Cai Yun (born 19 January 1980) is a former professional
badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players pe ...
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
Combining Cai Yun's impressive speed with his regular partner
Fu Haifeng
Fu Haifeng (born 23 August 1983) is a Chinese former badminton player. He is regarded as one of the greatest men's doubles players of all time.
Sport career
Combining Fu Haifeng's impressive power with his regular partner Cai Yun's impressive s ...
'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
The BWF World Championships, formerly known as IBF World Championships, and also known as the World Badminton Championships, is a badminton tournament sanctioned by Badminton World Federation (BWF). The tournament is one of the most prestigious i ...
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
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
win five consecutive
Thomas Cup
The Thomas Cup, sometimes called the World Men's Team Championships, is an international badminton competition among teams representing member nations of the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport's global governing body. The championships h ...
(Men's Team World Badminton Championships) (
2004,
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
,
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
,
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, and
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
) and six consecutive
Sudirman Cup
The Sudirman Cup is an international badminton mixed team competition contested by member countries of the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every two years since the inaugural ...
(World Team Championships) (
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
,
2007,
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
,
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
,
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
and
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
). 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
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
were silver medalists, losing a close final to
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
's
Markis Kido
Markis Kido (11 August 1984 – 14 June 2021) was an Indonesian badminton player and one of the world's leading in men's doubles discipline. He won the discipline's gold medal at the 2006 World Cup, 2007 World Championships, 2008 Olympic Games ...
and
Hendra Setiawan
Hendra Setiawan (born 25 August 1984) is an Indonesian badminton player. He is an Olympic Games gold medalist, four-time World Champion, two-time Asian Games gold medalist, and two-time All England champion. With these achievements, Setiawan has ...
.
At the
2010 BWF World Championships
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...
, they, being the fifth-seed, beat the third-seed Danish pair
Mathias Boe
Mathias Boe (born 11 July 1980) is a badminton player from Denmark. He was the gold medalist at the 2015 European Games, two time European champions winning in 2012 and 2017, and the silver medalist at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He joined the Den ...
and
Carsten Mogensen
Carsten Mogensen (born 24 July 1983) is a former badminton player from Denmark. He was the gold medalist at the 2015 European Games, two time European champions winning in 2012 and 2017, and the silver medalist at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Moge ...
21–11, 21–18 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, they defeated the second-seed Indonesian Olympic Champions
Markis Kido
Markis Kido (11 August 1984 – 14 June 2021) was an Indonesian badminton player and one of the world's leading in men's doubles discipline. He won the discipline's gold medal at the 2006 World Cup, 2007 World Championships, 2008 Olympic Games ...
and
Hendra Setiawan
Hendra Setiawan (born 25 August 1984) is an Indonesian badminton player. He is an Olympic Games gold medalist, four-time World Champion, two-time Asian Games gold medalist, and two-time All England champion. With these achievements, Setiawan has ...
21–16, 21–13. In the finals, they overcame the first-seed and Malaysian world no. 1
Koo Kien Keat
Koo Kien Keat (; born 18 September 1985) is a Malaysian former professional badminton player. He succeeded in both men's and mixed doubles but is best known for his partnership with Tan Boon Heong with whom, he reached a career high ranking ...
and
Tan Boon Heong
Tan Boon Heong (, born 18 September 1987) is a former World No.1 Malaysian professional badminton player in the men's doubles event.
Career
2004-2006
Tan was previously paired with Hoon Thien How, with whom he won the World Junior Champi ...
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
Xu Chen (; born 29 November 1984) is a badminton player from China. In 2010, he (along with his partner Guo Zhendong) was ranked within the top 10 men's badminton doubles in the world. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he competed in the mixed doubl ...
and
Guo Zhendong
Guo Zhendong (; born 4 August 1984) is a badminton player from China. , he (along with his partner Xu Chen) was ranked within the top 10 male badminton doubles teams in the world. He competed at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.
Career
A men's ...
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
Lee Yong-dae (Hangul: 이용대; Hanja: 李龍大; ; born 11 September 1988) is a professional badminton player from South Korea who had been successful in both men's and mixed doubles. He reached world number 1 ranking with 4 different partners, ...
and
Jung Jae-sung
Jung Jae-sung (also spelled Chung Jae-sung; Hangul: 정재성; Hanja: 鄭在成; ; 25 August 1982 – 9 March 2018) was a South Korean professional badminton player.
