Image from Badminton World Federation.
BEIJING, June 21 (Xinhua): Chinese doubles badminton legend Zhao Yunlei was inducted into the 2022 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Hall of Fame on Tuesday, along with contemporary Indonesian doubles player Liliyana Natsir, who was announced on Saturday.
Zhao Yunlei has won multiple tournaments, most notably in mixed doubles with Zhang Nan and women's doubles with Tian Qing.
She was the only player to win a double at the same Olympics (London 2012) and two consecutive World Championships (Copenhagen 2014, Jarkada 2015).
"Zhao Yunlei was possibly the most versatile female doubles player of her time. She had few equals when it came to dominance in two categories over an extended period and retired as one of the most accomplished players ever - two Olympic and five World Championships gold among the several titles she picked up in her career," said the BWF statement.
"Making the BWF Hall of Fame is the ultimate tribute in badminton," BWF President Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen said.
"The Hall of Fame recognises the best of the best, and Zhao surely deserves a place in this elite list."
Zhao will be honored at a virtual ceremony and media event on Friday. - Xinhua
