Kate Foo Kune

Kate Foo Kune (born 29 March 1993) is a badminton player from Mauritius.[1] She began playing badminton in Mauritius at age six. Her first major tournament participation was 2013 BWF World Championships in China, where she lost in the first round of women's singles to Sarah Walker of England.[2] Foo Kune represented her country at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[3] She was the flag bearer for Mauritius during the Parade of Nations.[4]

Kate Foo Kune
Personal information
Birth nameKate Jessica Kim Lee Foo Kune
Country Mauritius
Born (1993-03-29) 29 March 1993
Moka, Mauritius
ResidenceParis, France
Height1.62 m (5 ft 4 in)
HandednessLeft
Women's singles & doubles
Highest ranking57 (WS 21 April 2016)
69 (WD 5 April 2012)
140 (XD 7 December 2017)
Current ranking108 (WS 18 February 2020)
BWF profile

As a junior player, she won the Under-15 and Under-19 African tournaments. She was awarded the Sportswoman of the year in 2015 in Mauritius. In doubles, she partnered with Yeldy Marie Louison, while in mixed doubles, she partnered with Georges Julien Paul. Her career-best ranking remains 63 as of 2016 and her best performance remains the gold at 2015 African games. In June 2019, Kate was tested positive for doping during the 2019 African Badminton Championships and on November 2019 it is announced that her result in the championship is disqualified.[5]

Personal life

Kate Foo Kune is the second child of Jacques and Cathy Foo Kune (née Ng), both leading mixed doubles badminton players who several championships, such as the 1985 Indian Ocean Games.[6] The pair were married in 1990 and had two children. Her sister, Karen Foo Kune, is also a professional badminton player and competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Foo Kune pursued her bachelor's degree in Sports Management while at France.[7]

The sisters were paired and played doubles in 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.[8]

Professional life

Foo Kune started playing badminton at the age of six and turned professional by twelve. She first participated in a junior competition at age 12 in 2005. She had her international debut Thomas and Uber Cup Qualification for Africa in 2010 held at Uganda. She was named Sportswoman of the Year in 2015 in Mauritius. In doubles, she partnered with Yeldy Marie Louison, while in mixed doubles, she partnered with Georges Julien Paul.[3] During the early part of her career, she paired with her sister Karen Foo Kune. During her first outing in the African Badminton Cup of Nations, she finished second, but a few weeks later, she won the Mauritius International Series. She went on to win the Under-15 and Under-19 African tournaments.[9]

In September 2013, it was reported that she was one of the 14 players selected for the Road to Rio Program, a program that aimed to help African badminton players compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics.[10]

As of 2016, she lived in Paris, France,[11] and joined Issy-Les-Moulineaux Badminton Club. Prior to this, she trained for four months in Malaysia and Leeds, England.[9]

Foo Kune was part of the Mauritius badminton squad which won the title at the 2016 Africa Continental Team Badminton Championships[12] in February 2016, which also confirms the participation of Mauritius in 2016 Uber Cup. In June 2016, Foo Kune won the 2016 European Badminton Club Championships with her club despite losing in the final to Beatriz Corrales.[13] She was the flagbearer for Mauritius during the Parade of Nations.[14] She won her first match against Wendy Chen Hsuan-Yu of Australia, but was defeated by Porntip Buranaprasertsuk of Thailand and failed to qualify for the next round.[11]

Achievements

All African Games

Women's singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result
2015 Gymnase Étienne Mongha, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo Grace Gabriel 21–13, 21–19 Gold

Women's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2015 Gymnase Étienne Mongha,
Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
Yeldy Marie Louison Juliette Ah-Wan
Allisen Camille
20–22, 21–18, 14–21 Silver

African Championships

Women's singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result
2020 Cairo Stadium Hall 2, Cairo, Egypt Dorcas Ajoke Adesokan 21–19, 21–16 Gold
2019 Alfred Diete-Spiff Centre, Port Harcourt, Nigeria Dorcas Ajoke Adesokan 12–21, 13–21 Silver
2018 Salle OMS Harcha Hacéne, Algiers, Algeria Dorcas Ajoke Adesokan 21–16, 21–19 Gold
2017 John Barrable Hall, Benoni, South Africa Hadia Hosny 16–21, 21–14, 21–8 Gold
2014 Lobatse Stadium, Gaborone, Botswana Grace Gabriel 21–14, 14–21, 21–17 Gold
2013 National Badminton Centre, Rose Hill, Mauritius Grace Gabriel 23–25, 12–21 Silver

In November 2019, Badminton World Federation released a statement regarding doping test failure of Kate Foo Kune in this championships and decided to disqualify her result.[5]

