Hiroe Yuki
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| Born | Hiroe Yuki 湯木 博恵 15 November 1948 Kaita, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 7 September 2011 (aged 62) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.61 m (5 ft 3 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 60 kg (132 lb)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Badminton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Handedness | Right | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Kiyoshi Mori | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 1981 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event | Women's singles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BWF profile | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Hiroe Niinuma (新沼 博江, Niinuma Hiroe; née Yuki) (15 November 1948 – 7 September 2011 in Tokyo) was a Japanese badminton player. She won numerous major international titles from the late 1960s to the late 1970s.[2] She is recognized as one of Japan's most successful badminton players, having won the women's singles title at the All England Open four times. In 2002, she became the first Japanese player to be inducted into the Badminton Hall of Fame.[3][4]
Early life
Yuki was born in Hiroshima Prefecture and raised in Okayama Prefecture, where she began playing badminton during junior high school. She won her first national inter-high school championship while attending Sanyo Girls' High School. She subsequently enrolled at the Japan Women's College of Physical Education and later played for the Kawasaki corporate team.[5][6]
Career
She became a core member of the Japanese national team, helping the country win the Uber Cup five times between 1966 and 1981.[7]
Before the establishment of the World Championships in 1977, the All England Open was considered the premier individual tournament in the sport.[5] In 1969, while still a university student, Yuki made history by becoming the first Japanese player to win an All England Open title in any discipline when she captured the women's singles crown.[8] She went on to dominate the event, winning the title again in 1974, 1975, and 1977. In 1971, she also won the All England Open women's doubles title partnered with Noriko Takagi.[9] Her 1969 singles victory and 1971 doubles victory cemented her legacy as the first Asian woman to claim these titles at the venerated Wembley Arena.[3]
During a European tour in March 1970, Yuki suffered a major injury shortly before she was scheduled to defend her All England Open title.[10] On 10 March, while competing in the women's doubles at the Denmark Open partner with West Germany's Marieluise Wackerow, she tore her left Achilles tendon.[11] Following surgery and a two-week hospitalization in Denmark, she returned to Japan for rehabilitation.[12][13] Her recovery progressed quickly; her cast was removed in late April, and she resumed international competition by December 1970, winning the women's singles gold medal at the Asian Games in Bangkok.[14]
At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, where badminton was featured as a demonstration sport, Yuki won a bronze medal in the women's singles. Towards the end of her competitive career, she also earned a women's singles bronze medal at the inaugural IBF World Championships in 1977. She retired from competitive play in 1981.[15]
Personal life and death
Following her retirement, Yuki served as a coach for her alma mater, the Japan Women's College of Physical Education, and its affiliated Nikaido High School. She met the popular Japanese enka singer Kenji Niinuma after being invited to coach a badminton club in his hometown of Ofunato, Iwate. After five years of dating, the couple married in March 1986, with Yuki changing her name to Hiroe Niinuma. They later had one son and one daughter. She also served as a strengthening committee member for the Nippon Badminton Association.[16][15]
In 2004, Niinuma was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent surgery. Although she recovered and continued to play badminton recreationally, she later developed lung cancer. She died at a hospital in Tokyo on 7 September 2011, at the age of 62.[17][18][3]
Achievements
Olympic Games (demonstration)
Women's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Volleyballhalle, Munich, West Germany | Utami Dewi | 5–11, 9–11 | Bronze |
World Championships
Women's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Malmö Isstadion, Malmö, Sweden | Gillian Gilks | 4–11, 7–11 | Bronze |
World Cup
Women's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Yoyogi National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan | Lene Køppen | 7–11, 6–11 | Silver |
| 1980 | Kyoto Prefectural Gymnasium, Kyoto, Japan | Lene Køppen | 4–11, 10–12 | Silver |
Asian Games
Women's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Kittikachorn Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand | Thongkam Kingmanee | 12–9, 11–8 | Gold |
| 1974 | Amjadieh Sport Complex, Tehran, Iran | Oh Youn-han | 11–4, 11–2 | Bronze |
International tournaments
Women's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Singapore Open | Noriko Takagi | 7–11, 12–10, 4–11 | Runner-up |
| 1968 | Malaysia Open | Eva Twedberg | 11–1, 11–6 | Winner |
| 1969 | All England Open | Noriko Takagi | 11–5, 11–5 | Winner |
| 1969 | Denmark Open | Noriko Takagi | 12–10, 11–2 | Winner |
| 1971 | U. S. Open | Noriko Takagi | 5–11, 9–11 | Runner-up |
| 1971 | Canada Open | Noriko Takagi | 12–9, 11–0 | Winner |
