Karono KARONO, born in 2000, is an Australian men’s singles badminton player. Beginning his career in Indonesia, he transitioned to represent Australia and quickly rose through the ranks under the country’s new training system. In 2024, Karono achieved a breakthrough season by clinching back-to-back titles at the North Harbour International and the Welsh International Open.
Catherine Choi is a prominent figure in Canadian women's doubles badminton. Born on May 1, 2001, this Chinese-Canadian player has demonstrated outstanding competitive strength on the international stage, becoming a cornerstone of the Canadian national team.
Her career highlights are impressive, with remarkable achievements in Pan American events. 2023 marked a breakthrough year for her, as she clinched both the Women's Doubles Gold Medal at the 19th Pan American Games and the Pan American Badminton Championships, earning the title of "Double Champion." Furthermore, she helped Canada win the 2025 Pan American Badminton Mixed Team Championships.
CHAN Yin Chak is a leading men’s singles player from Hong Kong, China, born on January 7, 1999.
He claimed back-to-back men’s singles titles at the 2022 and 2023 Hong Kong National Championships. In 2021, he demonstrated his international competitiveness by finishing runner-up at the Bahrain International Series and reaching the semifinals of the Bahrain International Challenge.
In 2023, Chan was selected to represent Hong Kong at the Hangzhou Asian Games, and in 2024, he made his first-ever main draw appearance at the Hong Kong Open, further proving his strength and potential on the world stage.
Nozomi SHIMIZU is an Australian doubles player with an international background. She began her badminton career in Japan before acquiring Australian nationality and representing Australia in international competitions. As an experienced doubles specialist, she has reached a career-high world ranking of 74th, showcasing excellent competitive level.
In recent years, Nozomi has continued to achieve outstanding results on the international stage. She won the Women's Doubles Championship at the 2018 South Australia International, followed by the Women's Doubles Championship at the 2019 Finland Open. 2024 was a fruitful year for her, with victories including the Women's Doubles Championship at the Finland Open, the Mixed Doubles Runner-up at the Sydney International Challenge, and the Women’s Doubles Runner-up at the Wales International Open. In 2025, she achieved another milestone by winning the Mixed Doubles Championship at the Australia National Championships.
Nozomi’s cross-national background and extensive competition experience make her an important force in Australian badminton doubles. Her well-rounded technical skills, excellent tactical awareness, and strong competitiveness in both mixed and women’s doubles make her a formidable player.
Korakrit Laotrakul officially became a professional badminton player in 2014, making a rapid start to his career and showing great potential.
In 2016, he delivered a standout performance at the Pay Paid Junior Open, reaching the men’s singles semifinals. The same year, he was selected for the Thailand national junior team and represented the country at the BWF World Junior Championships Mixed Team event, where he helped secure a bronze medal.
Beyond that, 2016 was a breakthrough year for him, as he captured consecutive titles at the Hungarian Junior, Italian Junior, and Israel Junior, demonstrating consistent competitive strength.
In 2022, he returned to the international stage with another strong performance, reaching the semifinals of the Swedish Open.
Born in 2001, Lwi Sheng Hao became a professional men’s doubles player as early as 2017, and went on to claim a bronze medal in the mixed team event at the 2018 Asian Junior Championships.
In 2017, Chia Wei Jie won the silver medal at the BWF World Junior Championships and represented the Malaysian national team at the Malaysia Challenge in the same year.
The pair of Lwi Sheng Hao and Chia Wei Jie first teamed up at the 2024 Macau Open. Later that year, they clinched their first major title together by winning the men’s doubles championship at the 2024 Guwahati Masters.
Tiffany Ho (He Xianru) is a women’s singles player representing the Australian national badminton team.
Born and raised in Sydney to parents from Hong Kong, Tiffany began playing badminton at the age of eight. She started her professional career in 2016, winning the women’s doubles title at the Oceania Junior Championships. In the same year, she represented Australia in the women’s singles at both the Thomas Cup & Uber Cup tournaments (senior category).
In 2022, Tiffany represented Australia at the Commonwealth Games. In July 2024, she was selected for the Australian national badminton team and went on to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and the 2025 Sudirman Cup World Mixed Team Championships.
