Eddy Choong
Eddy Choong | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Birth name | Choong Ewe Beng | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country |
Malaya Malaysia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born |
Penang, British Malaya (now Malaysia) | 29 May 1930|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died |
28 January 2013 82) George Town, Penang, Malaysia | (aged|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event | Men's singles, men's and mixed doubles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Eddy Choong | |||||||
Traditional Chinese | 莊友明 | ||||||
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Simplified Chinese | 庄友明 | ||||||
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Choong Ewe Beng (29 May 1930 – 28 January 2013) was a Malaysian badminton player. He was David Choong's brother and they played men's doubles together.
Early life
Choong Ewe Beng, also known as Eddy, was a Chinese Malaysian born on May 29, 1930. He was the third son of a wealthy family in Penang. His parents were Datuk Choong Eng Hai and Datin Ho Guat Im.
Choong first went to primary and secondary school in Penang before moving to England at the turn of the 1950s to study law and medicine. His passion for the sport quickly eclipsed his studies and Eddy later said his studies were “long forgotten”.[1]
Career
Measuring at 1.62 metres (5 ft 4 in), Eddy was smaller than most of his European competitors but he made up for the height difference with endless energy and amazing acrobatic jumps that triggered a running gag about Eddy hiding springs in his shoes. Eddy was considered to be one of the first athletes to do a jump smash. His trademark shot was known as the “Airborne Kill”.
He won hundreds of regional titles and over 65 international titles in all three disciplines from 1949 to 1966. Eddy won many of these titles partnering his brother, David Choong, and his cousin, Amy Choong. Thirty of his international titles were gained from 1951 to 1953.
Noted for his quickness, tenacity, and stamina, Choong won men's the singles at the All England Open Badminton Championships four times between 1953 and 1957 when it was considered the unofficial world championship of the sport. He also reached the All-England singles final in 1952 and 1955 and won the men's doubles with his brother in 1951, 1952, and 1953.[2] He was a member of the 1955 Malayan Thomas Cup (men's international) team which retained the world team championship, and the 1958 team which surrendered the title to Indonesia[3]
Racial issues
Eddy was also a strong promoter of racial equality. Partially due to bad experiences during his childhood, Eddy was sensitive to racial issues. Eddy saw his performances in badminton as a way of showing that all races can be equally good at sport.
At the 1956 All England, he refused to attend the traditional celebration dinner because he felt the organisers treated him unfairly due to racial discrimination. On another occasion, Jørn Skaarup of Denmark gave away a match to Choong in which he felt the Malaysian was treated unfairly. Skaarup earned Choong’s respect and friendship with his fair play.
Achievements
Rank | Event | Date | Tournament |
---|---|---|---|
All England Open Badminton Championships | |||
1 | Men's singles Men's doubles |
1953, 1954, 1956, 1957 1951, 1952, 1953 |
All England |
2 | Men's singles Men's doubles |
1952, 1955 1954, 1955, 1957 |
All England |
Open Championships | |||
1 | Men's singles Men's doubles Mixed doubles |
1953 1953 1953 |
Denmark Open |
1 | Men's singles Men's doubles Mixed doubles |
1954, 1955, 1957 1955, 1957 1957 |
Dutch Open |
1 | Men's singles Men's doubles Mixed doubles |
1952, 1953 1952, 1953 1951, 1952, 1953 |
French Open |
1 | Men's singles Men's doubles |
1955, 1956, 1957 1955, 1957 |
German Open |
1 | Men's singles Men's doubles Mixed doubles |
1951, 1952, 1953, 1957 1952, 1953 1951, 1953 |
Irish International |
1 | Men's singles Men's doubles Mixed doubles |
1957, 1960 1966 1949, 1963 |
Malaysia Open |
1 | Men's singles Men's doubles |
1954 1954 |
Norwegian International |
1 | Men's singles Men's doubles |
1951, 1953, 1957 1951, 1952, 1953, 1957 |
Scottish Open |
1 | Men's doubles | 1966 | Singapore Open |
1 | Men's singles | 1954 | US Open |
1 | Men's singles Men's doubles |
1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1956 1950, 1954 |
Wimbledon International |
Awards
In 1994, Eddy won the Herbert Scheele award and was inducted into the IBF Hall of Fame in 1997.[4]
Eddy made such an influence on the game that the IBF named an award after him: The Eddie Choong Player of the Year. This award was given to players who achieved exceptional results during a given year. Peter Gade was the first player to win this award in 1998. In 2008, the award was renamed the Eddie Choong Most Promising Player of the Year and given to the player who showed to be the most promising during a calendar year.
After retirement
Eddy settled in his native Penang for his retirement. After badminton, he bred dogs and raced fast cars and go-karts. He was a good driver and made a name for himself in motor racing after winning many titles from 1967 to 1982. Eddy was also the chairman of the Hock Hin Brothers Group which was his family business in real estate and housing development. Additionally, Eddy was involved at a high level in kennel associations in Malaysia.
In 1995, Eddy became the vice-president of the Penang Badminton Association and chairman of the Badminton Association of Malaysia Technical Advisory Panel. He focused on developing badminton in his native Penang. Choong used his own money to convert a family factory into Penang’s first indoor badminton stadium. He later invested 1.5 million MYR to build the Penang International Badminton Hall. It opened in 1992.
Personal life
In 1959, Eddy married Maggie Thean Sun Lin. Together, they had 4 sons – Finn, Lionel, Antonio and Jorgen. His eldest son, Finn, and third son, Jorgen, were named after Eddy’s longtime badminton rivals and friends, Finn Kobero and Jorgen Hamergard Hansan, respectively.
Death
Eddy died in January 2013 at the age of 82 years old.
References
- ↑ "Interview with Eddy Choong". Retrieved 2016-06-29.
- ↑ Herbert Scheele ed., The International Badminton Federation Handbook for 1971 (Canterbury, Kent, England: J. A. Jennings Ltd., 1971) 163.
- ↑ Scheele, 75, 76, 84.
- ↑ "BWF Hall of fame members".
Sources
- Eddy Choong - MSN Encarta (Archived 2009-10-31)
- Eddy Choong, Fred Brundle: Badminton. Foyles Handbooks, London, Foyle, 1955
- Eddy Choong, Fred Brundle: The Phoenix Book of Badminton – Its history, the development of the shuttlecock, the diversity of style and tactics, and the badminton world of today, London, Phoenix Sports Books, 1956