Virgil Soeroredjo (born 11 March 1985) is a former Surinamese

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 p ...

player and now coach. He competed for Suriname at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He also competed for Suriname at 3 Pan Am Games: the

2003 Pan American Games The 2003 Pan American Games were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from August 1 to 17, 2003. The successful bid for the games was made in the mid-1990s, when Dominican Republic had one of the highest growth rates in Latin America. Al ...

, the

2007 Pan American Games The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games, were a major continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to 29, 2007. A total of 5,633 athletes from 42 National Olympic C ...

& the

2011 Pan American Games The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby cities of Ciudad Guzmán, ...

. As a young badminton player of the club SCVU in Suriname Virgil Soeroredjo won numerous juniors titles and was soon selected to represent his country abroad winning several juniors medals at Caribbean, Central American and South American events. Much of his success was with his doubles partner Mitchel Wongsodikromo.

Multiple Caribbean and Pan Am Juniors badminton champion

Together they grew up to become a badminton force for Suriname in the Pan Am region. In 2000 they won the Pan Am Boys Doubles U-17 juniors title at

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after they had already won the Caribbean Boys Doubles titles U-17 & U-19 the same year at

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate) ...

. At the 2000 Carebaco Games Virgil Soeroredjo won five Gold Medals and a Silver Medal. Winning the triple in the U-17 category plus Boys Doubles in the U-19 category and the U-19 team event for Suriname and a second place in Mixed Doubles U-19. In 2001 Virgil Soeroredjo managed to successfully defend four of his five Carebaco juniors titles only losing his singles U-17 title in the final at

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. In 2001 Virgil & Mitchel won Boys Doubles U-17 Gold at the South American Juniors Championships in

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. That year they also won the Regatas Cup for Boys Doubles U-17 in

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...

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. In 2002 Virgil Soeroredjo & Mitchel Wongsodikromo became Pan American Juniors Semi-Champions U-19 in

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

, USA. At the same event Virgil Soeroredjo also took two Bronze Medals, one in the U-19 Mixed Doubles category and also in the team event, where the Surinamese juniors team surprisingly beat favorites Canada. In the 2002 Carebaco Games Virgil Soeroredjo won Gold at the Men's Singles and the Men's Doubles U-19 juniors categories at

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

. Together with compatriot Carolyn Davids he participated at the Pan American IBF World Academy training camp held in Lima, Peru 2002. In the 2003 Carebaco Games at

Trinidad & Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of Gr ...

Virgil Soeroredjo lost both the U-19 Boys Singles & Mixed Doubles finals to his compatriot Mitchel Wongsodikromo. Together they eventually won the Boys Doubles U-19 title and the Carebaco Juniors 2003 team event.

International and national achievements

In 2002 they both won a Men's Singles Bronze medal at the

2002 Central American and Caribbean Games The 19th Central American and Caribbean Games were held in San Salvador, El Salvador from November 22 to December 8, 2002 and included 4,301 competitors from 31 nations, competing in 32 sports. The main stadium for these championships was the Est ...

(CACSO Games 2002) in San Salvador. At that time a special achievement since they were both still 17-year-old juniors. In 2003 Virgil Soeroredjo was part of the first Surinamese badminton team that participated at the

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 ...

Mixed teams World Championships in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. In 2005 at the Carebaco Open Championships Virgil Soeroredjo managed to get in the semi-finals Men's Singles achieving a Bronze Medal as well as in the Team Event held in

. Virgil Soeroredjo gained six National Men's Singles titles in 2004, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2013 & 2014. Internationally he was a triple champion at the

Suriname International The Suriname International Badminton Tournament is a Pan American Circuit badminton event first held inaugural in 1998 at the Anthony Nesty Indoor Stadium in Paramaribo, Suriname. The Suriname International Badminton Tournament is now held annual ...

in 2008 winning all three categories Men's Singles, Men's Doubles and Mixed Doubles. In 2009 he won the Men's Singles and Men's Doubles titles at the Suriname International, in 2010 he won the Mixed Doubles title and in 2011 he won the Men's Doubles title at the Suriname International. In 2010 Virgil Soeroredjo & Mitchel Wongsodikromo reached the final at the Bill Graham Miami International and in 2011 they reached the semi-final of that same event. In 2011 Virgil Soeroredjo won both the Suriname International and the Carebaco International in Men's Doubles. In March 2010 Virgil Soeroredjo was also part of the Suriname badminton team that won a Bronze medal Mixed Teams Badminton at the 2010 South American Games in Medellín. In July 2010 Virgil Soeroredjo & Mitchel Wongsodikromo won the only medal, a Bronze, for Suriname at the