Faye HUO is a rising star in Australian badminton. Born on September 28, 2008, this young athlete has already shown immense development potential in both domestic and Oceania tournaments.
Her career began in 2022 when she represented Australia at the Sydney International Badminton Tournament, where she made her debut on the international stage. In recent years, Faye has made significant progress in both singles and doubles events, showcasing her well-rounded technical abilities.
As one of Australia’s promising young players, Faye HUO is steadily moving toward higher levels of competition. Her growth trajectory reflects the vibrant energy of the new generation of Australian badminton players, and people are excited to see how she will continue to develop in the future.
Maureen Clarissa Wijaya is a rising star in Australian badminton. Born in 2007, she is only 18 years old but has already achieved remarkable results in both youth and adult competitions, showcasing extraordinary doubles talent and strong competition potential.
Entering 2025, Maureen reached a small peak in her career. She first won the Women’s Doubles Championship at the Oceania Junior Championships, then followed up with a Women’s Doubles Runner-up finish at the Oceania Championships, which clearly demonstrates that she is steadily transitioning to higher levels of international competition.
Dalila Aghnia PUTERI, born in 2006, is a rising star in the badminton world. She made her international debut at the 2023 Indonesia Junior Grand Prix, beginning to show her potential.
Kantaphon Wangcharoen is a professional Thai badminton player born in 1998.
In April 2014, he represented Thailand at the BWF World Junior Championships held in Alor Setar, Malaysia, helping the team secure a bronze medal in the mixed team event. Later that year, in August, he finished as the runner-up in men’s singles at the Singapore International Series.
In July 2016, Kantaphon competed in the Asian Junior Mixed Team Championships hosted in Thailand, where the Thai team claimed the bronze medal. In November of the same year, he played in the BWF World Junior Championships in Bilbao, Spain, winning bronze medals in both the mixed team and boys’ singles events.
In February 2017, Kantaphon competed at the Thailand Masters and finished as the runner-up. In August, he participated in the Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur and contributed to Thailand’s bronze medal in the men’s team event.
Kantaphon made a major breakthrough in 2019 by winning the bronze medal in men’s singles at the BWF World Championships, marking the best result in history for a Thai male singles player at the event. His achievements also earned him a nomination for the BWF Most Promising Player of the Year.
Born and raised in Helsinki, Kalle Koljonen picked up badminton at the age of five.
In October 2015, Koljonen captured his first senior international title at the Hungarian International. The following year, in November 2016, he claimed his second title at the Norwegian InternationalKoljonen made history for Finnish badminton in the spring of 2021 in Kyiv, becoming the first-ever Finnish player to win a medal at a major international tournament. Later that year, he made his Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games, where he faced eventual gold medalist Viktor Axelsen in the group stage.
In 2023, he reached the quarterfinals at the European Games, which also served as the European Championships. In 2024, Koljonen represented Finland at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Cheam June Wei (born January 23, 1997) is a Malaysian badminton player specializing in men’s singles.
Cheam began competing in badminton at the age of nine and was selected for his school team in fourth grade at age ten.
In January 2014, he was promoted from the Bukit Jalil Sports School to the Malaysian national badminton team.
Cheam represented Malaysia at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympic Games in the mixed doubles event, winning the gold medal.
In 2019, competing on home soil at the Malaysia International Challenge, he captured the men’s singles title.
In 2024, he claimed the men’s singles championship at the Macau Lin Dan Cup.
Gronya Somerville is a professional Australian badminton player. Of mixed Chinese and Australian descent, she began playing badminton at the age of 12 and quickly earned a spot on the national team due to her outstanding performance.
Gronya Somerville is a professional Australian badminton player. Of mixed Chinese and Australian descent, she began playing badminton at the age of 12 and quickly earned a spot on the national team due to her outstanding performance.
In May 2012, Somerville represented Australia at the Uber Cup in Wuhan, China. Her impressive performance and unique Eurasian background drew significant media attention in China.
In August 2013, she competed at the BWF World Championships in Guangzhou, China, partnering with Jacqueline Guan in the women’s doubles event.
