Wong Choong Hann
Wong Choong Hann AMN (simplified Chinese: 黄综翰; traditional Chinese: 黃綜翰; pinyin: Huáng Zònghàn; born 17 February 1977) is a former badminton player from Malaysia.[1] He is the first Malaysian to win a medal in the men's singles event at the BWF World Championships.[2] Currently he is the coaching director for the Malaysia national badminton team.[3]
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Career
Wong Choong Hann's career began with the 1996 Malaysia Open. The first tournament he won was the 1997 Dutch Open. He represented Malaysia in 2002, where Malaysia emerged runners-up to Indonesia in the Thomas Cup championships.
In 2003, Wong reached the World Championships finals. In a thrilling three-game match between the veterans (both he and his opponent were above 24 years old then), he eventually lost out to the champion from China, Xia Xuanze.
Wong played badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in men's singles, defeating Przemysław Wacha of Poland in the first round. In the round of 16, he was defeated by Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia.
The low point of his career occurred during the 2006 Thomas Cup where he injured himself by snapping an achilles tendon while playing in a quarter final match against South Korea, he was required to rest for almost 6 months. He made a comeback to the sport in the Asian Games later in 2006 but was clearly far from his best form.
In the 2008 Summer Olympics he defeated reigning Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat but once again failed to advance past the round of 16, losing to Hsieh Yu-hsing of Chinese Taipei.
He has set up a company "Pioneer Sdn Bhd" with former shuttlers Lee Wan Wah, Chan Chong Ming, and Chew Choon Eng to conduct badminton programs and hopefully produce world-class shuttlers for Malaysia.
In May 2010, Wong was called back to play for the Malaysian Thomas Cup squad.
In 2011 he played his last world championship, where he lost to Boonsak Ponsana in the second round.
Personal life
Wong Choong Hann married Leaw Pik Sim on 11 June 2005. They have a daughter, named Kyra Wong Xinyue, and a son, named Kayden Wong Zixuan. He currently resides in Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur. In September 2012, he co-founded LavieFlo International—the first preserved flower retailer in Malaysia.[4][5]
Achievements
World Championships
Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, England |  |
6–15, 15–13, 6–15 |  |
Southeast Asian Games
Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Hassanal Bolkiah Sports Complex, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei |  |
10–15, 15–11, 11–15 | |
| 2003 | Tan Binh Sport Center, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | |
8–15, 5–15 | |
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Malawati Stadium, Selangor, Malaysia |  |
|
4–15, 5–15 |  |
| 2005 | Philsports Arena, Manila, Philippines | |
|
10–15, 2–15 | |
Commonwealth Games
Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | |
10–15, 15–12, 15–6 |  |
| 2002 | Bolton Arena, Manchester, England | |
8–6, 6–8, 0–7, 8–7, 3–7 | |
| 2006 | Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, Australia | |
13–21, 12–21 | |
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, Australia | |
|
13–21, 14–21 | |
BWF World Grand Prix/Super Series tournaments
Men's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Dutch Open |  |
15–10, 15–11 |  |
| 1999 | Malaysia Open | |
16–17, 15–17 |  |
| 1999 | Denmark Open |  |
15–17, 4–15 | |
| 2000 | Chinese Taipei Open | |
9–15, 5–15 | |
| 2001 | Singapore Open | |
5–7, 7–0, 1–7, 7–1, 4–7 | |
| 2001 | China Open | |
3–7, 7–3, 2–7, 7–5, 4–7 | |
| 2002 | Dutch Open | |
15–6, 15–6 | |
| 2002 | China Open | |
12–15, 15–5, 15–9 | |
| 2003 | Chinese Taipei Open | |
3–15, 15–7, 15–4 | |
| 2003 | China Open | |
16–17, 12–15 | |
| 2007 | New Zealand Open | |
21–13, 18–21, 14–21 | |
| 2007 | China Masters | |
19–21, 9–21 | |
| 2009 | Macau Open | |
15–21, 19–21 | |
| 2009 | Chinese Taipei Open |  |
11–21, 14–21 | |
| 2010 | Malaysia Masters | |
8–21, 21–14, 15–21 | |
| 2011 | Australia Open |  |
11–21, 21–12, 19–21 | |
- IBF World Grand Prix tournament
- BWF Superseries tournament
- Grand Prix Gold Tournament
- Grand Prix Tournament
Honour
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References
- "All-star cast lines up in Singapore Open". Utusan Online. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
- "Other Sport: Choong Hann goes down in rubber game to China's Xuanze | The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- "Badminton: Wong Choong Hann is new BAM coaching director from Jan 1 | The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
- http://www.lavieflo.com
- http://www.venusbuzz.com/archives/31607/lavieflo-preserved-flowers/
- "Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat".