Wong Mew Choo
Datin Wong Mew Choo (born 1 May 1983) is a Malaysian former badminton singles player. She was known for her exceptional stamina and endurance. Without any significant attacking weapons, she initially built her game on her ability to endure long rallies, sending the shuttle continually back against more powerful players. These tactics served her well, but put a lot of pressure on her knees and ankles. She suffered from various long term injuries during her playing career.
| Wong Mew Choo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country | Malaysia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1 May 1983 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 51 kg (112 lb; 8.0 st) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 2003–2011 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Handedness | Right | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coach | Misbun Sidek | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Women's singles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | 7 (30 October 2008) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Wong Mew Choo | |||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 黃妙珠 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 黄妙珠 | ||||||
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Career
She first came to prominence in the 2003 Southeast Asian Games badminton women's singles, when she won the gold medal, along the way beating Singapore's Li Li, then the reigning Commonwealth Games Champion.
2005
She competed at the 2005 World Championships in Anaheim and reached the second round. She managed two quarterfinal appearances, in the Denmark Open and 2005 Asian Championships.
She managed to reach the semifinal of Indonesia Open, losing a tough encounter with Mia Audina. Later that year, she qualified again for the 2005 Southeast Asian Games women's singles badminton final, but had to settle for silver, losing to Adriyanti Firdasari of Indonesia.
2006
In the XVIII Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, she helped Malaysia clinch the gold medal in the mixed team event, taking the crucial point against England's Tracey Hallam that gave Malaysia the lead 2–1. Eventually the team won 3–1 over England for the first time in Games history. However, Hallam exacted revenge in the individual events women's singles final.
In the World Championships, she reached the third round before losing to Zhang Ning.
Her best achievement of the year was in the Korea Open semifinals, losing to eventual winner Zhu Lin. She also reached the China Open quarterfinals.
2007
The year 2007 was Wong's best year. She started by reaching the finals of the Malaysia Superseries, defeating big names like Pi Hongyan and Xu Huaiwen on her way. At the All England Superseries, she beat Chinese Lu Lan to become the first Malaysian women's singles player to qualify in the women's singles quarterfinal. Lu claimed revenge in the 2007 Asian Championships.
Her biggest win was at the 2007 BWF World Championships third round, where she shocked China's Xie Xingfang in straight sets to become the first Malaysian women's singles player to reach the quarter-finals of the World Championships in Kuala Lumpur. However, her progress was stopped by Zhu Lin, who went on to take the title.
She was beaten in the first round of the Denmark Superseries, but quickly rebounded a week later, at the French Superseries. Wong defeated higher ranked players like Wang Chen. However, Wong lost to Xie Xingfang in the semifinal.
Wong, who is unseeded at the China Open Superseries and has not won any major championship since the 2003 Southeast Asian Games, delivered a brilliant performance in Guangzhou, China by beating all the top three female shuttlers from China in succession, starting with world champion Zhu Lin, two-time Olympic Champion Zhang Ning, and finally world number one Xie Xingfang in three sets in the final. She became the one of only a few non-Chinese (overseas Chinese) winners of the China Open. She also became the first Malaysian woman to lift an international title outside the country.
2008
Wong started the year by reaching the semifinal of Malaysia Superseries before losing to Zhu Lin once again.
She played in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, becoming the quarter-finalist after her defeat from Lu Lan of China.
2009
Getting injured at the beginning of this season, Wong returned in Swiss Open Superseries and India Open. But her achievements were not yet satisfactory.
She was also chosen as the Malaysia's top women's singles player to play in Sudirman Cup. In the semi-finals, her team lost 0–3 to China.
In the China Open Superseries in November, Wong humbled China's Wang Yihan, the world number one, in two sets, 21–18 and 21–17. However, she was beaten by Wang's compatriot Wang Shixian in the quarter-finals.
