Olympic gold medalists Zhang Ning, Cai Yun, Fu Haifeng inducted into Badminton Hall of Fame

Olympic gold medallists Zhang Ning, Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng have been inducted into the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Hall of Fame.

The trio have been key figures in China’s dominance of major badminton championships in the last decade, demonstrating tremendous skill, talent, sportsmanship and longevity.

Read: Tokyo Olympics: Favourites to win gold in the Men's Badminton Singles event

BWF President Poul-Erik Høyer lauded their stellar achievements in badminton and labeled them as instrumental figures in the history of the sport. He said:

“Zhang Ning, Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng are iconic figures from recent years. They played at an incredibly high level, which helped them win every major title in badminton.

"Most importantly, the standards they set will always be a challenge for younger generations of players who seek to emulate them. I congratulate them on entering the BWF Hall of Fame, which is a well-deserved recognition for these three great players from China."

Leave a message ✍️👇 for our BWF Hall of Fame Inductee Zhang Ning. 🇨🇳#BadmintonIcons pic.twitter.com/y3c0WXNI7a

— BWF (@bwfmedia) June 10, 2021

Zhang Ning: The only women's singles shuttler to defend Olympic gold

The only women’s singles player to defend an Olympic gold (Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008), Zhang Ning was an all-rounder. She won the BWF World Championships in 2003 and guided China to team triumphs at the Uber Cup (2004, 2006) and Sudirman Cup (2005, 2007).

Meanwhile, Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng achieved unprecedented success, becoming the only men’s doubles pair to win four BWF World Championships. With his front-court play ably assisting the powerful Fu, Cai piloted the pair to Olympic silver at Beijing 2008 and gold at London 2012, as well as Asian Games team gold in 2006 and 2010.

They also contributed a major part to China’s dominance over a decade in the Thomas Cup and Sudirman Cup competitions.

Following Cai’s retirement, Fu partnered Zhang Nan to claim a second successive badminton Olympic gold in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Just like Zhang and Cai, Fu was the backbone of the Chinese team at major team events for over a decade.