In June 2016, Somerville teamed up with Setyana Mapasa to win the Canada Open, defeating their opponents in just 37 minutes in the final. The pair went on to win another title at the Dutch Open Grand Prix in October 2016.
In 2019, the duo of Somerville and Mapasa captured the women’s doubles title at the U.S. International Challenge, defeating the Canadian pair Rachel Honderich / Kristen Tsai in a hard-fought three-game final.
Tian Houwei (born January 11, 1992) is a former Chinese men’s singles badminton player from Fuzhou, Fujian. He is currently the Head of Tactical and Technical Support for the Chinese National Badminton Team and a member of the China Badminton Association’s Sports-Education Integration Committee.
Tian began playing badminton in 2000 and officially entered structured training at the Fuzhou Sports School in 2001. With outstanding performance in provincial and national competitions, he was selected into the Fujian Provincial Team, the Chinese National Youth Team, and later the Chinese National Team. In 2009, he won both the boys’ singles and mixed team titles at the BWF World Junior Championships and Asian Junior Championships. At the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, he helped China secure a silver medal in the men’s team event. He was also a key player in winning the men’s team gold medal at the 12th National Games of China. In addition, he claimed multiple titles and podium finishes in international tournaments, including the 2013 Australian Open Grand Prix Gold, 2013 London Grand Prix Gold, and 2017 China Masters.
In 2020, he officially announced his retirement from professional badminton and began his academic career as a lecturer at Wuhan Sports University, where he also serves as the head coach of the university's badminton team.
Hong Wei, from Xiamen, Fujian, is a retired Chinese men’s badminton player. Partnering with Chai Biao, he won a bronze medal in men’s doubles at the 2017 BWF World Championships before announcing his retirement later that year. His wife, Zhao Yunlei, is also a former member of the Chinese national badminton team.
Hong began playing badminton at the age of eight in a training program in Xiamen and later entered the Xiamen Sports School.
At the 2009 National Games of China, he and Guo Zhendong represented Fujian to win a bronze medal in men’s doubles and a silver medal in the men’s team event—his first major competition medals. This performance led to his invitation to join the national second team, and in May 2010, he advanced to the national first team.
In March 2012, partnering with Shen Ye, Hong won the German Open Grand Prix Gold men’s doubles title, defeating Lee Yong-dae and Jung Jae-sung in the final—his first Grand Prix Gold title.
In March 2013, he teamed up with Chai Biao to once again claim the German Open Grand Prix Gold title, making it back-to-back wins at the tournament.
In August 2016, Hong and Chai qualified for the men’s doubles event at the Rio Olympics and advanced to the semifinals.
After retiring in 2017, Hong returned to the Xiamen team as a coach.
Liew Daren began attracting international attention in 2012, when he reached the quarterfinals of both the prestigious All England Open and the Swiss Open, boosting his world ranking to a career-high No. 28 at the time. That same year, he represented Malaysia in the Thomas Cup in Wuhan, China, where he pushed Chinese legend Lin Dan to three games in the quarterfinals.
In October 2012, Liew claimed his first-ever BWF Super Series men’s singles title at the French Open, defeating Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen in straight games.
As team captain in the 2014 Thomas Cup, Liew played in the decisive match of the final against Japan’s Ueda Takuma. Despite a valiant effort, Malaysia finished as runner-up after a narrow 2–1 loss in the final rubber.
His career highlight came at the 2018 BWF World Championships in Nanjing, where he overcame top players such as Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie and India’s Srikanth Kidambi. In a dramatic quarterfinal against Japan’s Kanta Tsuneyama, Liew sustained an ankle injury but battled through to secure a place in the semifinals. He eventually fell to Japan’s Kento Momota, earning the bronze medal—Malaysia’s only medal at the tournament.
On April 26, 2023, Liew officially announced his retirement from professional competition.
Since 2019, Kong Lingwei has been based in Wichita, Kansas, where she represented Wichita State University’s women’s tennis team as the No. 1 seed in both singles and doubles. Prior to college, she competed on the ITF Asia Circuit from 2016 to 2018.
At the end of 2022, Kong was introduced to pickleball through the local PPA community. After graduating from university in July 2023, she officially transitioned to professional pickleball, making her debut at the PPA Tour Seattle Open.
