Cai Yun

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Cai Yun
蔡赟
Personal information
CountryChina
Born (1980-01-19) 19 January 1980 (age 44)
Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
Height1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Weight65 kg (143 lb; 10.2 st)
HandednessRight
Men's doubles
Highest ranking1 (7 September 2006[2] with Fu Haifeng)
BWF profile
Updated on 09:27, 26 October 2013 (UTC).
Cai Yun
Traditional Chinese蔡贇
Simplified Chinese蔡赟

Cai Yun (born 19 January 1980) is a former professional badminton player representing China. He is the 2012 London Olympic gold medallist and a four-time World Champion in men's doubles. He is regarded as one of the greatest men's doubles player of all time.

Sport career[edit]

Combining Cai Yun's impressive speed with his regular partner Fu Haifeng's impressive power, Cai and Fu have been one of the world's leading men's doubles teams since 2004. They have won numerous top tier events on the world circuit including the venerable All England Open Championships in 2005 and 2009. They have won the BWF World Championships 4 times in 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2011, becoming the first Men's Doubles pair to achieve this feat. Cai and Fu have helped China win five consecutive Thomas Cup (Men's Team World Badminton Championships) (2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012) and six consecutive Sudirman Cup (World Team Championships) (2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015). Cai and Fu also competed together in the Olympic games 3 times, including the 2004, the 2008 Olympic Games and the 2012 Olympic Games. They were eliminated in the quarterfinals in 2004, and in 2008 in Beijing were silver medalists, losing a close final to Indonesia's Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan.

At the 2010 BWF World Championships, they, being the fifth-seed, beat the third-seed Danish pair Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen 21–11, 21–18 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, they defeated the second-seed Indonesian Olympic Champions Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan 21–16, 21–13. In the finals, they overcame the first-seed and Malaysian world no. 1 Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong 18–21, 21–18, 21–14 to win the world title for the 3rd time. They are the first Men's Doubles pair to achieve this feat.

Cai and Fu went on to win the Li-Ning China Masters Super Series. Being the fifth-seed, they first defeated their second-seed compatriots Xu Chen and Guo Zhendong 21–11, 21–16 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, they made a great comeback against the third-seed South Korean rival Lee Yong-dae and Jung Jae-sung 20–22, 21–13, 21–17. Cai and Fu then clinched their second China Masters title by defeating the fourth-seed South Korean pair Yoo Yeon-seong and Ko Sung-hyun in 2 sets 21–14, 21–19. Cai and Fu won their third title in a row by winning the Yonex Japan Open Super Series. They, being the fifth-seed, beat the young Korean Pair Cho Gun-woo and Kwon Yi-goo 21–14, 16–21, 21–12 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, they defeated their promising compatriots Zhang Nan and Chai Biao 21–17, 21–16. In the finals, they made a great comeback again against the first-seed and Malaysian world no. 1 Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong 18–21, 21–14, 21–12 to win their first Japan Open title.

In the 2012 Summer Olympics, they defeated Denmark's Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen in the final to win the gold medal.

Having won 1 Olympic gold medal and 4 World Championship titles, as well as many other titles, Cai and Fu is one of the most successful men's doubles pairs in badminton history. They have expressed the will to continue their career together as long as they can after the London Olympics.

Achievements[edit]

Olympic Games[edit]

Men's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2008 Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium, Beijing, China China Fu Haifeng Indonesia Markis Kido
Indonesia Hendra Setiawan
21–12, 11–21, 16–21 Silver
2012 Wembley Arena, London, Great Britain China Fu Haifeng Denmark Mathias Boe
Denmark Carsten Mogensen
21–16, 21–15 Gold

BWF World Championships[edit]

Men's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2003 National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, United Kingdom China Fu Haifeng Indonesia Sigit Budiarto
Indonesia Candra Wijaya
15–6, 10–15, 9–15 Bronze Bronze
2006 Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad, Madrid, Spain China Fu Haifeng England Robert Blair
England Anthony Clark
21–9, 21–13 Gold Gold
2009 Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad, India China Fu Haifeng South Korea Jung Jae-sung
South Korea Lee Yong-dae
21–18, 16–21, 28–26 Gold Gold
2010 Stade Pierre de Coubertin, Paris, France China Fu Haifeng Malaysia Koo Kien Keat
Malaysia Tan Boon Heong
18–21, 21–18, 21–14 Gold Gold
2011 Wembley Arena, London, England China Fu Haifeng South Korea Ko Sung-hyun
South Korea Yoo Yeon-seong
24–22, 21–16 Gold Gold
2013 Tianhe Sports Center, Guangzhou, China China Fu Haifeng Indonesia Mohammad Ahsan
Indonesia Hendra Setiawan
19–21, 17–21 Bronze Bronze

