Zhou Mi (badminton)

Zhou Mi (Chinese: 周蜜; pinyin: Zhōu Mì; Jyutping: zau¹ mat⁶; born 18 February 1979) is a Chinese badminton player. During much of her career she represented the People's Republic of China, but since 2007 she has represented Hong Kong which has a sports program and teams independent from those of the mainland. In 2010, she received a 2-year ban, for failing a drugs test.[1]

Zhou Mi
Personal information
Country	Hong Kong
Born	18 February 1979 Nanning, Guangxi, China
Height	1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Handedness	Right
Women's singles
Highest ranking	1
Medal record Women's badminton Representing  China Olympic Games 2004 Athens Women's singles World Championships 2001 Seville Women's singles 2003 Birmingham Women's singles Sudirman Cup 2001 Seville Mixed team 2003 Eindhoven Mixed team Uber Cup 2002 Guangzhou Women's team 2004 Jakarta Women's team Asian Games 2002 Busan Women's singles 2002 Busan Women's team Asia Championships 2002 Bangkok Women's singles World Junior Championships 1996 Silkeborg Mixed doubles Asia Junior Championships 1997 Manila Gilrs' team 1997 Manila Girls' singles 1997 Manila Girls' doubles Representing  Hong Kong Asia Championships 2010 New Delhi Women's singles East Asian Games 2009 Hong Kong Women's singles 2009 Hong Kong Women's team
BWF profile

Career

Since 1998 Zhou has won more than twenty international singles titles on the world circuit and has achieved number one world rankings at various times. She was a silver medalist behind compatriot Gong Ruina at the 2001 IBF World Championships and was a bronze medalist at the 2003 Championships. She won women's singles at the quadrennial Asian Games in 2002, defeating Gong Ruina in the final. Zhou is a three-time finalist at the prestigious All-England Championships where she captured the title in 2003. She played singles for world champion Chinese Uber Cup (women's international) teams in 2002 and 2004.

Olympic controversy

At the 2004 Athens Olympics Zhou reached the semifinal round where she was eliminated from gold medal contention by fellow countrywoman Zhang Ning. She then defeated Gong Ruina in the playoff for the bronze medal. The circumstances behind Zhou's semifinal defeat are controversial, however, because China's national coach Li Yongbo later confirmed rumors that he had instructed Zhou not to fight hard after she had dropped the first game to Zhang.[2][3] His rationale was that a fresh Zhang Ning would have a better chance to defeat a non-Chinese opponent, the Netherlands' Mia Audina, in the final.

"Retirement" and comeback

Whether the Olympic episode or subsequent injury and poor performance was the primary cause, Zhou apparently retired from badminton during the 2005 season. She played no tournaments in 2006 but secured residence in Hong Kong through its Quality Migration program. Zhou then reemerged on the world badminton circuit during the 2007 season.[4] From a weak start at the Singapore Open her results dramatically improved to the point where she had regained a number one world ranking as of the end of the year 2008.[5] Since launching her comeback Zhou's titles have included the New Zealand and Philippines Opens in 2007, and the South Korea, India, Macau Opens, and China Masters in 2008. In December, Zhou ended the 2008 season by winning the BWF Super Series Masters Finals, the biggest prize money event in the sport.

Positive clenbuterol test and two years ban

The BWF announced on 4 September 2010 that a BWF Doping Hearing conducted in Copenhagen on Monday 23 August has banned Zhou Mi for 2 years from participation in badminton, following an Adverse Analytical Finding. A sample taken from her in late June as part of the BWF's 'out-of-competition' testing programme. Zhou tested positive to clenbuterol, a Class 1 Anabolic Agent on the WADA Prohibited List of substances.[6]

On 27 October 2011, more than one year after she was handed a two-year ban for testing positive for clenbuterol, former badminton world No. 1 Zhou Mi reiterated her innocence. "At the time of the test, I was not competing or preparing to compete. There was not even the slightest reason or incentive for me to take any performance-enhancing substance," said Zhou. Regardless of the incident, Zhou, now 32, added it was time for her to retire from the sport. Clenbuterol can be consumed from eating contaminated food.[7]

Achievements

Olympic Games

Women's singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result
2004	Goudi Olympic Hall, Athens, Greece	Gong Ruina	11–2, 8–11, 11–6	Bronze

