Huang Yaqiong

Huang Yaqiong (Chinese: 黄雅琼; pinyin: Huáng Yǎqióng, born 28 February 1994) is a Chinese badminton player who specializes in doubles.^[3] She is an Olympic gold medalist, three-time World Champion, two-time Asian Games gold medalist, and two-time Asian Champion. She also won a silver medal in the 2020 Summer Olympics. Huang reached a career-high of world number 1 in the mixed doubles event with Zheng Siwei.

Huang won the prestigious All England Open in 2017 partnered with Lu Kai,^[4] and in 2019 with Zheng Siwei. Together with Lu, she emerged as the champion at the 2017 Asian Championships. With her current partner Zheng, she won the gold medal at the 2018 and 2022 Asian Games, and claimed the BWF World Championships titles in 2018, 2019, and 2022. Huang was named the Female Player of the Year by the BWF in 2018 and 2019.^[5][6][7]

Huang and her partner, Zheng Siwei, competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics as the top seeds. They won a silver medal after being defeated by their compatriots Wang Yilyu and Huang Dongping in the final in a close rubber game.^[8][9]

Huang started a short-lived partnership with Ou Xuanyi, reaching 2 finals. However, she reunited with Zheng Siwei at the All England Open,^[10] which was held a week later. They reached the semifinals, where they were defeated by their compatriots Wang Yilyu and Huang Dongping once again, in three games.

In April, Huang and Zheng participated in the Asia Championships for the third time. They were crowned as the champions, avenging their defeat against Wang Yilyu and Huang Dongping in the final without dropping a game in the whole tournament.

From May to July, Huang and Zheng won 5 consecutive World Tour titles at the Thailand Open, Indonesia Masters, Indonesia Open, Malaysia Open and Malaysia Masters back to back. The pair topped the world rankings again after winning the Indonesia Open.^[11]

In August, competing as the top seed in the World Championships, Zheng and Huang got their third gold medal of this event in their career by beating Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino, who were fighting in home soil, in two straight games.^[12]

Despite being revenged a week later in the semifinals of Japan Open,^[13] Zheng and Huang won two Super 750 events, Denmark Open^[14] and French Open^[15] in two three-game thrillers, against compatriots Feng and Huang and the Dutch pair Tabeling and Piek respectively. As a result they finished 1st in the Race to World Tour Finals ranking.

They finished the year with their 10th title of the year in the World Tour Finals by beating No.2 seeds Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai 21–19, 18–21, 21–13.^[16]

Huang and Zheng competed as the top seeds and three-time defending champions in the Malaysia Open Super 1000 at the start of the year.^[17] They defended their title without dropping a set throughout the tournament. A week later they lost in the semifinals in the India Open to Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino.^[18]

In March, the pair of Zheng/Huang participated in the All England Open and was crowned as champions for the 2nd time in their career as a pair by beating the Korean pair Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yu-jung.^[19]

In the end of April, Huang and Zheng participated in the Asia Championships as defending champions, and finished with a silver medal after losing to compatriots Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin.^[20]

In May, the pair then helped the Chinese team to lift the Sudirman Cup trophy by winning all 4 matches they played.^[21]

In June, after losing to Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun in the quarterfinals in Singapore,^[22] Huang and Zheng won their third Super 1000 title of the season in the Indonesia Open, defeating Watanabe and Higashino in straight games in the final.^[23]

In August, the pair entered the World Championships as the top seeds and defending champions. Zheng reached his fifth final without dropping a single game, but the duo lost to Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yu-jung, a pair they never lost to in 9 meetings, in three close games.^[24]

In October, Huang and Zheng, who were 2018 champions, successfully defended their title they won 5 years ago at the 2022 Asian Games, avenging their defeat to Seo and Chae in the semi-finals and defeating Watanabe and Higashino in the final in straight games.^[25]

In 2024, Huang and Zheng, who were dominant previously in Malaysia Open just finally defeated in 2024 by Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun in three sets by scoreline of 21-11, 18-21, 17-21.^[26] Two weeks later, They manage to win their fifth Indonesia Masters against a young Japanese mixed doubles pair Hiroki Midorikawa and Natsu Saito in straight sets.^[27]

In March, Huang and Zheng pair manage to defend their All England Open title and win it for the third time against their Japanese rival and number 2 seeds, Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino 21–16, 21–11.^[28] Later in April, Huang and Zheng continues to fumble the Asia Championships in the semifinals this time by losing to current recently heralded World Champions, Seo and Chae.^[29]

They resurgent in form for the final two months before Olympics by winning the Singapore Open^[30] and another final in Indonesia Open.^[31] As a result of a great and consistent season in last two years, Huang and Zheng manage to qualifies to the 2024 Olympics as the first seed in mixed doubles category.^[32]

During the Olympics, Huang and Zheng did not have a single problem in the group stage and win all the three games. In the quarterfinals, they manage to defeat their compatriot who is in the second seed, Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping in an all Chinese quarterfinal^[33] before beating the fourth seed, Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino 21–14, 21–15 in the semis and finally redeeming their lost at 2020 Olympics with a dominating straight sets win against Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun 21–8, 21–11 and took their first gold medal, completing their final major collections.^[34]

To mark an illustrious ending to their international badminton career, Huang and Zheng won another World Tour Finals after defeating Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei in a grueling three sets match of 21–18, 14–21, 21–17.^[35]

On New Year's Day, Huang announced her resignation from the national team, effectively retiring from international tournaments.^[1] She cited the accumulated injuries and increasing age as her reasons, despite still having the physical ability to compete.^[1]

Mixed doubles

Mixed doubles

Mixed doubles

Mixed doubles

Girls' doubles

Mixed doubles

Girls' doubles

The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017, and implemented in 2018,^[36] is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tour is divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300, and the BWF Tour Super 100.^[37]

Mixed doubles

The BWF Superseries, which was launched on 14 December 2006, and implemented in 2007,^[38] was a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). BWF Superseries levels were Superseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries consisted of twelve tournaments around the world that had been introduced since 2011.^[39] Successful players were invited to the Superseries Finals, which were held at the end of each year.

Women's doubles

Mixed doubles

  BWF Superseries Finals tournament

  BWF Superseries Premier tournament

  BWF Superseries tournament

The BWF Grand Prix had two levels, the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and played between 2007 and 2017.

Women's doubles

Mixed doubles

  BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament

  BWF Grand Prix tournament

Key

• Junior level

• Senior level

• Girls' doubles

• Mixed doubles

On 2 August 2024, Huang's boyfriend, fellow Chinese 2020 Olympic badminton silver medalist Liu Yuchen, proposed to her right after she received her gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympic badminton mixed doubles in Adidas Arena, Paris, which she accepted.^[40][41]

• Huang Yaqiong at BWF.TournamentSoftware.com (archived)
• Huang Yaqiong at BWFBadminton.com
• Huang Yaqiong at Olympedia
• Huang Yaqiong at Olympics.com