# Daniel Paiola

Daniel Vasconcellos Paiola (born May 4, 1989) is a Brazilian badminton player. He became the first Brazilian badminton player to win an individual medal in the Pan American Games when he won a bronze in the men's singles event at the 2011 Games, losing in the semi-finals to Guatemalan Kevin Cordón. He has medaled ten at the Pan American Badminton Championships, and is a one-time national champion.

## Early life

Paiola was born in Campinas, and his father died when he was one year old. He started out playing tennis, but took up badminton at age 13 after a shoulder injury took him out for year. While still a teenager, his mother sent him to train in Portugal with Marco Vasconcelos, a fifteen-time Portuguese national champion, and his training also took him to Spain, Denmark and Malaysia. His first international tournament was the 2007 Pan Am Junior Badminton Championships, where he competed in the under-19 boys' singles and mixed doubles events.

## Professional career

Paiola made his professional international debut at the 2008 South Africa International in Cape Town, where he won a gold medal in the men's singles category.
In August 2011, Paiola competed at the 2011 BWF World Championships in London. He lost his first match to Kazushi Yamada of Japan (13-21, 9-21). He also competed in men's doubles with compatriot Hugo Arthuso. They lost in the first round to Chris Adcock and Andrew Ellis (10-21, 11-21).
He also competed at the 2014 BWF World Championships in Kuala Lumpur. In the men's singles tournament, he lost his first match against Austrian David Obernosterer (21-17, 11-21, 17-21). He also participated in mixed doubles, where he and Paula Pereira lost in the first round to the Austrian pairing of Roman Zirnwald and Elisabeth Baldauf (15-21, 17-21). The following August at the 2015 event, though, he avenged his loss to Obernosterer by beating him by the scores of 21-14, 11-21, 24-22. He subsequently lost his second-round match with Lin Dan (widely considered one of the greatest badminton players ever) with scores of 14-21, 14-21.

## Achievements
### Pan American Games

Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2011 | Multipurpose Gymnasium, Guadalajara, Mexico | Kevin Cordón | 14–21, 8–21 | Bronze |
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2015 | Atos Markham Pan Am Centre, Toronto, Canada | Hugo Arthuso | Phillip Chew Sattawat Pongnairat | 18–21, 16–21 | Silver |

### Pan Am Championships

Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2014 | Markham Pan Am Centre, Markham, Canada | Bjorn Seguin | 21–23, 15–21 | Bronze |
| 2013 | Palacio de los Deportes Virgilio Travieso Soto, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | Sattawat Pongnairat | 19–21, 18–21 | Bronze |
| 2012 | Manuel Bonilla Stadium, Lima, Peru | Osleni Guerrero | 11–21, 16–21 | Bronze |
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2012 | Manuel Bonilla Stadium, Lima, Peru | Alex Yuwan Tjong | Adrian Liu Derrick Ng | 9–21, 9–21 | Silver |
| 2010 | Clube Curitibano, Curitiba, Brazil | Hugo Arthuso | Sameera Gunatileka Vincent Nguy | 19–21, 21–19, 17–21 | Silver |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2013 | Palacio de los Deportes Virgilio Travieso Soto, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | Paula B Pereira | Howard Shu Eva Lee | 8–21, 12–21 | Bronze |

### South American Games

Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2010 | Medellín, Colombia | Hugo Arthuso | 13–21, 21–18, 24–22 | Gold |
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2010 | Medellín, Colombia | Alex Yuwan Tjong | Antonio de Vinatea Rodrigo Pacheco | 14–21, 19–21 | Silver |

### BWF International Challenge/Series

Men's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2015 | Colombia International | Bjorn Seguin | 18–21, 18–21 | Runner-up |
| 2015 | Peru International Series | Kevin Cordón | 16–21, 20–22 | Runner-up |
| 2014 | Venezuela International | Osleni Guerrero | 13–21, 8–21 | Runner-up |
| 2014 | Argentina International | Kevin Cordón | 12–21, 18–21 | Runner-up |
| 2014 | Puerto Rico International | Brice Leverdez | 17–21, 14–21 | Runner-up |
| 2013 | Internacional Mexicano | Osleni Guerrero | 16–21, 17–21 | Runner-up |
| 2009 | Suriname International | Virgil Soeroredjo | 19–21, 13–21 | Runner-up |
| 2009 | Colombia International | Mario Cuba | 21–19, 21–15 | Winner |
| 2008 | South Africa International | Roelof Dednam | 23–21, 18–21, 21–18 | Winner |
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2015 | Brazil International | Hugo Arthuso | Job Castillo Lino Munoz | 18–21, 14–21 | Runner-up |
| 2015 | Colombia International | Alex Yuwan Tjong | Giovanni Greco Rosario Maddaloni | 21–16, 21–17 | Winner |
| 2015 | Internacional Mexicano | Hugo Arthuso | Job Castillo Lino Munoz | 21–13, 12–21, 20–22 | Runner-up |
| 2015 | Peru International Series | Hugo Arthuso | Emre Vural Sİnan Zorlu | 14–21, 21–17, 19–21 | Runner-up |
| 2014 | Venezuela International | Hugo Arthuso | Fabio da Silva Soares Alex Yuwan Tjong | 16–21, 21–18, 21–14 | Winner |
| 2014 | Argentina International | Hugo Arthuso | Jonathan Solis Rodolfo Ramirez | 15–21, 18–21 | Runner-up |
| 2011 | Canadian International | Hugo Arthuso | Adrian Liu Derrick Ng | 7–21, 15–21 | Runner-up |
| 2011 | Miami International | Hugo Arthuso | Phillip Chew Sattawat Pongnairat | 21–16, 18–21, 21–9 | Winner |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2015 | Puerto Rico International | Fabiana Silva | Alex Yuwan Tjong Lohaynny Vicente | 12–21, 21–18, 23–25 | Runner-up |
| 2013 | Internacional Mexicano | Paula B Pereira | Hugo Arthuso Fabiana Silva | 13–21, 21–13, 21–19 | Winner |
    BWF International Challenge tournament
    BWF International Series tournament
    BWF Future Series tournament