Ra Kyung-min

Ra Kyung-min (Korean: 라경민; Hanja: 羅景民; born 25 November 1976) is a badminton player from South Korea. Ra was a dominating mixed doubles team with her partner Kim Dong-moon from the late 1990s to early 2000s, resulting in a 70–match winning streak and 14 consecutive titles in international tournaments.

Ra Kyung-min
Personal information
Country	South Korea
Born	25 November 1976 Hongcheon-gun, Gangwon Province, South Korea[1]
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Weight	65 kg (143 lb)[1]
Handedness	Right
Women's & mixed doubles
Highest ranking	1 (WD with Chung Jae-hee 2002)[2]
Medal record Women's badminton Representing  South Korea Olympic Games 1996 Atlanta Mixed doubles 2004 Athens Women's doubles World Championships 1999 Copenhagen Mixed doubles 2003 Birmingham Mixed doubles 1999 Copenhagen Women's doubles 2001 Seville Mixed doubles 2001 Seville Women's doubles Sudirman Cup 2003 Eindhoven Mixed team 1997 Glasgow Mixed team 1995 Lausanne Mixed team 1999 Copenhagen Mixed team 2001 Seville Mixed team 2005 Beijing Mixed team Uber Cup 2002 Guangzhou Women's team 1994 Jakarta Women's team 1996 Hong Kong Women's team 1998 Hong Kong Women's team Asian Games 1994 Hiroshima Women's team 1998 Bangkok Mixed doubles 2002 Busan Mixed doubles 2002 Busan Women's doubles 1998 Bangkok Women's team 2002 Busan Women's team 1998 Bangkok Women's doubles Asian Championships 1998 Bangkok Mixed doubles 1999 Kuala Lumpur Mixed doubles 2001 Manila Mixed doubles 2003 Jakarta Women's doubles 2004 Kuala Lumpur Mixed doubles 1999 Kuala Lumpur Women's doubles 1992 Kuala Lumpur Women's singles Asian Cup 1996 Seoul Mixed doubles
BWF profile

Ra Kyung-min
Hangul	나경민
Hanja	羅景民
Revised Romanization	Na Gyeongmin
McCune–Reischauer	Ra Kyŏngmin

Career

Ra made her debut at the Olympic Games in Atlanta 1996. She played in the women's singles and mixed doubles event. In the singles, she was defeated by Huang Chia-chi of Chinese Taipei in the first round with the score of 6–11, 7–11. In the mixed doubles, she competed with her senior Park Joo-bong, reaching in to the final round and settled for the silver medal after beaten by their compatriot Kim Dong-moon and Gil Young-ah in rubber games, 15–13, 4–15, and 12–15.

Ra made her second appearance at the Olympic Games in Sydney 2000. Competed as the third seed in the women's doubles with Chung Jae-hee, they lost in the semi final match against Huang Nanyan and Yang Wei of China, and again lost to another Chinese pair in the bronze medal match Gao Ling and Qin Yiyuan. In the mixed doubles, she competed as second seed with Kim Dong-moon, reaching in to the quarter final round, defeated by Zhang Jun and Gao Ling.

Ra competed for Korea in 2004 Summer Olympics in women's doubles with partner Lee Kyung-won. They had a bye in the first round and defeated Pernille Harder and Mette Schjoldager of Denmark in the second. In the quarterfinals, Ra and Lee beat Mia Audina and Lotte Bruil of the Netherlands 15–5, 15–2. They lost the semifinal to Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen of China 6–15, 4–15, but won the bronze medal match against Wei Yili and Zhao Tingting, also of China, 10–15, 15–9, 15–7. She also competed in mixed doubles with partner Kim Dong-moon. They had a bye in the first round and defeated Chris Bruil and Lotte Bruil of the Netherlands in the second. In the quarterfinals, Ra and Kim lost to Jonas Rasmussen and Rikke Olsen of Denmark 14–17, 8–15.

Ra was inducted into the Badminton Hall of Fame in 2009.

Record

Ra Kyung-min holds the world record for shortest badminton international match that last for just six minutes defeating Julia Mann of England in women's singles during the 1996 Uber Cup with 11–2, 11–1.

Personal life

She married her mixed doubles partner Kim on 25 December 2005, and they went to Canada to study. There they had a son named Kim Han-wool in July 2007, and a daughter named Kim Han-bi in 2008. She retired when she got pregnant in February 2007, and made a comeback in September 2009.[3]

Achievements

Olympic Games

Women's doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
2004	Goudi Olympic Hall, Athens, Greece	Lee Kyung-won	Wei Yili Zhao Tingting	10–15, 15–9, 15–7	Bronze

Mixed doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
1996	GSU Sports Arena, Atlanta, United States	Park Joo-bong	Kim Dong-moon Gil Young-ah	15–13, 4–15, 12–15	Silver

World Championships

Women's doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
1999	Brøndby Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark	Chung Jae-hee	Ge Fei Gu Jun	4–15, 5–15	Silver
2001	Palacio de Deportes de San Pablo, Seville, Spain	Lee Kyung-won	Wei Yili Zhang Jiewen	11–15, 3–15	Bronze

Mixed doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
1999	Brøndby Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark	Kim Dong-moon	Simon Archer Joanne Goode	15–10, 15–13	Gold
2001	Palacio de Deportes de San Pablo, Seville, Spain	Kim Dong-moon	Zhang Jun Gao Ling	10–15, 15–12, 16–17	Silver
2003	National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, United Kingdom	Kim Dong-moon	Zhang Jun Gao Ling	15–7, 15–8	Gold

Asian Games

Women's doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
1998	Thammasat Gymnasium 2, Bangkok, Thailand	Chung Jae-hee	Ge Fei Gu Jun	11–15, 9–15	Bronze
2002	Gangseo Gymnasium, Busan, South Korea	Lee Kyung-won	Gao Ling Huang Sui	11–8, 11–7	Gold

Mixed doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
1998	Thammasat Gymnasium 2, Bangkok, Thailand	Kim Dong-moon	Lee Dong-soo Yim Kyung-jin	15–6, 15–8	Gold
2002	Gangseo Gymnasium, Busan, South Korea	Kim Dong-moon	Khunakorn Sudhisodhi Saralee Thungthongkam	11–4, 11–0	Gold

Asian Championships

Women's singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result
1992	Cheras Indoor Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Zhou Lei	12–10, 8–11, 5–11	Bronze

Women's doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
1999	Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Chung Jae-hee	Ge Fei Gu Jun	8–15, 10–15	Silver
2003	Tennis Indoor Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, Indonesia	Lee Kyung-won	Hwang Yu-mi Lee Hyo-jung	15–9, 15–7	Gold

Mixed doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
1998	Nimibutr Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand	Kim Dong-moon	Sun Jun Ge Fei	15–7, 15–8	Gold
1999	Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Kim Dong-moon	Liu Yong Ge Fei	15–7, 15–13	Gold
2001	PhilSports Arena, Manila, Philippines	Kim Dong-moon	Bambang Suprianto Minarti Timur	11–15, 15–4, 15–3	Gold
2004	Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Kim Dong-moon	Sudket Prapakamol Saralee Thungthongkam	15–10, 17–16	Gold

Asian Cup

Mixed doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
1996	Olympic Gymnasium No. 2, Seoul, South Korea	Park Joo-bong	Kang Kyung-jin Kim Mee-hyang	15–6, 15–8	Gold

IBF World Grand Prix

The World Badminton Grand Prix sanctioned by International Badminton Federation (IBF) from 1983 to 2006.

Women's singles

Year	Tournament	Opponent	Score	Result
1994	Singapore Open	Yuliani Sentosa	12–9, 11–5	Winner
1995	Canadian Open	Bang Soo-hyun	0–11, 7–11	Runner-up
1995	Thailand Open	Lim Xiaoqing	4–11, 0–11	Runner-up
1996	Swedish Open	Zhang Ning	11–6, 2–11, 4–11	Runner-up
1997	Swedish Open	Gong Zhichao	4–11, 4–11	Runner-up
2001	U.S. Open	Mette Sørensen	6–8, 7–4, 7–3, 7–2	Winner

