Top five career moments of Chinese shuttler He Bing Jiao
Following the 2024 Paris Olympics, He Bing Jiao abruptly announced her retirement, shocking the sports world. Even though Jiao is only 27, she still has a lot of badminton years left to play, but it's safe to say that she's ending her career on a high note.
The Chinese player's decision to retire after winning a silver medal at the Olympics is a fantastic way to cap off an unforgettable career. She won twelve gold medals during her storied career, peaking at number five in the world rankings in 2022.
At the age of five, she began playing badminton and was sent to Nanjing for more rigorous training. She entered the international arena in 2013 and, 11 years later, stands as an Olympic silver medalist and Asian Games bronze medalist.
On that note, let’s delve into some of her career-defining moments:
5. 2015 World Junior Championship
2015-16 was a pivotal year for He Bing Jiao as she won the gold medal in the women’s singles event at the World Junior Championships in Bilbao, Spain. Her triumph established her as a formidable competitor in the senior circuit. With this daring victory, the Chinese shuttler made badminton fans and experts take notice and signaled the rise of a new star in the sport. In many ways, this tournament heralded the rise of another Chinese badminton superstar.
4. 2019 Asia Championship
Following the Junior Championship, Jiao had another outstanding season at the 2019 Badminton Asia Championships in Wuhan, China. Despite competing in one of the most difficult fields, She ultimately earned the silver medal, losing to Yamaguchi of Japan in the final.
Even though not taking home the top medal, this performance helped her establish herself as one of Asia's top women's singles players, defeating well-known competitors like Okuhara and Cai on her way to glory.
3. 2020 Tokyo Olympics
Jiao started as the eighth seed in the women's singles competition at her first Olympic Games in Tokyo. She lost in her bronze medal match to India’s PV Sindhu, finishing agonizingly short of an Olympic medal. She finished in fourth place, just missing the podium despite her excellent performance. She was defeated by Chen Yufei in the semifinals.
2. 2022 Asian Games
After defeating R Maharjan of Nepal and Natsuki Naidara of Japan, He Bing Jiao advanced through the rounds and defeated PV Sindhu to advance to the semifinals. She lost to eventual champion An Se-young in the semifinals but won Bronze. He Bing Jiao was also a member of the Chinese women's team that took home silver at the Asian Games in 2018 and 2022.
1. 2024 Paris Olympics
The heartbreak of Tokyo turned into joy for He Bing Jiao in Paris. The 27-year-old shuttler had an exceptional campaign, winning all of her games in the group stage. She defeated Chen Yufei, the reigning champion, in the quarterfinals and Sindhu in the Round of 16 of the knockout stages.
In the semi-final, Jiao was a little lucky because her opponent, Carolina Marin, had to leave the match halfway through because of an injury after falling behind for most of the first half. She finished the competition with an unprecedented silver after losing to An Se-young of South Korea in the final.
Cover Credits - Olympics.com
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