore Open Chan Chim Bock Wee Boon Hai Wong Chong Teck 16–21, 21–8, 21–17 Winner 1941 Singapore Open Wong Peng Nam Wee Boon Hai Wong Chong Teck 9–21, 11–21 Runner-up 1950 Surrey Open Noel Radford H. J. Wingfield W. C. Shute 15–8, 15–2 Winner 1951 Surrey Open Noel Radford Ismail Marjan Ong Poh Lim 2–15, 12–15 Runner-up 1952 Philippines Open Cheong Hock Leng Francisco Santos M. Yanga 15–5, 15–2 Winner

Mixed doubles Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result Ref1937 Malaysia Open Waileen Wong Koh Keng Siang Alice Pennefather 21–11, 21–12 Winner 1938 Malaysia Open Waileen Wong A. S. Samuel Ida Lim 20–23, 21–11, 21–7 Winner 1939 Singapore Open Waileen Wong Tan Chong Tee Lee Shao Meng 21–12, 21–3 Winner 1940 Malaysia Open Lee Chee Neo Ooi Teik Hock Cecilia Chan 15–9, 15–11 Winner 1948 Singapore Open Waileen Wong Ong Poh Lim Helen Heng 15–5, 15–8 Winner 1949 Singapore Open Waileen Wong Quek Keng Chuan Ong Heng Kwee 15–3, 15–6 Winner