Koo Kien Keat
.svg.png){kind=icon}
.svg.png){kind=icon}
.svg.png){kind=icon}
| Koo Kien Keat | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 古健傑 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 古健杰 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Koo Kien Keat AMN (born 18 September 1985 in Ipoh, Perak) is a retired Malaysian professional badminton player. He succeeded in both men's and mixed doubles but is best known for his partnership with Tan Boon Heong with whom, he reached a career high ranking of world number 1.
Badminton career
In 2004, he played in the Thomas Cup with Chew Choon Eng. They gave a strong performance during the second doubles match against Flandy Limpele and Eng Hian of Indonesia in the quarter finals. However, after the tournament, the Badminton Association of Malaysia decided to partner him with Chan Chong Ming who previously partnered Choon Eng. Later, they won the bronze medal at the 2005 World Championships.
In 2006, he started to play with Tan Boon Heong. Together, they won the gold medal at the 2006 Doha Asian Games as an unseeded pair. En route to the finals, they defeated several top pairs including Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia. They are the youngest ever men's doubles pair to win an Asian Games gold medal at the age of 22 and 19 respectively. 2007 was the best year for Koo and Tan. They won several Super Series tournaments and climbed to the top of world rankings. They also won their first All England Super Series title after beating Chinese pair, Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng in straight games.
In 2009, the two won the bronze medal at the 2009 World Championships. At the 2010 BWF World Championships, the pair entered the semifinals after beating Korean rivals Lee Yong Dae and Jung Jae Sung. In the semifinals they defeated China's Guo Zhendong and Xu Chen 21-14, 21-18. Tan and Koo became the first Malaysian pair to enter a World Championship final in 13 years. In the finals, they played China's Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng but lost 21-18, 18-21, 14-21.
At the 2011 All England Super Series Premier, Boon Heong and Kien Keat defeated 2008 Olympic champions Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan in the quarterfinals. They then defeated World champions Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng 21-11, 23-21. They lost to the Danes and then world number 1 Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen 21-15, 18-21, 18-21.
In 2012, they competed at the 2012 Olympics, reaching the semi-finals losing to the eventual gold medalists, and then losing in the bronze medal match to the Koreans.[3][4] In 2013, they suffered a series of early round exits in 2013 and a three-year major title drought but managed to remain in the top 10 of the world rankings. In 2014,Koo parted with the Badminton Association of Malaysia and became a coach for the Granular Club of Thailand in early 2014. In August that year, Koo returned to play his last tournament with Tan at the 2014 BWF World Championships. Their supposedly last match together was in the third round where they lost to a Chinese Taipei pair with a score of 19-21 in the deciding game.
In 2015, Koo announced that he is coming out of retirement to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics with Tan before they call it quits for good. They were sponsored by Seri Mutiara Development Sdn Bhd and playing for an independent club. They achieved several breakthroughs this year, winning the Dutch Open and finishing as runners-up at the Thailand Open. They also made it to two Super Series quarterfinals in Australia and Korea.
In 2016, Koo and Tan managed to enter the top 15 of the world rankings. However, due to the new Olympic qualification requirement set by the BWF whereby each country can only send two representatives for each event only if they are both in the top 10 world rankings of their discipline and if they are not then only the highest ranked representative will contest, Koo and Tan narrowly failed to qualify for the Olympics. By the time the qualification period had ended, the two were ranked world number 14 just one rank behind compatriots Goh V Shem and Tan Wee Kiong who were selected instead and went on to win the silver medal. In November, Koo reannounce his retirement from professional badminton, citing the Hong Kong open as his last tournament.
Personal life
He began his studies at St. Michael's Institution in Ipoh, Perak. Later, he received an offer to go to Bukit Jalil Sports School, where he completed his secondary school studies and sat for the SPM (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia) examination. He married Audrey Tan Su Ven in 2013, and has a son, Dayson, who was born in 2014.
Playing style
Koo Kien Keat moves very fast around the net areas and is adventurous with deceptive shots. He also reacts very well on fast flat exchanges. A favourite formation is when he is on the front court and his partner, the main smasher, attacks from the rear of the court with powerful, left-handed smashes.
Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong are an explosive and dynamic pair in their game style.
In 2010, they won their first title of the year in their home, Malaysia, as the world number 1 pair. They came in seeded number 1 in the All England but lost in the first round to Denmark former world champions Lars Paaske and Jonas Rasmussen.
In the 2010 BWF World Championships they beat the young Chinese pair of Chai Biao & Zhang Nan in the quarter-finals and later their arch rivals, the South Koreans Jung Jae Sung and Lee Yong Dae, in 3 sets to reach the semi-finals. After that, they beat another Chinese pair of Guo Zhendong & Xu Chen to reach their first ever finals in world championship. The only other Malaysian pair to reach that far before them were Yap Kim Hock and Cheah Soon Kit.
