# Howard Bach

Howard Bach (born February 22, 1979) is a Vietnamese-American male badminton player from the United States. He was the 2005 world champion in the men's doubles with Tony Gunawan.

## Early life

He was born in Vietnam, Howard Bach came to the U.S. at the age of two, when his father, Cam Sen Bach, emigrated to San Francisco with his family in 1982. From 1991–1993, he attended Marina Middle School in San Francisco. When he was five years old, Howard Bach was brought by his father to the Golden Gate YMCA in San Francisco's Tenderloin District. It was here that over the next 11 years, Howard Bach would be coached by his father in badminton. Bach was a 16-year-old student at Galileo High School when he decided to dedicate himself to the sport of badminton. During his early years, he was also coached and mentored by USA coach of the year, Dick Ng. At age 16, he moved to Colorado Springs to train at the U.S. Olympic Site.

## Career
### 2004 Olympics

Bach competed in badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in men's doubles with partner Kevin Han. They defeated Dorian James and Stewart Carson of South Africa in the first round, then were defeated in the round of 16 by Jens Eriksen and Martin Lundgaard Hansen of Denmark.

### 2005 World Badminton Championships

From a modest 13th seeded position Howard Bach partnered with Tony Gunawan to win the final of the men's doubles 15–11, 10–15, 15–11, against the Indonesian pair, Candra Wijaya and Sigit Budiarto. Thus winning the United States's first ever gold at the World Championships.
The Championships were held at the Arrowhead Pond arena in Anaheim, California.

### 2008 Olympics

He partnered with Bob Malaythong in Badminton at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, advancing to the quarterfinals – the furthest any American has ever reached. They were defeated by the Chinese pair, Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng.

### 2012 Olympics

Bach and Tony Gunawan competed in the 2012 London Olympics. They were eliminated during the pool play.

## Achievements
### World Championships

Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2005 | Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, United States | Tony Gunawan | Sigit Budiarto Candra Wijaya | 15–11, 10–15, 15–11 | Gold |

### World Cup

Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2005 | Olympic Park, Yiyang, China | Tony Gunawan | Sigit Budiarto Candra Wijaya | 18–21, 9–21 | Bronze |

### Pan American Games

Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 1999 | Winnipeg Convention Centre, Winnipeg, Canada | Mark Manha | Brent Olynyk Iain Sydie | 17–15, 8–15, 6–15 | Silver |
| 2003 | UASD Pavilion, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | Kevin Han | Erick Anguiano Pedro Yang | 15–5, 15–3 | Gold |
| 2007 | Riocentro Sports Complex Pavilion 4B, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Khan Malaythong | Mike Beres William Milroy | 20–22, 13–21 | Silver |
| 2011 | Multipurpose Gymnasium, Guadalajara, Mexico | Tony Gunawan | Halim Ho Sattawat Pongnairat | 21–10, 21–14 | Gold |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2007 | Riocentro Sports Complex Pavilion 4B, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Eva Lee | Mike Beres Valerie Loker | 21–19, 21–16 | Gold |
| 2011 | Multipurpose Gymnasium, Guadalajara, Mexico | Paula Lynn Obañana | Toby Ng Grace Gao | 11–21, 21–19, 14–21 | Bronze |

### Pan Am Championships

Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2001 | Lima, Peru | Kevin Han | 3–7, 1–7, 8–6 | Bronze |
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 1997 | Winnipeg Canoe Club, Winnipeg, Canada | Kevin Han | Mike Edstrom Chris Hales | 15–10, 15–7 | Gold |
| 2001 | Lima, Peru | Kevin Han | Keith Chan William Milroy | 7–0, 7–1, 7–3 | Gold |
| 2007 | Calgary Winter Club, Calgary, Canada | Khan Malaythong | Mike Beres William Milroy | 13–21, 19–21 | Silver |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2007 | Calgary Winter Club, Calgary, Canada | Eva Lee | Mike Beres Valerie Loker | 21–18, 21–17 | Gold |

### BWF Superseries

The BWF Superseries, which was launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007, was a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). BWF Superseries levels were Superseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries consisted of twelve tournaments around the world that had been introduced since 2011. Successful players were invited to the Superseries Finals, which were held at the end of each year.
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2010 | Singapore Open | Tony Gunawan | Fang Chieh-min Lee Sheng-mu | 14–21, 15–21 | Runner-up |
    BWF Superseries Finals tournament
    BWF Superseries Premier tournament
    BWF Superseries tournament