Women's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2014 Lobatse Stadium,
Gaborone, Botswana
Yeldy Marie Louison Juliette Ah-Wan
Allisen Camille
21–17, 22–20 Gold
2011 Marrakesh, Morocco Karen Foo Kune Annari Viljoen
Michelle Edwards
21–19, 9–21, 8–21 Bronze

Mixed doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2017 John Barrable Hall,
Benoni, South Africa
Georges Julien Paul Andries Malan
Jennifer Fry
19–21, 21–19, 19-21 Silver

BWF International Challenge/Series (9 titles, 11 runners-up)

Women's singles

Year Tournament Opponent Score Result
2019 South Africa International Katharina Fink 21–16, 21–14 Winner
2018 Uganda International Hadia Hosny 21–19, 21–10 Winner
2017 South Africa International Vaishnavi Reddy Jakka 10–21, 10–21 Runner-up
2017 Zambia International Ksenia Polikarpova 14–21, 21–16, 21–18 Winner
2016 Norwegian International Yap Rui Chen 13–21, 8–21 Runner-up
2016 Uganda International Telma Santos 10–21, 12–21 Runner-up
2015 Botswana International Laura Sarosi 10–21, 14–21 Runner-up
2015 Zambia International Sorayya Aghaei 15–21, 1–0 Retired Winner
2015 Nigeria International Grace Gabriel 21–14, 11–21, 12–21 Runner-up
2014 Zambia International Grace Gabriel 21–16, 21–17 Winner
2014 Morocco International Lianne Tan 11–7, 9–11, 9–11, 8–11 Runner-up
2013 Mauritius International Grace Gabriel 21–18, 16–21, 24–22 Winner

Women's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
2014 Zambia International Grace Gabriel Michelle Butler-Emmett
Elme de Villiers
17–21, 21–19, 17–21 Runner-up
2014 Mauritius International Yeldy Marie Louison Annika Horbach
Maria Mata Masinipeni
12–21, 12–21 Runner-up

Mixed doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
2018 Uganda International Jonathan Persson Georges Julien Paul
Aurelie Marie Elisa Allet
21–11, 21–18 Winner
2017 Zambia International Jonathan Persson Misha Zilberman
Svetlana Zilberman
Walkover Winner
2017 Mauritius International Jonathan Persson Yogendran Khrishnan
Prajakta Sawant
7–21, 17–21 Runner-up
2017 Brazil International Jonathan Persson Hugo Arthuso
Fabiana Silva
11–21, 19–21 Runner-up
2014 Zambia International Georges Julien Paul Ali Ahmed El-Khateeb
Doha Hany
21–18, 21–14 Winner
2014 Hatzor International Florent Riancho Gennadiy Natarov
Yuliya Kazarinova
6–11, 7–11, 11–8, 10–11 Runner-up
     BWF International Challenge tournament
     BWF International Series tournament
     BWF Future Series tournament

Career overview

* Statistics were last updated on 18 February 2020.[15]

References

  1. "Athlete Kate Foo Kune". www.rio2016.com. Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  2. "BADMINTON : Kate Foo Kune s'incline au 1er tour". Le Mauricien. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  3. "Players: Kate Foo Kune". bwfbadminton.com. Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  4. "Porte-drapeau de la délégation Mauricienne : Kate Foo Kune, l'histoire retiendra" [Kate Foo Kune made history, will be the flag bearer for the Mauritian delegation] (in French). Le Mauricien. 23 July 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  5. "BWF Statement on Mauritius Badminton Player Kate Jessica Foo Kune". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  6. Korimdun, Naushad (28 December 2015). "Famille Foo Kune: quand le badminton unit et construit". Defi Media. Archived from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  7. "Olympics 2016: Kate Foo Kune And Badminton, A Family Story". Visit Mauritius. 26 July 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  8. "Mauritian shuttler Foo Kune owns her life to Badminton". Sports Campus. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  9. Hearn, Don (29 August 2013). "Kate Foo Kune – Beating the odds from 'the middle of nowhere'". Badzine. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  10. -, Badminton Confederation Africa. "Newsletter du Mois de Septembre 2013 Road to Rio". Africa Badminton. Badminton Confederation Africa. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2017.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. "Without badminton I wouldn't exist, says Mauritian shuttler Foo Kune". Xinhua. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  12. "SA, Mauritius Crowned Champions: Africa Continental Team Championships finals". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  13. Phelan, Mark (26 June 2016). "Corvee inspires Issy to European glory". Badminton Europe. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  14. "The Flagbearers for the Rio 2016 Opening Ceremony". 16 August 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  15. "Kate Foo Kune: Career overview". bwf.tournamentsoftware.com. Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 21 February 2020.


Olympic Games
Preceded by
Natacha Rigobert
Flagbearer for  Mauritius
2016 Rio de Janeiro
Succeeded by
Incumbent
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