Liu Xia (Chinese: 刘霞; pinyin: Liú Xiá; Mandarin pronunciation: lʲə́u ɕáː) is a former badminton player from China.[2]

Liu Xia
刘霞
Personal information
CountryChina
Born1955 (age 68–69)
Shanghai, China[1]
HandednessRight
Medal record
Women's badminton
Representing  China
World Games
Gold medal – first place 1981 Santa Clara Women's doubles
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1979 Hangzhou Women's team
Silver medal – second place 1979 Hangzhou Women's doubles
Bronze medal – third place 1979 Hangzhou Women's singles
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 1978 Bangkok Women's Team
Silver medal – second place 1978 Bangkok Women's singles
Asian Championships
Silver medal – second place 1976 Hyderabad Women's singles
Bronze medal – third place 1976 Hyderabad Women's doubles

Liu is one of the players from China who played in the era of split between World Badminton Federation (WBF) and International Badminton Federation (IBF). The Chinese badminton team was the member of WBF due to dispute, she therefore wasn't able to participate in many of the big tournaments which were handled and sanctioned only by the IBF, but still excelled in various continental championships which included Asian Games, Asian Championships and Asian Invitational Championships. She was the gold medalist in the World Championship which rival organisation WBF conducted in 1979.

Career & Early life

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In 1970, when Liu Xia was a 15 years of age, she was studying at Chengdu No. 2 Middle School in Shanghai. Being a 15-year-old, it was the first time she was exposed to badminton and thereafter joined the Shanghai team. Just after an year, she got selected to the national badminton training team. Because of her extreme talent in the sport, which included broader skills, coordination of movements, flexible pace, etc. she immediately became the main force of the Chinese women's team. In 1975, Liu travelled to Japan with the Chinese youth team and became the press attention after defeating strongest of Japanese players at that time. After winning several Asian championships, Liu ushered in the pinnacle of her career: in the first World Games badminton competition held in the United States in July 1981, she teamed up with Zhang Ailing to win the women's doubles championship.[3] Due to the organisational divide, the Chinese badminton team failed to participate in the World Championships, Olympic Games and other competitions, and she did not have a bigger stage to show her skills, but proved herself of being an elite player of that generation.

After retirement, Liu Xia returned to her hometown Shanghai and then went to Thailand as a coach in 1990. She also has her own business in Shanghai. On the one hand, she is in charge of the development department of the East Asian Sports and Cultural Center, and also opened an indoor badminton hall next to the Shanghai Stadium, which holds the "Liu Xia Cup" amateur badminton competition on annual basis.

Achievements

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World Games

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Women's doubles
Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
1981 San Jose Civic Auditorium, California, United States   Zhang Ailing   Nora Perry
  Jane Webster
11–15, 15–4, 15–8   Gold

World Championships

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Women's singles
Year Venue Opponent Score Result
1979 Hangzhou, China   Han Aiping 11–4, 7–11, 0–11   Bronze
Women's doubles
Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
1979 Hangzhou, China   Zhang Ailing   Suleeporn Jittariyakul
  Sirisriro Patama
10–15, 11–15   Silver

Asian Games

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Women's singles
Year Venue Opponent Score Result
1978 Bangkok, Thailand   Liang Qiuxia 6–11, 5–11   Silver

Asian Championships

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Women's singles
Year Venue Opponent Score Result
1976 Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Hyderabad,
India
  Liang Qiuxia 6–11, 6–11   Silver
Women's doubles
Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
1976 Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Hyderabad,
India
  Zhang Ailing   Regina Masli
  Theresia Widiastuti
9–15, 8–15   Bronze

International tournaments

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Women's doubles
Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
1981 Scandinavian Cup   Zhang Ailing   Nora Perry
  Jane Webster
12–15, 9–15   Runner-up
1981 English Masters   Zhang Ailing   Gillian Gilks
  Yoshiko Yonekura
15–10, 3–15, 15–6   Winner

Invitational tournament

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Women's singles
Year Tournament Opponent Score Result
1977 Asian Invitational Championships   Liang Qiuxia 5–11, 7–11   Silver
1978 Asian Invitational Championships   Zhang Ailing 11–2, 11–7   Gold
Women's doubles
Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
1977 Asian Invitational Championships   Liang Qiuxia   Mikiko Takada
  Atsuko Tokuda
15–7, 15–6   Gold

References

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  1. ^ "刘霞 Liu Xia". Badminton China (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  2. ^ "冠军情侣刘霞陈天龙力撑 上海全球华人羽球大赛展开" (in Chinese). Sina. 31 October 2005. Archived from the original on 14 June 2021.
  3. ^ "Results of the World Games". International World Games Association. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
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