Jung was born on 25 August 1982 in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do. He started playing ba ...
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
Yoo Yeon-seong (; born 19 August 1986) is a South Korean professional badminton player.
He specializes in doubles events and was ranked as high as No. 2 worldwide with his former partner, Ko Sung-hyun. The two also competed at the 2012 Summer ...
and
Ko Sung-hyun
Ko Sung-hyun (Hangul: 고성현; ; born 21 May 1987) is a South Korean badminton player affiliated with Gimcheon City Hall. He is a former world number 1 both in the men's and mixed doubles. Ko is a BWF World Champion, two time Badminton Asian ...
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
Cho Gun-woo (Hangul: 조건우; born 30 August 1988) is a South Korean badminton player from Samsung Electro-Mechanics, and joined the club since 2007.
Cho Gun-woo has focused his career on men's doubles, although he has competed in mixed doubles ...
and
Kwon Yi-goo
Kwon Yi-goo (born June 11, 1987) is a South Korean professional badminton player. He currently has 100 career wins, with a career doubles record of 86 wins and 56 losses. His combined career earnings equal US$29,624.
Career
Kwon Yi-goo won the ...
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
Koo Kien Keat (; born 18 September 1985) is a Malaysian former professional badminton player. He succeeded in both men's and mixed doubles but is best known for his partnership with Tan Boon Heong with whom, he reached a career high ranking ...
and
Tan Boon Heong
Tan Boon Heong (, born 18 September 1987) is a former World No.1 Malaysian professional badminton player in the men's doubles event.
Career
2004-2006
Tan was previously paired with Hoon Thien How, with whom he won the World Junior Champi ...
18–21, 21–14, 21–12 to win their first Japan Open title.
In the
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
, 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
Olympic Games
''Men's doubles''
BWF World Championships
''Men's doubles''
World Cup
''Men's doubles''
Asian Championships
''Men's doubles''
World Junior Championships
''Boys' doubles''
''Mixed doubles''
Asian Junior Championships
''Boys' doubles''
BWF Superseries
The BWF Superseries, which was launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007, 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. Successful players were invited to the Superseries Finals, which were held at the end of each year.
''Men's doubles''
:
BWF Superseries Finals The BWF Super Series Finals (named as BWF Super Series Masters Finals until 2009) was an annual badminton tournament held at the end of the year where the players with the most points from that calendar year's twelve events of the BWF Super Series c ...
tournament
:
BWF Superseries
The BWF Super Series was a series of Grade 2 badminton tournaments, sanctioned by Badminton World Federation (BWF). It was launched on December 14, 2006 and implemented in 2007.
Since 2011, the Super Series includes two levels of tournament, ...
Premier tournament
:
BWF Superseries
The BWF Super Series was a series of Grade 2 badminton tournaments, sanctioned by Badminton World Federation (BWF). It was launched on December 14, 2006 and implemented in 2007.
Since 2011, the Super Series includes two levels of tournament, ...
tournament
BWF Grand Prix
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''
:
BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament
:
BWF & IBF Grand Prix tournament
Personal life
Cai Yun married synchronised swimmer
Wang Na in 2010. Wang Na gave birth to a daughter in 2012, and to a second child in probably late 2014.
[ mentioned Wang Na was again pregnant.] (Cai Yun's doubles partner-turned-coach
Zhang Jun married Wang Na's teammate
Hu Ni in 2006.)
References
External links
*
*
Cai Yun's BlogProfile– Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cai, Yun
1980 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Suzhou
Badminton players from Jiangsu
Chinese male badminton players
Badminton players at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Badminton players at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Badminton players at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Olympic badminton players of China
Olympic gold medalists for China
Olympic silver medalists for China
Olympic medalists in badminton
Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Badminton players at the 2006 Asian Games
Badminton players at the 2010 Asian Games
Badminton players at the 2014 Asian Games
Asian Games gold medalists for China
Asian Games silver medalists for China
Asian Games medalists in badminton
Medalists at the 2006 Asian Games
Medalists at the 2010 Asian Games
Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games
World No. 1 badminton players
BWF Best Male Player of the Year
Nanjing Sport Institute alumni