# Finn Kobberø

Finn Kobberø (13 March 1936 – 21 January 2009) was a badminton player from Denmark, who won numerous international titles in all of badminton's three events (singles, doubles, and mixed doubles) from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s.

## Career

He was one of the most successful players in the history of the All England Open Badminton Championships with 15 titles between 1955 and 1966, 7 in men's doubles, mainly with hard-hitting Jorgen Hammergaard Hansen, and 8 in mixed doubles. He was also a three-time singles finalist at the All-Englands despite a storied disdain for physical conditioning. A leading player on all of Denmark's Thomas Cup (men's international) teams from 1954 through 1964, he won 55 of 64 individual matches. Powerful, quick, and deceptive, he has been rated among the most talented players in the sport's history. He won 22 Danish national championships in all. He also won each of the three events at the Danish Open Championships though the tournament was not held during most of the years that he was active as a player.
Kobberø was inducted into the Badminton Hall of Fame in 1997. He later worked as a sports journalist for national television in Denmark. He died January 21, 2009.

## Achievements

| Rank | Event | Date | Venue |
| 1 |
| 1 | Mixed doubles | 1955, 1957, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966 | All England Open |
| 1 | Singles | 1956, 1957 | U.S. Open |
| 1 | Men's doubles | 1958, 1960 | U.S. Open |
| 1 | Mixed doubles | 1956, 1957, 1958, 1960 | U.S. Open |
| 1 | Men's doubles | 1961, 1962 | French Open |
| 1 | Mixed doubles | 1962 | French Open |
| 2 | Men's singles | 1956, 1958, 1961 | All England Open |
| 2 | Mixed doubles | 1954, 1958, 1964 | All England Open |

### International tournaments

Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 1955 | All England | Jørgen Hammergaard Hansen | Eddy Choong David Choong | 15–9, 14–17, 15–11 | Winner |
| 1955 | Malaysia Open | Jørgen Hammergaard Hansen | Ong Poh Lim Ooi Teik Hock | 7–15, 17–18 | Runner-up |
| 1956 | All England | Jørgen Hammergaard Hansen | John Nygaard Poul-Erik Nielsen | 18–14, 15–5 | Winner |
| 1956 | US Open | Jørgen Hammergaard Hansen | Ong Poh Lim Ooi Teik Hock | 15–8, 9–15, 15–7 | Winner |
| 1957 | US Open | Jørgen Hammergaard Hansen | Eddy Choong Bert Fergus | 15–12, 15–2 | Winner |
| 1958 | All England | Jørgen Hammergaard Hansen | Erland Kops Poul-Erik Nielsen | 7–15, 15–11, 8–15 | Runner-up |
| 1961 | All England | Jørgen Hammergaard Hansen | Erland Kops Poul-Erik Nielsen | 15–6, 15–5 | