Koo Kien Keat

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Koo Kien Keat
古健杰
Koo Kien Keat
Personal information
CountryMalaysia
Born (1985-09-18) 18 September 1985 (age 38)
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Height1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Weight75 kg (165 lb; 11.8 st)[1]
Years active2003–2016
RetiredNovember 2016
HandednessRight[1]
Men's doubles
Highest ranking1 (11 October 2007)
Medal record
Men's badminton
Representing  Malaysia
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2010 Paris Men's doubles
Bronze medal – third place 2005 Anaheim Men's doubles
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Madrid Mixed doubles
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Hyderabad Men's doubles
Sudirman Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Guangzhou Mixed team
Thomas Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Sendai & Tokyo Men's team
Bronze medal – third place 2008 Jakarta Men's team
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Kuala Lumpur Men's team
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Kunshan Men's team
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2006 Melbourne Men's doubles
Gold medal – first place 2006 Melbourne Mixed team
Gold medal – first place 2010 Delhi Men's doubles
Gold medal – first place 2010 Delhi Mixed doubles
Gold medal – first place 2010 Delhi Mixed team
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 2006 Doha Men's doubles
Silver medal – second place 2010 Guangzhou Men's doubles
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Doha Men's team
Asian Championships
Silver medal – second place 2007 Johor Bahru Men's doubles
Bronze medal – third place 2008 Johor Bahru Men's doubles
Southeast Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 2005 Manila Men's team
Silver medal – second place 2009 Vientiane Men's doubles
Silver medal – second place 2009 Vientiane Men's team
Bronze medal – third place 2005 Manila Men's doubles
Bronze medal – third place 2005 Manila Mixed doubles
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Vientiane Mixed doubles
World Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Pretoria Boys' doubles
Asian Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2002 Kuala Lumpur Boys' doubles
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Kuala Lumpur Mixed doubles
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Kuala Lumpur Boys' team
BWF profile
Koo Kien Keat
Traditional Chinese古健傑
Simplified Chinese古健杰

Koo Kien Keat AMN (Chinese: 古健傑; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Kó͘ Kiān-kia̍t; born 18 September 1985) is a Malaysian former professional badminton player. He succeeded in both men's and mixed doubles but is best known for his partnership with Tan Boon Heong with whom, he reached a career high ranking of world number 1.[2]

Career

In 2004, he played in the Thomas Cup with Chew Choon Eng. They gave a strong performance during the second doubles match against Flandy Limpele and Eng Hian of Indonesia in the quarter-finals. However, after the tournament, the Badminton Association of Malaysia decided to partner him with Chan Chong Ming who previously partnered Choon Eng. Later, they won the bronze medal at the 2005 World Championships.

In 2006, Koo's coach, Rexy Mainaky, decided to paired him with the hard-hitting left-hander Tan Boon Heong.[2] Together, they won the gold medal at the 2006 Doha Asian Games as an unseeded pair. En route to the finals, they defeated several top pairs including Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia. They are the youngest ever men's doubles pair to win an Asian Games gold medal at the age of 22 and 19 respectively. 2007 was the best year for Koo and Tan. They won several Superseries tournaments and climbed to the top of world rankings. They also won their first All England Superseries title after beating Chinese pair, Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng in straight games.

In 2009, the two won the bronze medal at the 2009 World Championships. At the 2010 BWF World Championships, the pair entered the semifinals after beating Korean rivals Jung Jae-sung and Lee Yong-dae. In the semifinals they defeated China's Guo Zhendong and Xu Chen 21-14, 21-18. Tan and Koo became the first Malaysian pair to enter a World Championship final in 13 years. In the finals, they played China's Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng but lost 21-18, 18-21, 14-21.

In 2010, they won their first title of the year in their home, Malaysia, as the world number 1 pair. They came in seeded number 1 in the All England Open but lost in the first round to Denmark former world champions Lars Paaske and Jonas Rasmussen.

In the 2010 BWF World Championships, they beat the young Chinese pair of Chai Biao and Zhang Nan in the quarter-finals and later their arch rivals, the South Koreans Jung Jae-sung and Lee Yong-dae, in 3 sets to reach the semi-finals. After that, they beat another Chinese pair of Guo Zhendong and Xu Chen to reach their first ever finals in World Championship. The only other Malaysian pair to reach that far before them were Cheah Soon Kit and Yap Kim Hock.

At the 2011 All England Open, Koo and Tan defeated 2008 Olympic champions Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan in the quarterfinals. They then defeated World champions Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng 21-11, 23-21. They lost to the Danes and then world number 1 Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen 21-15, 18-21, 18-21.

In 2012, they competed at the 2012 London Olympics, reaching the semi-finals losing to the eventual gold medalists, and then losing in the bronze medal match to the Koreans.[1] In 2013, they suffered a series of early round exits in 2013 and a three-year major title drought but managed to remain in the top 10 of the world rankings. In 2014, Koo parted with the Badminton Association of Malaysia and became a coach for the Granular Club of Thailand in early 2014. In August that year, Koo returned to play his last tournament with Tan at the 2014 BWF World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark. Their supposedly last match together was in the third round where they lost to a Chinese Taipei pair with a score of 19-21 in the deciding game.[3]

In 2015, Koo announced that he is coming out of retirement to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics with Tan before they call it quits for good. They were sponsored by Seri Mutiara Development Sdn Bhd and playing for an independent club. They achieved several breakthroughs this year, winning the Dutch Open and finishing as runners-up at the Thailand Open. They also made it to two Superseries quarterfinals in Australia and Korea.

In 2016, Koo and Tan managed to enter the top 15 of the world rankings. However, due to the new Olympic qualification requirement set by the BWF whereby each country can send two representatives for each event only if they are both in the top 8 of the world rankings in their discipline and if they are not then only the highest ranked representative will contest, Koo and Tan narrowly failed to qualify for the Olympics. By the time the qualification period had ended, the two were ranked world number 14, just one rank behind compatriots Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong who were selected instead and went on to win the silver medal. In November, Koo re-announced his retirement from professional badminton, citing the Hong Kong Open as his last tournament.

Playing style

Koo moves very fast around the net areas and is adventurous with deceptive shots. He also reacts very well on fast flat exchanges. A favourite formation is when he is on the front court and his partner, the main smasher, attacks from the rear of the court with powerful, left-handed smashes.

Koo and Tan are an explosive and dynamic pair in their game style.

Achievements

BWF World Championships

Men's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2005 Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, United States Malaysia Chan Chong Ming Indonesia Sigit Budiarto
Indonesia Candra Wijaya
9–15, 11–15 Bronze Bronze
2009 Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad, India Malaysia Tan Boon Heong South Korea Jung Jae-sung
South Korea Lee Yong-dae
21–16, 14–21, 20–22 Bronze Bronze
2010 Stade Pierre de Coubertin, Paris, France Malaysia Tan Boon Heong China Cai Yun
China Fu Haifeng
21–18, 18–21, 14–21 Silver Silver

Mixed doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2006 Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad, Madrid, Spain Malaysia Wong Pei Tty England Anthony Clark
England Donna Kellogg
14–21, 12–21 Bronze Bronze

Commonwealth Games

Men's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2006 Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, Australia Malaysia Chan Chong Ming Malaysia Choong Tan Fook
Malaysia Wong Choong Hann
21–13, 21–14 Gold Gold
2010 Siri Fort Sports Complex, New Delhi, India Malaysia Tan Boon Heong England Anthony Clark
England Nathan Robertson
21–19, 21–14 Gold Gold

Mixed doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2010 Siri Fort Sports Complex, New Delhi, India Malaysia Chin Eei Hui England Nathan Robertson
England Jenny Wallwork
22–20, 21–12 Gold Gold

Asian Games

Men's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2006 Aspire Hall 3, Doha, Qatar Malaysia Tan Boon Heong Indonesia Luluk Hadiyanto
Indonesia Alvent Yulianto
21–13, 21–14 Gold Gold
2010 Tianhe Gymnasium, Guangzhou, China Malaysia Tan Boon Heong Indonesia Markis Kido
Indonesia Hendra Setiawan
21–16, 24–26, 19–21 Silver Silver

Asian Championships

Men's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2007 Bandaraya Stadium, Johor Bahru, Malaysia Malaysia Tan Boon Heong Malaysia Choong Tan Fook
Malaysia Lee Wan Wah
14–21, 21–11, 12–21 Silver Silver
2008 Bandaraya Stadium, Johor Bahru, Malaysia Malaysia Tan Boon Heong South Korea Jung Jae-sung
South Korea Lee Yong-dae
21–16, 16–21, 18–21 Bronze Bronze

Southeast Asian Games

Men's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2005 PhilSports Arena, Metro Manila, Philippines Malaysia Chan Chong Ming Indonesia Markis Kido
Indonesia Hendra Setiawan
13–15, 13–15 Bronze Bronze
2009 Gym Hall 1, National Sports Complex, Vientiane, Laos Malaysia Tan Boon Heong Indonesia Markis Kido
Indonesia Hendra Setiawan
17–21, 17–21 Silver Silver

