# Wong Choong Hann

Wong Choong Hann AMN (simplified Chinese: 黄综翰; traditional Chinese: 黃綜翰; pinyin: Huáng Zònghàn; born 17 February 1977) is a Malaysian former badminton player. He was the first Malaysian to win a medal in the men's singles event at the BWF World Championships. He resigned as the coaching director for the Malaysia national badminton team in June 2023.

## Career

Wong Choong Hann's career began with the 1996 Malaysia Open. The first tournament he won was the 1997 Dutch Open. He represented Malaysia in 2002, where Malaysia emerged runners-up to Indonesia in the Thomas Cup championships.
In 2003, Wong reached the World Championships finals. In a thrilling three-set match between the veterans (both he and his opponent were above 24 years old then), he eventually lost out to the champion from China, Xia Xuanze.
Wong played badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in men's singles, defeating Przemysław Wacha of Poland in the first round. In the round of 16, he was defeated by Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia.
The low point of his career occurred during the 2006 Thomas Cup when he injured himself by snapping an achilles tendon while playing in a quarter final match against South Korea, and was required to rest for almost 6 months. He made a comeback to the sport in the Asian Games later in 2006 but was clearly off form.
In the 2008 Summer Olympics he defeated reigning Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat but once again failed to advance past the round of 16, losing to Hsieh Yu-hsing of Chinese Taipei.
He has set up a company "Pioneer Sdn Bhd" with former shuttlers Lee Wan Wah, Chan Chong Ming, and Chew Choon Eng to conduct badminton programmes and hopefully produce world-class shuttlers for Malaysia.
In May 2010, Wong was called back to play for the Malaysian Thomas Cup squad.
In 2011 he played his last world championship, where he lost to Boonsak Ponsana in the second round.

## Personal life

Wong Choong Hann married Leaw Pik Sim on 11 June 2005. They have a daughter, named Kyra Wong Xinyue, and a son, named Kayden Wong Zixuan. He currently resides in Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur. In September 2012, he co-founded LavieFlo International—the first preserved flower retailer in Malaysia.

## Achievements
### World Championships

Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2003 | National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, England | Xia Xuanze | 6–15, 15–13, 6–15 | Silver |

### Commonwealth Games

Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 1998 | Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Yong Hock Kin | 10–15, 15–12, 15–6 | Gold |
| 2002 | Bolton Arena, Manchester, England | Muhammad Hafiz Hashim | 8–6, 6–8, 0–7, 8–7, 3–7 | Bronze |
| 2006 | Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, Australia | Lee Chong Wei | 13–21, 12–21 | Silver |
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2006 | Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, Australia | Choong Tan Fook | Chan Chong Ming Koo Kien Keat | 13–21, 14–21 | Silver |

### SEA Games

Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 1999 | Hassanal Bolkiah Sports Complex, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei | Taufik Hidayat | 10–15, 15–11, 11–15 | Silver |
| 2003 | Tan Binh Sport Center, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | Sony Dwi Kuncoro | 8–15, 5–15 | Silver |
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2001 | Malawati Stadium, Selangor, Malaysia | Lee Wan Wah | Sigit Budiarto Candra Wijaya | 4–15, 5–15 | Bronze |
| 2005 | PhilSports Arena, Pasig, Philippines | Choong Tan Fook | Luluk Hadiyanto Alvent Yulianto | 10–15, 2–15 | Bronze |

### BWF Superseries

The BWF Superseries, which was launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007, is a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). BWF Superseries levels are Superseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries consists of twelve tournaments around the world that have been introduced since 2011. Successful players are invited to the Superseries Finals, which are held at the end of each year.
Men's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2007 | China Masters | Lin Dan | 19–21, 9–21 | Runner-up |
    BWF Superseries Finals tournament
    BWF Superseries Premier tournament
    BWF Superseries tournament

### BWF Grand Prix

The BWF Grand Prix had two levels, the BWF Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) which was held from 2007 to 2017. The World Badminton Grand Prix has been sanctioned by International Badminton Federation (IBF) from 1983 to 2006.
Men's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 1997 | Dutch Open | Oliver Pongratz | 15–10, 15–11 | Winner |
| 1999 | Malaysia Open | Luo Yigang | 16–17, 15–17 | Runner-up |
| 1999 | Denmark Open | Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen | 15–17, 4–15 | Runner-up |
| 2000 | Chinese Taipei Open | Peter Gade | 9–15, 5–15 | Runner-up |
| 2001 | Singapore Open | Taufik Hidayat | 5–7, 7–0, 1–7, 7–1, 4–7 | Runner-up |
| 2001 | China Open | Xia Xuanze | 3–7, 7–3, 2–7, 7–5, 4–7 | Runner-up |
| 2002 | Dutch Open | Lee Tsuen Seng | 15–6, 15–6 | Winner |
| 2002 | China Open | Chen Hong | 12–15, 15–5, 15–9 | Winner |
| 2003 | Chinese Taipei Open | Sony Dwi Kuncoro | 3–15, 15–7, 15–4 | Winner |
| 2003 | China Open | Lin Dan | 16–17, 12–15 | Runner-up |
| 2007 | New Zealand Open | Andre Kurniawan Tedjono | 21–13, 18–21, 14–21 | Runner-up |
| 2009 | Macau Open | Lee Chong Wei | 15–21, 19–21 | Runner-up |
| 2009 | Chinese Taipei Open | Nguyen Tien Minh | 11–21, 14–21 | Runner-up |
| 2010 | Malaysia Grand Prix Gold | Lee Chong Wei | 8–21, 21–14, 15–21 | Runner-up |
| 2011 | Australia Open | Sho Sasaki | 11–21, 21–12, 19–21 | Runner-up |
    BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament
    BWF/IBF Grand Prix tournament

## Honour

* Malaysia:
** Member of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (AMN) (2000)