In December, Wong clinched her first title of the year in World Superseries Masters Finals - downing Juliane Schenk, 21–15, 21–7. Many top players did not play in women's singles of Superseries Finals, allowing Wong, who was ranked 20th in Superseries rankings at that time, to participate.
Wong led Malaysia women's team in 2009 Southeast Asian Games in Laos. She and her teammates won the gold medal by beating Indonesia 3–1. However, Wong failed to reach individual final as she was defeated by Thailand's Salakjit Ponsana 18–21, 14–21. As a result, Wong only claimed bronze.
In 2010 Commonwealth Games, Delhi, she won silver in a closely contested final with Saina Nehwal of India, ranked No 3 in the world.
Achievements
Commonwealth Games
Women's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, Australia |  Tracey Hallam |
12–21, 15–21 |  Silver |
| 2010 | Siri Fort Sports Complex, New Delhi, India |  Saina Nehwal |
21–19, 21–23, 13–21 | Silver |
Asian Championships
Women's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Stadium Bandaraya, Johor Bahru, Malaysia |  Lu Lan |
17–21, 18–21 |  Bronze |
Southeast Asian Games
Women's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Tan Binh Sport Center, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam |  Salakjit Ponsana |
11–5, 11–5 |  Gold |
| 2005 | PhilSports Arena, Metro Manila, Philippines |  Adriyanti Firdasari |
8–11, 7–11 | Silver |
| 2009 | Gym Hall 1, National Sports Complex, Vientiane, Laos | Salakjit Ponsana |
18–21, 14–21 | Bronze |
BWF Superseries
The BWF Superseries, launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007,[3] is a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by Badminton World Federation (BWF). BWF Superseries has two level such as Superseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries features twelve tournaments around the world, which introduced since 2011,[4] with successful players invited to the Superseries Finals held at the year end.
Women's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Malaysia Open | Zhu Lin |
15–21, 12–21 |  Runner-up |
| 2007 | China Open | Xie Xingfang |
21–16, 8–21, 21–17 |  Winner |
| 2009 | World Superseries Masters Finals |  Juliane Schenk |
21–15, 21–7 | Winner |
- BWF Superseries Finals tournament
- BWF Superseries tournament
BWF Grand Prix
The BWF Grand Prix has two levels: Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It is a series of badminton tournaments, sanctioned by Badminton World Federation (BWF) since 2007. The World Badminton Grand Prix sanctioned by International Badminton Federation (IBF) since 1983.
Women's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | India Open | Saina Nehwal |
22–20, 14–21, 12–21 | Runner-up |
Career Overview
Record against selected opponents
Record against year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists.
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Personal life
She has an elder sister, Wong Miew Kheng who was a former Malaysian national badminton player. She also dated the Malaysian badminton star Lee Chong Wei. The duo were planning to settle down after 11 years of courtship, after the London Olympics.[5]
In year 2009, Lee and Wong announced they are no longer together during the 2009 World Championships in Hyderabad, India. However, Lee Chong Wei announced his reconciliation with Mew Choo after winning a silver medal in 2012 London Olympics.[6] They met in 2001 at a public badminton camp when they were both back-up shuttlers for the Malaysian crew. They got married on 9 November 2012. The couple had their first child, Kingston on 12 April 2013 and their second child, Terrance on 9 July 2015.[7]
References
- "Misbun makes an about turn, returns to BAM". Bernama. Daily Express. 2 April 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- Rajes Paul (13 May 2011). "Teik Chai-Bin Shen out of world meet despite making the cut". The Star. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- "BWF Launches Super Series". Badminton Australia. 15 December 2006. Archived from the original on 6 October 2007.
- "Yonex All England Elevated To BWF Premier Super Series Event". www.ibadmintonstore.com. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
- "Wedding bells for Chong Wei". The Star. 30 August 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- "Shuttler courts question marks over marriage date". The Star. 8 August 2012. Archived from the original on 10 August 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
- Rajes Paul (9 July 2015). "Chong Wei at ease after birth of second son (updated)". The Star. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
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