Mixed doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2005 PhilSports Arena, Metro Manila, Philippines Malaysia Wong Pei Tty Indonesia Anggun Nugroho
Indonesia Yunita Tetty
9–15, 5–15 Bronze Bronze
2009 Gym Hall 1, National Sports Complex, Vientiane, Laos Malaysia Wong Pei Tty Indonesia Nova Widianto
Indonesia Liliyana Natsir
15–21, 15–21 Bronze Bronze

World Junior Championships

Boys' doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2002 Pretoria Showgrounds, Pretoria, South Africa Malaysia Ong Soon Hock South Korea Han Sang-hoon
South Korea Park Sung-hwan
15–7, 8–15, 4–15 Bronze Bronze

Asian Junior Championships

Boys' doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2002 Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Malaysia Ong Soon Hock South Korea Han Sang-hoon
South Korea Kim Dae-sung
15–13, 15–13 Gold Gold

Mixed doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2002 Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Malaysia Wong Wai See China Cao Chen
China Rong Lu
4–11, 6–11 Bronze Bronze

BWF Superseries

The BWF Superseries, which was launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007,[4] is a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). BWF Superseries levels are Superseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries consists of twelve tournaments around the world that have been introduced since 2011.[5] Successful players are invited to the Superseries Finals, which are held at the end of each year.

Men's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
2007 Malaysia Open Malaysia Tan Boon Heong United States Tony Gunawan
Indonesia Candra Wijaya
21–15, 21–18 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2007 All England Open Malaysia Tan Boon Heong China Cai Yun
China Fu Haifeng
21–15, 21–18 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2007 Swiss Open Malaysia Tan Boon Heong Denmark Jens Eriksen
Denmark Martin Lundgaard Hansen
17–21, 21–16, 21–12 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2007 Denmark Open Malaysia Tan Boon Heong Denmark Jens Eriksen
Denmark Martin Lundgaard Hansen
14–21, 21–14, 21–12 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2008 World Superseries Masters Finals Malaysia Tan Boon Heong South Korea Jung Jae-sung
South Korea Lee Yong-dae
21–18, 21–14 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2009 Swiss Open Malaysia Tan Boon Heong Denmark Mathias Boe
Denmark Carsten Mogensen
21–14, 21–18 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2009 Denmark Open Malaysia Tan Boon Heong Denmark Mathias Boe
Denmark Carsten Mogensen
20–22, 21–14, 21–17 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2009 French Open Malaysia Tan Boon Heong Indonesia Markis Kido
Indonesia Hendra Setiawan
21–15, 15–21, 14–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2009 China Open Malaysia Tan Boon Heong South Korea Jung Jae-sung
South Korea Lee Yong-dae
13–21, 21–19, 18–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2010 Malaysia Open Malaysia Tan Boon Heong China Guo Zhendong
China Xu Chen
21–15, 17–21, 21–16 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2010 Swiss Open Malaysia Tan Boon Heong South Korea Ko Sung-hyun
South Korea Yoo Yeon-seong
18–21, 16–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2010 Japan Open Malaysia Tan Boon Heong China Cai Yun
China Fu Haifeng
21–18, 14–21, 12–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2011 All England Open Malaysia Tan Boon Heong Denmark Mathias Boe
Denmark Carsten Mogensen
21–15, 18–21, 18–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2012 Japan Open Malaysia Tan Boon Heong South Korea Kim Gi-jung
South Korea Kim Sa-rang
16–21, 19–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2012 Denmark Open Malaysia Tan Boon Heong South Korea Shin Baek-choel
South Korea Yoo Yeon-seong
21–19, 11–21, 19–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2012 Hong Kong Open Malaysia Tan Boon Heong China Cai Yun
China Fu Haifeng
16–21, 17–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2013 French Open Malaysia Tan Boon Heong Indonesia Marcus Fernaldi Gideon
Indonesia Markis Kido
16–21, 18–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
  BWF Superseries Finals tournament
  BWF Superseries Premier tournament
  BWF Superseries tournament

BWF Grand Prix

The BWF Grand Prix had two levels, the BWF Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) which was held from 2007 to 2017. The World Badminton Grand Prix has been sanctioned by the International Badminton Federation from 1983 to 2006.