World Cup[edit]

Men's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2005 Olympic Park, Yiyang, China China Fu Haifeng Indonesia Sigit Budiarto
Indonesia Candra Wijaya
21–11, 21–18 Gold Gold
2006 Olympic Park, Yiyang, China China Fu Haifeng Malaysia Lin Woon Fui
Malaysia Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari
15–21, 21–13, 17–21 Bronze Bronze

Asian Championships[edit]

Men's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2011 Sichuan Gymnasium, Chengdu, China China Fu Haifeng Japan Hirokatsu Hashimoto
Japan Noriyasu Hirata
21–12, 21–15 Gold Gold
2015 Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium, Wuhan, China China Lu Kai Indonesia Muhammad Ahsan
Indonesia Hendra Setiawan
12–21, 21–18, 16–21 Bronze Bronze

World Junior Championships[edit]

Boys' doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
1998 Sports and Aquatic Centre, Melbourne, Australia China Jiang Shan Malaysia Chan Chong Ming
Malaysia Teo Kok Seng
7–15, 3–15 Bronze Bronze

Mixed doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
1998 Sports and Aquatic Centre, Melbourne, Australia China Xie Xingfang Malaysia Chan Chong Ming
Malaysia Joanne Quay
4–15, 3–15 Bronze Bronze

Asian Junior Championships[edit]

Boys' doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
1997 Ninoy Aquino Stadium,
Manila, Philippines
China Zhang Yi Malaysia Chan Chong Ming
Malaysia Jeremy Gan
Silver Silver

BWF Superseries (15 titles, 9 runners-up)[edit]

The BWF Superseries, which was launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007,[3] was a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). BWF Superseries levels were Superseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries consisted of twelve tournaments around the world that had been introduced since 2011.[4] Successful players were invited to the Superseries Finals, which were held at the end of each year.

Men's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
2007 All England Open China Fu Haifeng Malaysia Koo Kien Keat
Malaysia Tan Boon Heong
15–21, 18–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2007 Singapore Open China Fu Haifeng Malaysia Choong Tan Fook
Malaysia Lee Wan Wah
16–21, 24–22 , 21–18 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2007 Indonesia Open China Fu Haifeng Malaysia Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif
Malaysia Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari
21–17, 22–20 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2007 China Masters China Fu Haifeng Indonesia Markis Kido
Indonesia Hendra Setiawan
21–15, 21–16 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2007 French Open China Fu Haifeng Malaysia Choong Tan Fook
Malaysia Lee Wan Wah
21–14, 21–19 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2008 Korea Open China Fu Haifeng Indonesia Luluk Hadiyanto
Indonesia Alvent Yulianto
21–7, 20–22 ,21–17 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2008 French Open China Xu Chen Indonesia Markis Kido
Indonesia Hendra Setiawan
18–21, 19–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2009 All England Open China Fu Haifeng South Korea Han Sang-hoon
South Korea Hwang Ji-man
21–17, 21–15 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2009 Indonesia Open China Fu Haifeng South Korea Jung Jae-sung
South Korea Lee Yong-dae
15–21, 18–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2009 China Masters China Fu Haifeng China Guo Zhendong
China Xu Chen
Walkover 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2010 Korea Open China Fu Haifeng South Korea Jung Jae-sung
South Korea Lee Yong-dae
11–21, 21–14 , 18–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2010 China Masters China Fu Haifeng South Korea Ko Sung-hyun
South Korea Yoo Yeon-seong
21–14, 21–19 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2010 Japan Open China Fu Haifeng Malaysia Koo Kien Keat
Malaysia Tan Boon Heong
18–21, 21–14 , 21–12 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2011 Singapore Open China Fu Haifeng Indonesia Hendra Aprida Gunawan
Indonesia Alvent Yulianto
21–17, 21–13 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2011 Indonesia Open China Fu Haifeng China Chai Biao
China Guo Zhendong
21–13, 21–12 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2011 China Masters China Fu Haifeng South Korea Jung Jae-sung
South Korea Lee Yong-dae
17–21, 10–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2011 Japan Open China Fu Haifeng Indonesia Mohammad Ahsan
Indonesia Bona Septano
21–13, 23–21 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2011 Denmark Open China Fu Haifeng South Korea Jung Jae-sung
South Korea Lee Yong-dae
16–21, 17–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2011 French Open China Fu Haifeng South Korea Jung Jae-sung
South Korea Lee Yong-dae
21–14, 15–21 , 11–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2011 Hong Kong Open China Fu Haifeng South Korea Jung Jae-sung
South Korea Lee Yong-dae
14–21, 24–22 , 21–19 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2012 Korea Open China Fu Haifeng South Korea Jung Jae-sung
South Korea Lee Yong-dae
18–21, 21–17 , 21–19 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2012 All England Open China Fu Haifeng South Korea Jung Jae-sung
South Korea Lee Yong-dae
23–21, 9–21 , 14–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2012 Hong Kong Open China Fu Haifeng Malaysia Koo Kien Keat
Malaysia Tan Boon Heong
21–16, 21–17 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2014 Singapore Open China Lu Kai Chinese Taipei Lee Sheng-mu
Chinese Taipei Tsai Chia-hsin
21–19, 21–14 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
  BWF Superseries Finals tournament
  BWF Superseries Premier tournament
  BWF Superseries tournament