Women's doubles

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
1997	Hong Kong Open	Chung Jae-hee	Liu Lu Qian Hong	15–7, 15–12	Winner
1998	Swedish Open	Jang Hye-ock	Huang Nanyan Liu Zhong	15–12, 15–9	Winner
1998	All England Open	Jang Hye-ock	Ge Fei Gu Jun	7–15, 7–15	Runner-up
1999	Swedish Open	Chung Jae-hee	Huang Sui Lu Ying	15–6, 15–11	Winner
1999	All England Open	Chung Jae-hee	Huang Sui Lu Ying	15–6, 15–8	Winner
1999	World Grand Prix Finals	Chung Jae-hee	Ge Fei Gu Jun	2–15, 4–15	Runner-up
2000	Korea Open	Chung Jae-hee	Huang Nanyan Yang Wei	15–6, 8–15, 15–5	Winner
2000	Chinese Taipei Open	Chung Jae-hee	Helene Kirkegaard Rikke Olsen	15–9, 15–7	Winner
2000	All England Open	Chung Jae-hee	Ge Fei Gu Jun	5–15, 3–15	Runner-up
2001	Korea Open	Kim Kyeung-ran	Huang Nanyan Yang Wei	13–15, 10–15	Runner-up
2001	Swiss Open	Lee Kyung-won	Helene Kirkegaard Rikke Olsen	7–3, 8–6, 2–7, 7–4	Winner
2001	U.S. Open	Kim Kyeung-ran	Pernille Harder Majken Vange	7–1, 7–0, 7–3	Winner
2002	Swiss Open	Lee Kyung-won	Gail Emms Lotte Jonathans	7–1, 7–1, 7–1	Winner
2002	Japan Open	Lee Kyung-won	Gao Ling Huang Sui	7–5, 1–7, 7–2, 6–8, 7–1	Winner
2003	Korea Open	Lee Kyung-won	Ann-Lou Jørgensen Rikke Olsen	11–5, 11–5	Winner
2003	Dutch Open	Lee Kyung-won	Hwang Yu-mi Lee Hyo-jung	15–4, 15–9	Winner
2003	German Open	Lee Kyung-won	Yang Wei Zhang Jiewen	15–6, 15–17, 15–8	Winner
2003	Chinese Taipei Open	Lee Kyung-won	Hwang Yu-mi Lee Hyo-jung	15–9, 15–8	Winner
2004	Korea Open	Lee Kyung-won	Yang Wei Zhang Jiewen	8–15, 15–9, 6–15	Runner-up
2004	Japan Open	Lee Kyung-won	Wei Yili Zhao Tingting	15–6, 5–15, 15–1	Winner

Mixed doubles

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
1995	Thailand Open	Park Joo-bong	Nikolai Zuyev Marina Yakusheva	15–1, 15–4	Winner
1996	Japan Open	Park Joo-bong	Kim Dong-moon Gil Young-ah	15–7, 15–1	Winner
1996	Korea Open	Park Joo-bong	Simon Archer Julie Bradbury	15–9, 15–11	Winner
1996	Swedish Open	Park Joo-bong	Chen Xingdong Peng Xinyong	15–4, 15–6	Winner
1996	All England Open	Park Joo-bong	Simon Archer Julie Bradbury	15–10, 15–10	Winner
1997	U.S. Open	Kim Dong-moon	Bambang Suprianto Rosalina Riseu	15–1, 15–3	Winner
1997	Hong Kong Open	Kim Dong-moon	Ha Tae-kwon Chung Jae-hee	15–12, 15–3	Winner
1997	China Open	Kim Dong-moon	Liu Yong Ge Fei	15–10, 15–6	Winner
1998	Japan Open	Kim Dong-moon	Jens Eriksen Marlene Thomsen	15–12, 15–9	Winner
1998	Swedish Open	Kim Dong-moon	Chen Gang Tang Yongshu	15–3, 15–3	Winner
1998	All England Open	Kim Dong-moon	Michael Søgaard Rikke Olsen	15–2, 11–15, 15–5	Winner
1998	World Grand Prix Finals	Kim Dong-moon	Simon Archer Joanne Goode	15–6, 15–9	Winner
1999	Korea Open	Kim Dong-moon	Liu Yong Ge Fei	15–6, 15–8	Winner
1999	Swedish Open	Kim Dong-moon	Ha Tae-kwon Chung Jae-hee	15–1, 15–4	Winner
1999	Singapore Open	Kim Dong-moon	Michael Søgaard Rikke Olsen	15–4, 15–8	Winner
1999	World Grand Prix Finals	Kim Dong-moon	Tri Kusharjanto Minarti Timur	15–5, 15–7	Winner
2000	Korea Open	Kim Dong-moon	Tri Kusharjanto Minarti Timur	15–13, 15–3	Winner
2000	All England Open	Kim Dong-moon	Liu Yong Ge Fei	15–10, 15–2	Winner
2000	Swiss Open	Kim Dong-moon	Zhang Jun Gao Ling	15–8, 15–9	Winner
2000	Malaysia Open	Kim Dong-moon	Tri Kusharjanto Minarti Timur	15–7, 15–8	Winner
2001	Korea Open	Kim Dong-moon	Zhang Jun Gao Ling	15–8, 15–11	Winner
2001	Hong Kong Open	Kim Dong-moon	Khunakorn Sudhisodhi Saralee Thungthongkam	3–7, 7–0, 7–2, 7–2	Winner
2002	All England Open	Kim Dong-moon	Jens Eriksen Mette Schjoldager	7–3, 7–3, 7–0	Winner
2002	Swiss Open	Kim Dong-moon	Jonas Rasmussen Jane F. Bramsen	7–3, 7–5, 1–7, 7–4	Winner
2002	Korea Open	Kim Dong-moon	Michael Søgaard Rikke Olsen	7–1, 7–3, 7–5	Winner
2002	Japan Open	Kim Dong-moon	Nova Widianto Vita Marissa	7–3, 7–2, 7–2	Winner
2002	Singapore Open	Kim Dong-moon	Nathan Robertson Gail Emms	11–2, 13–10	Winner
2003	Korea Open	Kim Dong-moon	Kim Yong-hyun Lee Hyo-jung	11–5, 11–4	Winner
2003	Singapore Open	Kim Dong-moon	Zheng Bo Zhang Jiewen	15–5, 15–9	Winner
2003	Indonesia Open	Kim Dong-moon	Zhang Jun Gao Ling	10–15, 15–11, 15–6	Winner
2003	Malaysia Open	Kim Dong-moon	Nathan Robertson Gail Emms	15–6, 15–5	Winner
2003	Dutch Open	Kim Dong-moon	Kim Yong-hyun Lee Hyo-jung	15–4, 15–2	Winner
2003	Denmark Open	Kim Dong-moon	Kim Yong-hyun Lee Hyo-jung	17–16, 15–10	Winner
2003	German Open	Kim Dong-moon	Zhang Jun Gao Ling	15–12, 11–15, 15–8	Winner
2003	Hong Kong Open	Kim Dong-moon	Zhang Jun Gao Ling	15–7, 15–10	Winner
2003	Chinese Taipei Open	Kim Dong-moon	Nova Widianto Vita Marissa	15–7, 15–5	Winner
2004	Swiss Open	Kim Dong-moon	Zhang Jun Gao Ling	15–2, 15–8	Winner
2004	All England Open	Kim Dong-moon	Kim Yong-hyun Lee Hyo-jung	15–8, 17–15	Winner
2004	Korea Open	Kim Dong-moon	Kim Yong-hyun Lee Hyo-jung	15–5, 15–11	Winner

IBF International

Women's singles

Year	Tournament	Opponent	Score	Result
1991	Hungarian International	Park Soo-yun	0–11, 4–11	Runner-up
1992	Wimbledon Open	Fiona Smith	2–11, 11–8, 4–11	Runner-up

Women's doubles

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
1991	Hungarian International	Choi Ma-ree	Kim Shin-young Park Soo-yun	9–15, 6–15	Runner-up
1999	Australian International	Lee Hyo-jung	Chung Jae-hee Yim Kyung-jin	17–16, 6–15, 15–3	Winner
2005	Canadian International	Jun Woul-sik	Ha Jung-eun Oh Seul-ki	15–5, 15–9	Winner

Mixed doubles

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
1991	Hungarian International	Hwang Sun-ho	Kim Young-gil Park Soo-yun	3–15, 12–15	Runner-up

References

1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Na Gyeong-Min". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
2. "나경민-정재희조, 세계 배드민턴 여복 1위" (in Korean). JoongAng Ilbo. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
3. 배드민턴 라경민, 2년 만에 현역 복귀 [Ra Kyung-min comebacks]. 일간스포츠 [=Sports Daily] (in Korean). 20 August 2009. Retrieved 6 December 2009.

External links

• Ra Kyung-min at BWF.tournamentsoftware.com
• Ra Kyung-min on Cyworld (in Korean)