2010 Central American and Caribbean Games The 21st Central American and Caribbean Games (Spanish: ''XXI Juegos Centroamericanos y del Caribe, Mayagüez 2010'') took place in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, from 18 July 2010 to 1 August 2010. Bid It was understood that Mayagüez was going to b ...

by reaching the semi-finales. In 2012 Virgil Soeroredjo was part of the first Suriname Men's badminton team that participated at the

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 ha ...

preliminaries in

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, USA. In 2009 Virgil Soeroredjo moved to the Netherlands to improve his skills, training under coach Mike van Daal. He participated at the highest badminton club competition level (

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...

) for BC Culemborg and BV van Zijderveld. At that time this badminton player started switching his focus on his sports management study at the Johan Cruyff University in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

. From 2012 the National Association, Surinaamse Badminton Bond was annually organizing a Top 8 Singles event in honor of Virgil Soeroredjo's participation at the 2012 London Olympics. In 2013 Virgil Soeroredjo was planning on attending this event in his home country held by the badminton club of Nieuw Stenov, unfortunately he did not due to his busy study schedule. In November 2013 Virgil attended the National Championships and 7th Suriname International in Paramaribo. In April 2014 he won the 3rd Assuria International Easter Badminton Tournament 2014 in Paramaribo beating young Jamaican talent Samuel Ricketts in the final. In November 2014 Virgil attended the National Championships and 8th Suriname International in Paramaribo. Due to a recurring knee injury Virgil decided to retire as an international player in December 2015. He then followed the BWF Level 1 and Level 2 Badminton Coaches courses successfully.

National badminton titles

*1999 -

National Championships A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...

: Men's Doubles Silver *2000 -

: Men's Singles Silver, Men's Doubles Silver & Mixed Doubles Gold *2001 -

: Men's Doubles Gold, *2002 -

: ''No National Championships held that year'' *2003 -

: Men's Singles Silver *2004 -

: Men's Singles Gold & Mixed Doubles Silver *2005 -

: Men's Singles Silver, Men's Doubles Gold & Mixed Doubles Silver *2006 -

: Men's Singles Gold, Men's Doubles Gold & Mixed Doubles Gold *2007 -

: ''No National Championships held that year'' *2008 -

: Men's Singles Gold, Men's Doubles Gold & Mixed Doubles Silver *2009 -

: ''Virgil Soeroredjo did not participate that year'' *2010 -

: ''Virgil Soeroredjo did not participate that year'' *2011 -

: Men's Singles Gold, Men's Doubles Gold & Mixed Doubles Gold *2012 -

: ''Virgil Soeroredjo did not participate that year'' *2013 -

: Men's Singles Gold, Men's Doubles Gold & Mixed Doubles Silver *2014 -

: Men's Singles Gold, Men's Doubles Silver

International badminton titles

*1999 - Caribbean Easter Tournament Curaçao : Boys Singles U-15 Silver, Boys Doubles U-15 Gold, Boys Doubles U-19 Bronze & Mixed Doubles U-15 Bronze *1999 - Carebaco Juniors Championships : Boys Doubles U-19 Bronze, Team Event U-19 Gold *2000 - South American Juniors Championships : Boys Singles U-15 Silver, Boys Doubles U-15 Silver *2000 - Caribbean Easter Tournament Curaçao : Boys Singles U-15 Silver, Boys Doubles U-15 Gold, Mixed Doubles U-15 Bronze & Boys Doubles U-19 Bronze *2000 - Carebaco Juniors Championships : Boys Singles U-17 Gold, Boys Doubles U-17 Gold & Mixed Doubles U-17 Gold, Mixed Doubles U-19 Silver, Team Event U-19 Gold *2000 - Pan Am Juniors Championships : Boys Doubles U-17 Gold, Mixed Doubles U-17 Silver *2001 - Carebaco Juniors Championships : Boys Singles U-17 Silver, Boys Doubles & Mixed Doubles U-17 Gold, Mixed Doubles U-19 Gold & Team Event U-19 Gold *2001 - Regatas Peru Juniors Open : Boys Singles U-17 Bronze, Boys Doubles U-17 Gold, Mixed Doubles U-17 Bronze *2002 - Carebaco Juniors Championships : Boys Singles U-19 Gold & Boys Doubles U-19 Gold *2002 - Pan Am Juniors Championships : Boys Doubles U-19 Silver, Mixed Doubles U-19 Bronze & Team Event U-19 Bronze *2002 - CACSO Games El Salvador : Men's Singles Bronze Medal *2003 - 2003 PAN AM Games Santo Domingo: Participation *2003 - Carebaco Juniors Championships : Boys Singles U-19 Silver, Boys Doubles U-19 Gold, Mixed Doubles U-19 Silver, Team Event U-19 Gold, Team Event Seniors Bronze *2003 -