BWF Grand Prix (8 titles, 7 runners-up)[edit]

The BWF Grand Prix had two levels, the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and played between 2007 and 2017. The World Badminton Grand Prix was sanctioned by the International Badminton Federation from 1983 to 2006.

Men's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
2003 Malaysia Open China Fu Haifeng South Korea Kim Dong-moon
South Korea Lee Dong-soo
15–17, 11–15 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2003 German Open China Fu Haifeng Indonesia Eng Hian
Indonesia Flandy Limpele
15–9, 8–15, 4–15 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2004 Swiss Open China Fu Haifeng Indonesia Luluk Hadiyanto
Indonesia Alvent Yulianto
15–9, 17–14 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2004 Japan Open China Fu Haifeng South Korea Ha Tae-kwon
South Korea Kim Dong-moon
7–15, 15–6, 6–15 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2004 Indonesia Open China Fu Haifeng Indonesia Luluk Hadiyanto
Indonesia Alvent Yulianto
8–15, 11–15 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2005 German Open China Fu Haifeng Denmark Jens Eriksen
Denmark Martin Lundgaard Hansen
6–15, 15–3, 15–10 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2005 All England Open China Fu Haifeng Denmark Lars Paaske
Denmark Jonas Rasmussen
15–10, 15–6 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2005 Malaysia Open China Fu Haifeng Indonesia Sigit Budiarto
Indonesia Candra Wijaya
11–15, 14–17 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2005 Hong Kong Open China Fu Haifeng Denmark Jens Eriksen
Denmark Martin Lundgaard Hansen
15–13, 15–9 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2006 China Masters China Fu Haifeng Denmark Jens Eriksen
Denmark Martin Lundgaard Hansen
17–21, 17–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2006 Chinese Taipei Open China Fu Haifeng South Korea Jung Jae-sung
South Korea Lee Yong-dae
21–14, 21–18 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2006 Macau Open China Fu Haifeng China Guo Zhendong
China Zheng Bo
21–12, 9–21, 21–19 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2006 China Open China Fu Haifeng Indonesia Markis Kido
Indonesia Hendra Setiawan
16–21, 16–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2008 Thailand Open China Fu Haifeng China Guo Zhendong
China Xie Zhongbo
21–17, retired 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2015 Swiss Open China Lu Kai Malaysia Goh V Shem
Malaysia Tan Wee Kiong
21–19, 14–21, 21–17 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
  BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament
  BWF & IBF Grand Prix tournament

Personal life[edit]

Cai Yun married synchronised swimmer Wang Na in 2010. Wang Na gave birth to a daughter in 2012,[5] and to a second child in probably late 2014.[6][7] (Cai Yun's doubles partner-turned-coach Zhang Jun married Wang Na's teammate Hu Ni in 2006.)

References[edit]

  1. ^ Cai and Fu: China’s new hope in men’s doubles Archived 2018-06-14 at the Wayback Machine, BadZine.net, 15 September 2006
  2. ^ "Historical 1994-2008 top-25 world ranking data | BadmintonCentral".
  3. ^ "BWF Launches Super Series". Badminton Australia. 15 December 2006. Archived from the original on 6 October 2007.
  4. ^ "Yonex All England Elevated To BWF Premier Super Series Event". IBadmintonstore. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  5. ^ Zhang Yuxiang (张宇翔) (2012-04-16). 王娜成都诞女 蔡赟当爹了 [Wang Na Gives Birth to a Daughter in Chengdu; Cai Yun Becomes a Father]. Chengdu Evening News (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2018-10-16. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
  6. ^ Cai Yun (2016-03-15). "Blog post". WeChat (in Chinese). mentioned he had two babies.
  7. ^ Shunchan Nadianshi (2014-05-09). "Weibo post" (in Chinese). mentioned Wang Na was again pregnant.

External links[edit]