Wang Xiaoyu, born in December 2000 in Nanjing, is a prominent internet personality and a National First-Class Badminton Player. She graduated from Nanjing Sport Institute.
Wang began playing badminton at the age of seven. Thanks to her natural talent and excellent touch, she joined the Qinhuai District badminton team two years later. Her potential quickly caught the attention of coaches, and she was selected to train at the Xiaguan Sports School. After representing the Nanjing team in Jiangsu’s "Selection Tournament," she was admitted to the Jiangsu Provincial Youth Sports School, where she earned the title of National Second-Class Athlete.
Later, Wang joined the Anhui Provincial Badminton Team and won the women’s singles title at the Anhui Provincial Badminton Tournament, earning her National First-Class Athlete certification.
In 2018, Wang started exploring short video platforms and officially launched her account “Wang Xiaoyu” in September 2019. Within three months, she gained over 1 million followers. That same year, she was admitted to Nanjing Sport Institute.
In June 2022, with 7.02 million followers on Douyin (Chinese TikTok), Wang partnered with Jiangsu Sports Lottery and became the public welfare ambassador for the Jiangsu Sports Lottery during the Jiangsu Lottery Festival. In August 2022, she served as a guest commentator for the BWF World Championships.
In 2023, Wang organized and participated in a series of matches with her friends, which took place across various cities and regions, including Suzhou, Hangzhou, Tianjin, Xianyang, and even Tokyo, Japan.
As of July 2025, Wang Xiaoyu has 9.962 million followers on Douyin, with a total of 210 million likes.
In 2024, the team claimed a record-breaking 9 gold, 6 silver, and 8 bronze medals at the Hunan Provincial University Badminton Tournament.
In the High-Level Group, the Men’s Team achieved their fifth consecutive championship title.
Athlete Lu Jiayu captured three golds — Men’s Team, Men’s Singles, and Mixed Doubles — becoming a triple champion once again, and secured his third consecutive Men’s Singles title.
Wang Jixian and Wang Peiyu won the Men’s Doubles gold, while Pang Ruijia and Lu Jiayu claimed the Mixed Doubles title.
In the Super Group, Central South University won the Men’s Team title for the first time, with Zhao Sunmingmei and Feng Wenxuan winning Mixed Doubles, and Luo Hui winning Women’s Singles.
In the Sunshine Group, the team also won the Men’s Team and Men’s Doubles titles.
In recent years, the Peking University Badminton Team has achieved remarkable results, ranking first in the national university points standings for two consecutive years and topping the Beijing university points table for three consecutive years, representing the highest level of badminton among full-time university students in China. The team has won a total of 27 gold medals in the National Badminton Individual Championships, 50 gold medals in Beijing competitions, 15 national championships (including Northern Division titles), and 22 Beijing university championships, and has produced one athlete with the national “Elite Athlete” title. The outstanding performance of the Peking University Badminton Team has earned wide recognition from the public, making it a benchmark and leader in collegiate badminton in China.
After the disbandment of the Hebei Provincial Badminton Team in 1997, the team was re-established eighteen years later. Under the care and support of leaders at all levels in Hebei Province and the Provincial Sports Bureau, the team has not only achieved remarkable success by winning gold and silver medals in national youth competitions, but also produced outstanding players such as Pan Yinhao and Liu Hongjia, who were selected for the National Badminton Second Team and the National Youth Training Squad. As a vibrant, united, and ambitious team full of fighting spirit, the Hebei Provincial Badminton Team is poised to secure a prominent place in the national badminton arena.
Founded in July 2017 by professional players from the Kepong Badminton Club in Malaysia, K1 International Badminton Club is a sports training institution in China dedicated to promoting badminton for both youth and adults and enhancing competitive skills.
With the goal of nurturing the next world badminton champion, the club brings together experienced foreign coaches. Leveraging strong teaching resources and unique training methods, the club has cultivated numerous outstanding players who have competed in high-level tournaments and achieved excellent results. The achievements and reputation of its trainees have made K1 International Badminton Club widely recognized in the badminton community.