| 1971 | Denmark Open | Noriko Takagi | 7–11, 7–11 | Runner-up |
| 1972 | All England Open | Noriko Nakayama | 5–11, 11–3, 7–11 | Runner-up |
| 1973 | Denmark Open | Imre Rietveld | 11–7, 11–6 | Winner |
| 1974 | All England Open | Gillian Gilks | 11–6, 12–11 | Winner |
| 1974 | Denmark Open | Lene Køppen | 11–4, 9–12, 12–9 | Winner |
| 1975 | All England Open | Gillian Gilks | 11–5, 11–9 | Winner |
| 1977 | All England Open | Lene Køppen | 7–11, 11–3, 11–7 | Winner |
| 1977 | Denmark Open | Joke van Beusekom | 11–4, 11–8 | Winner |
| 1979 | Denmark Open | Lene Køppen | 8–11, 11–7, 2–11 | Runner-up |
| 1981 | German Open | Sally Leadbeater | 12–11, 11–9 | Winner |
Women's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Malaysia Open | Noriko Takagi | Machiko Aizawa Etsuko Takenaka |
11–15, 10–15 | Runner-up |
| 1968 | Singapore Open | Noriko Takagi | Rosalind Singha Ang Eva Twedberg |
15–6, 15–11 | Winner |
| 1969 | Denmark Open | Noriko Takagi | Hiroe Amano Tomoko Takahashi |
15–9, 15–9 | Winner |
| 1971 | All England Open | Noriko Takagi | Gillian Gilks Judy Hashman |
15–10, 18–13 | Winner |
| 1971 | U. S. Open | Noriko Takagi | Ethel Marshall Dorothy O'Neil |
15–8, 15–2 | Winner |
| 1971 | Canada Open | Noriko Takagi | Machiko Aizawa Etsuko Takenaka |
Walkover | Winner |
| 1971 | Denmark Open | Noriko Takagi | Machiko Aizawa Etsuko Takenaka |
15–10, 15–3 | Winner |
| 1972 | Denmark Open | Noriko Nakayama | Machiko Aizawa Etsuko Takenaka |
15–11, 11–15, 17–15 | Winner |
Invitational tournament
Women's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 (Glasgow) | World Invitational Championships | Lene Køppen | 10–12, 11–6, 12–9 | Gold |
| 1975 | World Invitational Championships | Taty Sumirah | 11–8, 11–7 | Gold |
References
- ^ a b "Representatives for the 6th Asian Games Decided". The Badminton World (in Japanese). November 1970. p. 2. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "HIROE YUKI". bwfmuseum.isida.pro. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
- ^ a b c "Announcements: World badminton mourns the passing of Hiroe Yuki". Badminton World Federation. 12 September 2011. Archived from the original on 5 May 2026. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ^ "BWF Hall of Fame Inductees" (PDF). Badminton World Federation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 May 2026. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ^ a b "Kenji Niinuma's wife, former world badminton champion, has passed away". Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). 8 September 2011. Archived from the original on 26 September 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ^ "Kenji Niinuma's wife, Hiroe, has passed away... former world badminton champion". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 7 September 2011. Archived from the original on 5 May 2026. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ^ Pat Davis, The Guinness Book of Badminton (Enfield, Middlesex, England: Guinness Superlative Ltd., 1983) 133-136.
- ^ "A Visual History of Domestic and International Badminton". The Badminton World (in Japanese). July 1970. pp. 6–9. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Pat Davis, Guinness Book of Badminton (Enfield, Middlesex, England: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. 1983), pp. 106, 108.
- ^ Invicta (May 1970). "Reflections from Wembley: Rudy Hartono Wins Men's Singles Trophy Outright and Unseeded Players Become Champions in Two Events" (PDF). The Badminton Gazette. pp. 138–141. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 May 2026. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ^ "The Danish Championships: Japanese Win Two Titles" (PDF). The Badminton Gazette. May 1970. p. 145. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 May 2026. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ^ Velma (May 1970). "Off the Court" (PDF). The Badminton Gazette. p. 146. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 May 2026. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ^ "Red Blanket Travel Diary". The Badminton World (in Japanese). July 1970. pp. 8–9. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Recovering smoothly. "Thank you" from Player Yuki". The Badminton World (in Japanese). July 1970. p. 30. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Kenji Niinuma's beloved wife, Hiroe, whom he considered 'the best in the world,' has passed away". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 8 September 2011. Archived from the original on 4 May 2026. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ^ "Heartbroken Kenji Niinuma: Wife Hiroe passes away, unable to be by her side at the end". Hochi Shimbun (in Japanese). 8 September 2011. Archived from the original on 8 September 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ^ "Hiroe, wife of Kenji Niinuma, died of lung cancer; wake to be held on the 17th". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 9 September 2011. Archived from the original on 4 May 2026. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ^ "A promise made to his beloved wife before she passed away... Kenji Niinuma: 'I will become independent.'". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 18 September 2011. Archived from the original on 4 May 2026. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
External links
- Hiroe Yuki at BWFBadminton.com
- Hiroe Yuki at Olympics.com
- Hiroe Yuki at Olympedia
- Hiroe Yuki at InterSportStats