### BWF Grand Prix

The BWF Grand Prix had two levels, the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and played between 2007 and 2017. The World Badminton Grand Prix was sanctioned by the International Badminton Federation from 1983 to 2006.
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2002 | U.S. Open | Kevin Han | Tony Gunawan Khan Malaythong | 15–11, 7–15, 7–15 | Runner-up |
| 2004 | U.S. Open | Tony Gunawan | Mathias Boe Carsten Mogensen | 15–5, 15–7 | Winner |
| 2004 | Dutch Open | Tony Gunawan | Thomas Laybourn Peter Steffensen | 15–8, 15–7 | Winner |
| 2007 | U.S. Open | Khan Malaythong | Tadashi Ohtsuka Keita Masuda | 18–21, 11–21 | Runner-up |
| 2008 | U.S. Open | Khan Malaythong | Halim Haryanto Raju Rai | 21–14, 21–19 | Winner |
| 2009 | U.S. Open | Tony Gunawan | Jürgen Koch Peter Zauner | 21–12, 21–9 | Winner |
| 2011 | U.S. Open | Tony Gunawan | Ko Sung-hyun Lee Yong-dae | 9–21, 19–21 | Runner-up |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2007 | U.S. Open | Eva Lee | Keita Masuda Miyuki Maeda | 21–19, 11–21, 19–21 | Runner-up |
| 2009 | U.S. Open | Eva Lee | Alvin Lau Jiang Xuelian | 21–13, 21–12 | Winner |
    BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament
    BWF & IBF Grand Prix tournament

### BWF International Challenge/Series

Men's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 1998 | Miami International | Kevin Han | 10–15, 1–15 | Runner-up |
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 1998 | Miami International | Kevin Han | Andy Chong Mathew Fogarty | 15–5, 15–12 | Winner |
| 1998 | Slovenian International | Mark Manha | Chris Davies Matthew Hughes | 15–3, 15–5 | Winner |
| 1998 | Guatemala International | Mark Manha | Ryan Miglin Ben Wu | 15–6, 15–8 | Winner |
| 1998 | Mexico International | Mark Manha | Ryan Miglin Ben Wu | Walkover | Winner |
| 1999 | Peru International | Mark Manha | Mario Carulla José Antonio Iturriaga | 17–14, 15–6 | Winner |
| 1999 | Jamaica International | Mark Manha | Bobby Milroy William Milroy | 15–8, 10–15, 15–11 | Winner |
| 1999 | Guatemala International | Mark Manha | Bryan Moody Brent Olynyk | 15–7, 8–15, 15–12 | Winner |
| 2000 | Canadian International | Mark Manha | Ma Che Kong Yau Tsz Yuk | 15–13, 3–15, 15–17 | Runner-up |
| 2000 | Peru International | Mark Manha | Ma Che Kong Yau Tsz Yuk | 6–15, 6–15 | Runner-up |
| 2001 | Southern Pan Am Classic | Kevin Han | Tjitte Weistra Pedro Yang | 5–7, 7–0, 7–0 | Winner |
| 2001 | Brazil International | Kevin Han | Guilherme Pardo Ricardo Trevelin | 15–5, 15–6 | Winner |
| 2003 | Guatemala International | Kevin Han | Keita Masuda Tadashi Ohtsuka | 6–15, 12–15 | Runner-up |
| 2003 | Brazil International | Kevin Han | José Antonio Crespo Sergio Llopis | 15–6, 11–15, 10–15 | Runner-up |
| 2004 | Peru International | Kevin Han | Rodrigo Pacheco Guillermo Perea | 15–7, 15–11 | Winner |
| 2005 | SCBA International | Tony Gunawan | Raju Rai Khan Malaythong | 1–0 Retired | Winner |
| 2005 | U.S. International | Tony Gunawan | Mike Beres William Milroy | 15–1, 15–2 | Winner |
| 2006 | Canadian International | Khan Malaythong | Mike Beres William Milroy | 16–21, 21–19, 12–21 | Runner-up |
| 2007 | Miami Pan Am International | Khan Malaythong | Mike Beres William Milroy | 18–21, 19–21 | Runner-up |
| 2007 | Norwegian International | Khan Malaythong | Mikkel Delbo Larsen Jacob Chemnitz | 21–15, 21–11 | Winner |
| 2007 | Irish International | Khan Malaythong | Michael Fuchs Roman Spitko | 21–15, 21–17 | Winner |
| 2008 | Canadian International | Khan Malaythong | Keishi Kawaguchi Naoki Kawamae | 15–21, 15–21 | Runner-up |
| 2011 | Peru International | Tony Gunawan | Adrian Liu Derrick Ng | 21–10, 21–9 | Winner |
| 2012 | Peru International | Tony Gunawan | Adrian Liu Derrick Ng | 13–21, 21–13, 21–9 | Winner |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 1998 | Miami International | Cindy Shi | Andy Chong Barbara McKinley | 15–6, 15–11 | Winner |
| 2005 | U.S. International | Eva Lee | Khan Malaythong Mesinee Mangkalakiri | 13–15, 12–15 | Runner-up |
| 2006 | Canadian International | Eva Lee | William Milroy Tammy Sun | 21–19, 21–15 | Winner |
| 2007 | Miami Pan Am International | Eva Lee | Mike Beres Valerie Loker | 17–21, 23–21, 20–22 | Runner-up |
| 2007 | Irish International | Eva Lee | Wouter Claes Nathalie Descamps | 21–10, 21–13 | Winner |
    BWF International Challenge tournament
    BWF International Series tournament
    BWF Future Series tournament