Ippei Kojima

Ippei Kojima (born 1944) is a former Japanese badminton player who won a record eight Japanese national men's singles titles and some major international titles in both singles and doubles between the mid-1960s and the mid-1970s.

Ippei Kojima
Personal information
Medal record
Representing  Japan
Asian Games
1966 BangkokMen's Team
1970 BangkokMen's singles
1970 BangkokMixed Doubles
1970 BangkokMen's Team

Career

His game was marked by exceptional foot speed, great tenacity, and power surprising for a man who was about five feet (1.524 meters) tall. Kojima is the first of only two Japanese players to have won men's singles at the prestigious Danish Open (1970). He also shared the Danish Open men's doubles title, with different partners, in 1968 and 1969.[1] In 1970 he reached the final of all three events at both the U.S. and Canadian Open championships, winning men's doubles in the U.S. and both singles and mixed doubles in Canada. In 1971 he won men's singles at the Singapore Open and over a select international field at the Flare Square Invitational, a one-time-only event held in conjunction with the Calgary (Canada) Stampede, where he defeated Denmark's Svend Pri in the final. Perhaps the most notable matches of Kojima's career were a series of close but losing singles efforts against the iconic Rudy Hartono in Thomas Cup, the All-Englands, and other major venues in 1970 and 1971.[2][3]

Achievements

Asian Games

Men's singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result
1970 Indoor Stadium Huamark, Bangkok, Thailand Muljadi 15–17, 15–11, 10–15 Bronze

International tournaments

Men's singles

Year Tournament Opponent Score Result
1968 Malaysia Open Tan Aik Huang 4–15, 15–13, 6–15 Runner-up
1968 Singapore Open Tan Aik Huang 12–15, 4–15 Runner-up
1970 Denmark Open Erland Kops 15–3, 15–10 Winner
1970 US Open Junji Honma 15–13, 8–15, 8–15 Runner-up
1970 Canada Open Junji Honma 15-11, 9-15, 15-6 Winner
1971 Denmark Open Rudy Hartono 18–14, 14–15, 11–15 Runner-up
1971 Canada Open Rudy Hartono 7–15, 2–15 Runner-up
1971 Flare Square Invitational Svend Pri 15-3, 15-4 Winner
1971 Singapore Open Nunung Murdjianto 15–3, 18–16 Winner
1972 Denmark Open Svend Pri 9–15, 5–15 Runner-up

Men's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
1968 Malaysia Open Issei Nichino Tan Yee Khan
Ng Boon Bee		 15–11, 9–15, 9–15 Runner-up
1968 Denmark Open Issei Nichino Winner
1969 Denmark Open Bjarne Andersen Tan Aik Huang
Tan Aik Mong		 15–9, 6–15, 15–7 Winner
1969 US Open Channarong Ratanaseangsuang Punch Gunalan
Ng Boon Bee		 3–15, 7–15 Runner-up
1970 Canada Open Junji Honma Channarong Ratanaseangsuang
Raphi Kanchanaraphi		 10-15, 9-15 Runner-up
1970 US Open Junji Honma Don Paup
Jim Poole		 17-14, 15–2 Winner
1971 Singapore Open Junji Honma Ade Chandra
Christian Hadinata		 10–15, 8–15 Runner-up

Mixed doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
1970 US Open Machiko Aizawa Paul Whetnall
Margaret Boxall		 8–15, 2–15 Runner-up
1970 Canada Open Susan Whetnall Paul Whetnall
Margaret Boxall		 10-15, 15-5, 15-13 Winner

References
  1. Herbert Scheele, The International Badminton Federation Handbook for 1971 (Canterbury, Kent, England: J. A. Jennings Ltd., 1971) 152, 153.
  2. Herbert Scheele, The International Badminton Federation Handbook for 1971 (Canterbury, Kent, England: J. A. Jennings Ltd., 1971) 45.
  3. "Danish National Championships", Badminton USA, May 1971, 23.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.