Zhang Ning

Zhang Ning, despite being only 19-years-old, was under massive pressure but managed to save four championship points in the second game of the last match of the 1994 Uber Cup, only to lose the last game to 15-year-old Mia Audina (IND). It was the first time China had failed to win the Uber Cup. Two years later, Zhang again lost in the Uber Cup final and China again finished as runners-up. She did not make the team for the next two Uber Cups, both of which China won. In the 2002 Uber Cup, she only played one match in the group stage. She almost retired, since coaches had more faith in younger players like Zhou Mi and Gong Ruina.

However, Zhang did not retire and her decision turned out to be right. In 2003, she dominated the World Championships. Next year, at Athens 2004, she defeated Mia Audina – 10 years after the Uber Cup final when they first met – in the final, becoming the oldest female badmiton player to win the Olympic title. Four years later, she did it again, at Beijing 2008. Her secret weapon was her relentless stamina, which was impresive considering her age. At the age of 33, she became the oldest Olympic badminton champion, a record that stood until Greysia Polii won the women’s doubles title at Tokyo 2020.

Zhang retired immediately after the Olympic final. She won three consecutive Uber Cups (2002 to 2006) and three Sudirman Cups (1999, 2005, 2007) with the Chinese team. She was inducted into the BWF Hall of Fame in 2021. She remains the only women’s singles player to have successfully defended the Olympic title, and her perfect 10–0 Olympic record is the best winning percentage by any badminton player in Olympic history.