Men's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
2004 Chinese Taipei Open Malaysia Chan Chong Ming Indonesia Hendra Aprida Gunawan
Indonesia Joko Riyadi
6–15, 15–13, 15–6 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2005 Denmark Open Malaysia Chan Chong Ming Denmark Lars Paaske
Denmark Jonas Rasmussen
15–6, 15–7 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2006 Swiss Open Malaysia Chan Chong Ming Denmark Mathias Boe
Denmark Carsten Mogensen
17–14, 8–15, 17–14 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2006 Malaysia Open Malaysia Chan Chong Ming Malaysia Mohd Fairuzizuan Tazari
Malaysia Lin Woon Fui
14–21, 21–11, 21–17 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2006 Japan Open Malaysia Tan Boon Heong United States Tony Gunawan
Indonesia Candra Wijaya
15–21, 14–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2007 Philippines Open Malaysia Tan Boon Heong China Guo Zhendong
China Xie Zhongbo
21–8, 26–24 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2007 Macau Open Malaysia Tan Boon Heong Malaysia Choong Tan Fook
Malaysia Lee Wan Wah
21–18, 17–21, 23–21 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2008 Macau Open Malaysia Tan Boon Heong Chinese Taipei Fang Chieh-min
Chinese Taipei Lee Sheng-mu
21–16, 21–18 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2009 Malaysia Grand Prix Gold Malaysia Tan Boon Heong Malaysia Gan Teik Chai
Malaysia Tan Bin Shen
21–11, 21–13 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2009 Macau Open Malaysia Tan Boon Heong Malaysia Choong Tan Fook
Malaysia Lee Wan Wah
21–14, 17–21, 21–12 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2011 Malaysia Grand Prix Gold Malaysia Tan Boon Heong Indonesia Hendra Aprida Gunawan
Indonesia Alvent Yulianto
21–16, 21–7 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2012 Malaysia Grand Prix Gold Malaysia Tan Boon Heong Malaysia Chooi Kah Ming
Malaysia Ow Yao Han
21–15, 21–19 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2013 Malaysia Grand Prix Gold Malaysia Tan Boon Heong Malaysia Goh V Shem
Malaysia Lim Khim Wah
20–22, 15–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2015 Thailand Open Malaysia Tan Boon Heong Indonesia Wahyu Nayaka
Indonesia Ade Yusuf
22–20, 21–23, 16–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2015 Dutch Open Malaysia Tan Boon Heong India Manu Attri
India B. Sumeeth Reddy
21–15, 21–10 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2016 Malaysia Masters Malaysia Tan Boon Heong Indonesia Marcus Fernaldi Gideon
Indonesia Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo
21–18, 13–21, 18–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2016 Vietnam Open Malaysia Tan Boon Heong Chinese Taipei Lee Jhe-huei
Chinese Taipei Lee Yang
21–18, 14–21, 7–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up

Mixed doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
2004 Singapore Open Malaysia Wong Pei Tty Indonesia Nova Widianto
Indonesia Liliyana Natsir
1–15, 4–15 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2004 Chinese Taipei Open Malaysia Wong Pei Tty Indonesia Muhammad Rijal
Indonesia Endang Nursugianti
15–3, 15–5 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
  BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament
  BWF & IBF Grand Prix tournament

BWF International Challenge/Series

Men's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
2002 Smiling Fish Satellite Malaysia Ong Soon Hock Indonesia Hendry Kurniawan Saputra
Indonesia Denny Setiawan
2–7, 5–7, 5–7 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2003 Malaysia Satellite Malaysia Gan Teik Chai Malaysia Hong Chieng Hun
Malaysia Lin Woon Fui
15–7, 17–16 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2004 French International Malaysia Gan Teik Chai Denmark Joachim Fischer Nielsen
Denmark Jesper Larsen
15–6, 17–15 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2015 Sri Lanka International Malaysia Tan Boon Heong Malaysia Chooi Kah Ming
Malaysia Ow Yao Han
21–19, 21–17 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2015 White Nights Malaysia Tan Boon Heong England Marcus Ellis
England Chris Langridge
21–10, 21–12 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2015 Swiss International Malaysia Tan Boon Heong England Peter Briggs
England Tom Wolfenden
18–21, 21–16, 21–16 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
  BWF International Challenge tournament
  BWF International Series tournament

Honours

Honours of Malaysia

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Kien Keat Koo". www.london2012.com. London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 14 August 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  2. ^ a b Sukumar, Dev (1 July 2020). "Genius in Action: Koo Kien Keat & Tan Boon Heong". bwfbadminton.com. Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 7 July 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  3. ^ Liew, Vincent (28 August 2014). "Koo Kien Keat says farewell in rubber game loss". www.badmintonplanet.com. Archived from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  4. ^ "BWF Launches Super Series". Badminton Australia. 15 December 2006. Archived from the original on 6 October 2007.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ "Musa Hitam gets Tunship". Bernama. The Star. 3 June 2006. Retrieved 3 August 2018.

External links