World Championship: 1st Participation Surinamese Mixed Team *2005 -

Carebaco International The Carebaco International is an international badminton tournament of the "Caribbean Regional Badminton Confederation" (Carebaco). Until 1999 the tournament was a closed event eligible only for Carebaco members, but to gain BWF World Ranking points ...

Open Championships : Men's Singles Bronze *2006 - BC70 Veluwe Open Tournament Vaassen, NL: Men's Singles Gold & Men's Doubles Gold *2006 - BC Weesp Tournament, NL : Men's Singles Bronze & Men's Doubles Bronze *2007 -

Open Championships : Men's Doubles Bronze *2007 - Racketeers Tournament Jamaica : Men's Singles A Silver & Men's Doubles A Silver *2007 - 2007 PAN AM Games Rio de Janeiro: Participation *2008 - 2nd

: Men's Singles Gold, Men's Doubles Gold & Mixed Doubles Gold *2009 - BC70 Veluwe Dauwtrappers Tournament Vaassen, NL: Men's Singles Gold *2009 - BC70 Veluwe Open Tournament Vaassen, NL: Men's Singles Gold *2009 - Open Alphense Tournament, NL : Men's Singles Gold *2009 - 3rd

: Men's Singles Gold & Men's Doubles Gold *2010 - AMOR Tournament Groningen, NL : Men's Singles Silver *2010 - CACSO Games Mayaguez : Men's Doubles Bronze Medal *2010 -

SOUTH AMERICAN GAMES The South American Games (also known as ODESUR Games; Spanish: ''Juegos Suramericanos''; Portuguese: ''Jogos Sul-Americanos''), formerly the Southern Cross Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Cruz del Sur'') is a regional multi-sport event held between nati ...

Medellin : Team Event Bronze *2010 - Bill Graham Miami International: Men's Doubles Silver *2010 - 4th

: Men's Doubles Silver & Mixed Doubles Gold *2011 -

Open Championships : Men's Doubles Gold *2011 - 2011 PAN AM Games Guadelajara : Participation *2011 - Bill Graham Miami International: Men's Doubles Bronze *2011 - 5th

: Men's Doubles Gold *2012 -

Pan Am preliminaries: 1st Participation Surinamese Men's Team *2012 - 2012 London OLYMPIC GAMES : 2nd Surinamese Badminton Player to participate at the Olympic Games after Oscar Brandon *2013 - 7th

: Men's Doubles Bronze *2014 - Carlton GT1 Master toernooi Almere 2014, NL : Men's Singles Bronze *2014 - 3rd Assuria International Easter Badminton Tournament 2014, SUR : Men's Singles Gold *2014 - Phytalis Drop Shot Grand Prix Toernooi 2014, NL : Men's Singles Bronze *2014 - 8th

: Men's Singles Bronze

Achievements with results

Central American and Caribbean Games

''Men's singles'' ''Men's doubles''

BWF International Series/ Future Series

''Men's singles'' ''Men's doubles'' ''Mixed doubles'' : BWF International Challenge tournament : BWF International Series tournament : BWF Future Series tournament

Personal life

Virgil Soeroredjo and his wife Willeke have one daughter. Virgil Soeroredjo graduated in 2018 as sports marketeer from the Johan Cruijff University in the Netherlands and was trainer/coach at the Dutch premier division club The Flying Shuttle Barendrecht in the 2018/2019 season.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Soeroredjo, Virgil 1985 births Living people Sportspeople from Paramaribo Surinamese people of Javanese descent Surinamese male badminton players Badminton players at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic badminton players of Suriname Badminton players at the 2003 Pan American Games Badminton players at the 2007 Pan American Games Badminton players at the 2011 Pan American Games Pan American Games competitors for Suriname Competitors at the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games Competitors at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games Competitors at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American and Caribbean Games bronze medalists for Suriname South American Games bronze medalists for Suriname South American Games medalists in badminton Competitors at the 2010 South American Games Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in badminton