World Championships

Women's singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result
2001	Palacio de Deportes de San Pablo, Seville, Spain	Gong Ruina	9–11, 4–11	Silver
2003	National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, England	Gong Ruina	2–11, 4–11	Bronze

Asian Games

Women's singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result
2002	Gangseo Gymnasium, Busan, South Korea	Gong Ruina	11–1, 11–1	Gold

Asian Championships

Women's singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result
2002	Nimibutr Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand	Zhang Ning	6–11, 11–3, 11–8	Gold
2010	Siri Fort Indoor Stadium, New Delhi, India	Liu Xin	15–21, 18–21	Bronze

East Asian Games

Women's singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result
2009	Queen Elizabeth Stadium, Hong Kong	Yip Pui Yin	21–15, 13–21, 10–17 retired	Silver

World Junior Championships

Mixed doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
1996	Silkeborg Hallerne, Silkeborg, Denmark	Zhu Feng	Cheng Rui Gao Ling	8–15, 14–17	Bronze

Asian Junior Championships

Girls' singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result
1997	Ninoy Aquino Stadium, Manila, Philippines	Gong Ruina		Silver

Girls' doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
1997	Ninoy Aquino Stadium, Manila, Philippines	Yu Hua	Chor Hooi Yee Lim Pek Siah	10–15, 6–15	Bronze

BWF Superseries

The BWF Superseries, which was launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007,[8] 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.[9] Successful players are invited to the Superseries Finals, which are held at the end of each year.

Women's singles

Year	Tournament	Opponent	Score	Result
2008	Korea Open	Lu Lan	21–18, 15–21, 21–15	Winner
2008	Singapore Open	Tine Rasmussen	19–21, 17–21	Runner-up
2008	Japan Open	Wang Yihan	19–21, 21–17, 15–21	Runner-up
2008	China Masters	Wang Lin	21–19, 19–21, 21–16	Winner
2008	Denmark Open	Wang Lin	18–21, 10–21	Runner-up
2008	World Superseries Masters Finals	Wang Chen	21–14, 21–18	Winner
2009	Malaysia Open	Tine Rasmussen	17–21, 21–15, 16–21	Runner-up
2009	Singapore Open	Xie Xingfang	21–19, 18–21, 21–10	Winner

  BWF Superseries Finals 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 sanctioned by International Badminton Federation (IBF) from 1983 to 2006.

Women's singles

Year	Tournament	Opponent	Score	Result
1998	Brunei Open	Gong Ruina	7–11, 4–11	Runner-up
1998	Dutch Open	Yao Jie	10–13, 13–11, 11–4	Winner
1999	Korea Open	Gong Ruina	11–6, 13–12	Winner
1999	Chinese Taipei Open	Dai Yun	5–11, 8–11	Runner-up
1999	Denmark Open	Camilla Martin	11–8, 3–11, 1–11	Runner-up
1999	China Open	Gong Ruina	11–6, 11–5	Winner
2000	Thailand Open	Ye Zhaoying	5–11, 0–11	Runner-up
2000	Dutch Open	Gong Ruina	11–7, 9–11, 11–8	Winner
2000	Denmark Open	Camilla Martin	1–11, 11–6, 11–7	Winner
2000	World Grand Prix Finals	Gong Zhichao	7–5, 5–7, 7–1, 7–0	Winner
2001	All England Open	Gong Zhichao	7–11, 3–11	Runner-up
2001	Japan Open	Gong Ruina	11–8, 11–0	Winner
2001	Malaysia Open	Gong Ruina	3–7, 2–7, 4–7	Runner-up
2001	China Open	Gong Ruina	7–2, 7–0, 7–4	Winner
2002	Japan Open	Dai Yun	7–1, 7–0, 7–1	Winner
2002	Singapore Open	Zhang Ning	11–6, 11–3	Winner
2003	All England Open	Xie Xingfang	11–6, 11–5	Winner
2003	Singapore Open	Zhang Ning	0–11, 8–11	Runner-up
2003	Malaysia Open	Camilla Martin	11–1, 7–11, 11–5	Winner
2003	Denmark Open	Gong Ruina	11–4, 10–13, 3–11	Runner-up
2003	China Open	Gong Ruina	13–10, 11–1	Winner
2004	All England Open	Gong Ruina	7–11, 7–11	Runner-up
2004	Malaysia Open	Zhang Ning	11–9, 7–11, 8–11	Runner-up
2004	Singapore Open	Zhang Ning	8–11, 1–11	Runner-up
2005	Singapore Open	Zhang Ning	5–11, 7–11	Runner-up
2005	China Masters	Zhang Ning	3–11, 11–5, 3–11	Runner-up
2007	New Zealand Open	Chie Umezu	21–13, 21–10	Winner
2007	Thailand Open	Zhu Lin	22–20, 5–21, 14–21	Runner-up
2007	Philippines Open	Zhu Jingjing	21–18, 21–12	Winner
2008	India Open	Lu Lan	21–14, 21–14	Winner
2008	Macau Open	Julia Wong Pei Xian	21–13, 21–19	Winner
2008	New Zealand Open	Rachel Hindley	21–10, 21–15	Winner
2009	Philippines Open	Wang Xin	10–21, 21–12, 21–23	Runner-up
2010	Malaysia Grand Prix Gold	Yip Pui Yin	16–21, 21–14, 19–21	Runner-up

Women's doubles

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
1999	Dutch Open	Tang Chunyu	Chen Lin Jiang Xuelian	9–15, 4–15	Runner-up

Mixed doubles

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
1996	Brunei Open	Yang Ming	Sandiarto Vera Octavia	13–18, 12–15	Runner-up

  BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament

  BWF & IBF Grand Prix tournament

BWF International Challenge/Series

Women's singles

Year	Tournament	Opponent	Score	Result
1999	French International	Aparna Popat	11–0, 11–2	Winner
2007	Miami Pan Am International	Lucía Tavera	21–7, 21–6	Winner

  BWF International Challenge tournament

  BWF International Series tournament

  BWF Future Series tournament

Record against selected opponents

Record against year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists.[10]

Players Matches Results Difference Won Lost Petya Nedelcheva 4 4 0 +4 Dai Yun 6 3 3 0 Gong Ruina 24 12 12 0 Gong Zhichao 3 2 1 +1 Han Jingna 1 1 0 +1 Li Xuerui 1 0 1 –1 Lu Lan 7 6 1 +5 Wang Lin 4 3 1 +2 Wang Shixian 1 0 1 –1 Wang Xin 2 0 2 –2 Wang Yihan 4 0 4 –4 Xie Xingfang 12 9 3 +6 Ye Zhaoying 2 0 2 –2

Players Matches Results Difference Won Lost Zhang Ning 20 12 8 +4 Zhu Lin 6 1 5 –4 Huang Chia-chi 1 1 0 +1 Tai Tzu-ying 1 1 0 +1 Tine Baun 12 8 4 +4 Camilla Martin 8 4 4 0 Mette Sørensen 1 1 0 +1 Tracey Hallam 4 4 0 +4 Pi Hongyan 7 4 3 +1 Juliane Schenk 4 3 1 +2 Xu Huaiwen 7 4 3 +1 / Wang Chen 11 7 4 +3 Yip Pui Yin 3 2 1 +1

Players Matches Results Difference Won Lost Saina Nehwal 4 3 1 +2 Lindaweni Fanetri 1 1 0 +1 Maria Kristin Yulianti 3 2 1 +1 Yasuko Mizui 2 1 1 0 Wong Mew Choo 3 3 0 +3 / Mia Audina 11 6 5 +1 Bae Yeon-ju 2 0 2 –2 Kim Ji-hyun 2 1 1 0 Sung Ji-hyun 2 1 1 0 Porntip Buranaprasertsuk 2 2 0 +2 Ratchanok Intanon 1 1 0 +1 Somharuthai Jaroensiri 1 0 1 –1

References

1. http://www.bwfbadminton.org/news_item.aspx?id=39476
3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved December 28, 2008.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
4. Miami Lakes Internationals - Zhou Mi back in Business, Badzine.net, 23 April 2007
5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 14, 2008. Retrieved August 14, 2008.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
6. Zhou Mi banned for two years Badminton World Federation. Saturday, 04 September 2010.
7. Former No1 Zhou reiterates innocence over positive drug test The Standard. Friday, 28 October 2011
8. "BWF Launches Super Series". Badminton Australia. 15 December 2006. Archived from the original on 6 October 2007.
9. "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.
10. "Zhou Mi Head to Head". bwf.tournamentsoftware.com. Retrieved 8 March 2020.

External links

• Zhou Mi at BWF.tournamentsoftware.com
• Zhou Mi at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)