Achievements
BWF World Championships
Men's Doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Stade Pierre de Coubertin, Paris, France |  |
 |
21–18, 18–21, 14–21 |  |
| 2009 | Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad, India | |
 |
21–16, 14–21, 20–22 |  |
| 2005 | Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, United States | |
 |
9–15, 11–15 | |
Mixed Doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad, Madrid, Spain | |
 |
14–21, 12–21 | |
Commonwealth Games
Men's Doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Siri Fort Sports Complex, New Delhi, India | |
|
21–19, 21–14 |  |
| 2006 | Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, Australia | |
|
21–13, 21–14 | |
Mixed Doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Siri Fort Sports Complex, New Delhi, India | |
|
22–20, 21–12 | |
Asian Games
Men's Doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Tianhe Gymnasium, Guangzhou, China | |
|
21–16, 24–26, 19–21 | |
| 2006 | Aspire Hall 3, Doha, Qatar | |
|
21–13, 21–14 | |
Asian Championships
Men's Doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Bandaraya Stadium, Johor Bahru, Malaysia | |
|
21–16, 16–21, 18–21 | |
| 2007 | Bandaraya Stadium, Johor Bahru, Malaysia | |
|
14–21, 21–11, 12–21 | |
Southeast Asian Games
Men's Doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | National Sports Complex, Vientiane, Laos | |
|
17–21, 17–21 | |
| 2005 | PhilSports Arena, Metro Manila, Philippines | |
|
13–15, 13–15 | |
Mixed Doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | National Sports Complex, Vientiane, Laos | |
|
15–21, 15–21 | |
| 2005 | PhilSports Arena, Metro Manila, Philippines | |
|
9–15, 5–15 | |
World Junior Championships
Boys' Doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Pretoria, South Africa | |
|
15–7, 8–15, 4–15 | |
Asian Junior Championships
Boys' Doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | |
|
15–13, 15–13 | |
Mixed Doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | |
|
4–11, 6–11 | |
BWF Superseries
The BWF Superseries has two level such as Superseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries features twelve tournaments around the world, which introduced since 2011, with successful players invited to the Superseries Finals held at the year end.
Men's Doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | French Open | |
|
16–21, 18–21 |  |
| 2012 | Hong Kong Open | |
|
16–21, 17–21 | |
| 2012 | Denmark Open | |
|
21–19, 11–21, 19–21 | |
| 2012 | Japan Open | |
|
16–21, 19–21 | |
| 2011 | All England Open | |
 |
21–15, 18–21, 18–21 | |
| 2010 | Japan Open | |
|
21–18, 14–21, 12–21 | |
| 2010 | Swiss Open | |
|
18–21, 16–21 | |
| 2010 | Malaysia Open | |
|
21–15, 17–21, 21–16 |  |
| 2009 | China Open | |
|
13–21, 21–19, 18–21 | |
| 2009 | French Open | |
|
21–15, 15–21, 14–21 | |
| 2009 | Denmark Open | |
|
20–22, 21–14, 21–17 | |
| 2009 | Swiss Open | |
|
21–14, 21–18 | |
| 2008 | Super Series Masters Finals | |
|
21–18, 21–14 | |
| 2007 | Denmark Open | |
|
14–21, 21–14, 21–12 | |
| 2007 | Swiss Open | |
|
17–21, 21–16, 21–12 | |
| 2007 | All England Open | |
|
21–15, 21–18 | |
| 2007 | Malaysia Open | |
 |
21–15, 21–18 | |
- Superseries Finals Tournament
- Superseries Premier Tournament
- Superseries Tournament
BWF Grand Prix
The BWF Grand Prix has two levels, the Grand Prix Gold and Grand Prix. It is a series of badminton tournaments, sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) since 2007. The World Badminton Grand Prix sanctioned by International Badminton Federation (IBF) since 1983.
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Vietnam Open | |
 |
21–18, 14–21, 7–21 | |
| 2016 | Malaysia Masters | |
|
21–18, 13–21, 18–21 | |
| 2015 | Dutch Open | |
 |
21–15, 21–10 | |
| 2015 | Thailand Open | |
|
22–20, 21–23, 16–21 | |
| 2013 | Malaysia Masters | |
|
20–22, 15–21 | |
| 2012 | Malaysia Masters | |
|
21–15, 21–19 | |
| 2011 | Malaysia Masters | |
|
21–16, 21–7 | |
| 2009 | Macau Open | |
|
21–14, 17–21, 21–12 | |
| 2009 | Malaysia Masters | |
|
21–11, 21–13 | |
| 2008 | Macau Open | |
|
21–16, 21–18 | |
| 2007 | Macau Open | |
|
21–18, 17–21, 23–21 | |
| 2007 | Philippines Open | |
|
21–8, 26–24 | |
| 2006 | Japan Open | |
|
15–21, 14–21 | |
| 2006 | Malaysia Open | |
|
14–21, 21–11, 21–17 | |
| 2006 | Swiss Open | |
|
17–14, 8–15, 17–14 | |
| 2005 | Denmark Open | |
|
15–6, 15–7 | |
| 2004 | Chinese Taipei Open | |
|
6–15, 15–13, 15–6 | |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Chinese Taipei Open | |
|
15–3, 15–5 | |
| 2004 | Singapore Open | |
|
1–15, 4–15 | |
- Grand Prix Gold Tournament
- Grand Prix Tournament
- IBF World Grand Prix Tournament
BWF International Challenge/Series
Men's Doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Swiss International | |
|
18–21, 21–16, 21–16 | |
| 2015 | White Nights | |
|
21–10, 21–12 | |
| 2015 | Sri Lanka International | |
|
21–19, 21–17 | |
| 2004 | French International | |
|
15–6, 17–15 | |
| 2003 | Malaysia Satellite | |
|
15–7, 17–16 | |
- BWF International Challenge tournament
- BWF International Series tournament
Honours
Honours of Malaysia
_-_SMN.svg.png)
References
- ↑ Biography (in Chinese)
- ↑ "Musa Hitam gets Tunship". Bernama. The Star. 3 June 2006. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
- ↑ "Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat".
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Koo Kien Keat. |
- Profile at Badminton Association of Malaysia
- Koo Kien Keat at BWF.tournamentsoftware.com
|
|
.svg.png){kind=small}
.svg.png){kind=small}
|
World rankings: Top ten badminton players as of October 18, 2018 | |
|---|---|
