Hiroe Yuki

Hiroe Yuki (湯木 博恵, Yuki Hiroe) (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.^[1]

Hiroe Yuki

Medal record
Women's badminton
Representing  Japan
World Championships
	1977 Malmö	Women's singles
World Cup
	1979 Tokyo	Women's singles
	1980 Kyoto	Women's singles
Uber Cup
	1966 Wellington	Women's team
	1969 Tokyo	Women's team
	1972 Tokyo	Women's team
	1978 Auckland	Women's team
	1981 Tokyo	Women's team
	1975 Jakarta	Women's team
Asian Games
	1970 Bangkok	Women's singles
	1970 Bangkok	Women's team
	1974 Tehran	Women's singles
	1974 Tehran	Women's team
	1978 Bangkok	Women's team

Career

Yuki was among the most notable of a cadre of fine players who helped Japan to win five of the six Uber Cup (women's world team) competitions held between 1966 and 1981.^[2] With the possible exception of Etsuko Toganoo she was Japan's most successful ever player at the prestigious All-England Championships winning four singles titles (1969, 1974, 1975, 1977) there, as well as a doubles title (1971) in partnership with her friendly rival Noriko Takagi.^[3] At the 1972 Olympics, she won a bronze medal in Women's singles, when badminton was played as a demonstration sport. In the latter part of her career she earned a women's singles bronze medal at the first IBF World Championships in 1977. Yuki overcame an Achilles tendon rupture early in her career to compile her impressive record.^[4]

Achievements

Olympic Games (demonstration)

Women's singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result
1972	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	Tokyo, Japan	Lene Køppen	7–11, 6–11	Silver
1980	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	Canadian Open			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	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	Canadian Open	Noriko Takagi			Winner
1971	Denmark Open	Noriko Takagi	Etsuko Takenaka   Machiko Aizawa	15–10, 15–3	Winner
1972	Denmark Open	Noriko Nakayama	Etsuko Takenaka   Machiko Aizawa	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

Personal

In 1986, she married Kenji Niinuma, a Japanese popular enka singer, and together they later had two children, a son and a daughter. In 2002, Yuki was inducted into the World Badminton Hall of Fame.

References

1. "HIROE YUKI". bwfmuseum.isida.pro. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
2. Pat Davis, The Guinness Book of Badminton (Enfield, Middlesex, England: Guinness Superlative Ltd., 1983) 133-136.
3. Pat Davis, Guinness Book of Badminton (Enfield, Middlesex, England: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. 1983), pp. 106, 108.
4. Herbert Scheele ed., The International Badminton Federation Handbook for 1971 (Canterbury, Kent, England: J.A. Jennings Ltd., 1971), pg. 220