Wong Choong Hann
Wong Choong Hann is a former badminton player from Malaysia. He is the first Malaysian to win a medal in the men's singles event at the BWF World Championships. Currently he is the coaching director for the Malaysia national badminton team.
Career
Wong Choong Hann's career began with the 1996 Malaysia Open.The first tournament he won was the 1997 Dutch Open. He represented Malaysia in 2002, where Malaysia emerged runners-up to Indonesia in the Thomas Cup championships.
In 2003, Wong reached the World Championships finals. In a thrilling three-game match between the veterans, he eventually lost out to the champion from China, Xia Xuanze.
Wong played badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in men's singles, defeating Przemysław Wacha of Poland in the first round. In the round of 16, he was defeated by Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia.
The low point of his career occurred during the 2006 Thomas Cup where he injured himself by snapping an achilles tendon while playing in a quarter final match against South Korea, he was required to rest for almost 6 months. He made a comeback to the sport in the Asian Games later in 2006 but was clearly far from his best form.
In the 2008 Summer Olympics he defeated reigning Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat but once again failed to advance past the round of 16, losing to Hsieh Yu-hsing of Chinese Taipei.
He has set up a company "Pioneer Sdn Bhd" with former shuttlers Lee Wan Wah, Chan Chong Ming, and Chew Choon Eng to conduct badminton programs and hopefully produce world-class shuttlers for Malaysia.
In May 2010, Wong was called back to play for the Malaysian Thomas Cup squad.
In 2011 he played his last world championship, where he lost to Boonsak Ponsana in the second round.
Personal life
Wong Choong Hann married Leaw Pik Sim on 11 June 2005. They have a daughter, named Kyra Wong Xinyue, and a son, named Kayden Wong Zixuan. He currently resides in Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur. In September 2012, he co-founded LavieFlo International—the first preserved flower retailer in Malaysia.Achievements
World Championships
Men's singles| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2003 | National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, England |  Xia Xuanze | 6–15, 15–13, 6–15 | Silver |
Southeast Asian Games
Men's singles| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 1999 | Hassanal Bolkiah Sports Complex, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei |  Taufik Hidayat | 10–15, 15–11, 11–15 | Silver |
| 2003 | Tan Binh Sport Center, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | Sony Dwi Kuncoro | 8–15, 5–15 | Silver |
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2001 | Malawati Stadium, Selangor, Malaysia |  Lee Wan Wah | Sigit Budiarto Candra Wijaya | 4–15, 5–15 | Bronze |
| 2005 | Philsports Arena, Manila, Philippines | Choong Tan Fook | Alvent Yulianto Luluk Hadiyanto | 10–15, 2–15 | Bronze |
Commonwealth Games
Men's singles| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 1998 | Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Yong Hock Kin | 10–15, 15–12, 15–6 | Gold |
| 2002 | Bolton Arena, Manchester, England | Muhd Hafiz Hashim | 8–6, 6–8, 0–7, 8–7, 3–7 | Bronze |
| 2006 | Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, Australia | Lee Chong Wei | 13–21, 12–21 | Silver |
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2006 | Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, Australia | Choong Tan Fook | Chan Chong Ming Koo Kien Keat | 13–21, 14–21 | Silver |
BWF World Grand Prix/Super Series tournaments
Men's singles| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 1997 | Dutch Open |  Oliver Pongratz | 15–10, 15–11 | Winner |
| 1999 | Malaysia Open | Luo Yigang | 16–17, 15–17 | Runner-up |
| 1999 | Denmark Open |  Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen | 15–17, 4–15 | Runner-up |
| 2000 | Chinese Taipei Open | Peter Gade | 9–15, 5–15 | Runner-up |
| 2001 | Singapore Open | Taufik Hidayat | 5–7, 7–0, 1–7, 7–1, 4–7 | Runner-up |
| 2001 | China Open | Xia Xuanze | 3–7, 7–3, 2–7, 7–5, 4–7 | Runner-up |
| 2002 | Dutch Open | Lee Tsuen Seng | 15–6, 15–6 | Winner |
| 2002 | China Open | Chen Hong | 12–15, 15–5, 15–9 | Winner |
| 2003 | Chinese Taipei Open | Sony Dwi Kuncoro | 3–15, 15–7, 15–4 | Winner |
| 2003 | China Open | Lin Dan | 16–17, 12–15 | Runner-up |
| 2007 | New Zealand Open | Andre Kurniawan Tedjono | 21–13, 18–21, 14–21 | Runner-up |
| 2007 | China Masters | Lin Dan | 19–21, 9–21 | Runner-up |
| 2009 | Macau Open | Lee Chong Wei | 15–21, 19–21 | Runner-up |
| 2009 | Chinese Taipei Open |  Nguyen Tien Minh | 11–21, 14–21 | Runner-up |
| 2010 | Malaysia Masters | Lee Chong Wei | 8–21, 21–14, 15–21 | Runner-up |
| 2011 | Australia Open |  Sho Sasaki | 11–21, 21–12, 19–21 | Runner-up |
Honour
- :
- * Member of the Order of the Defender of the Realm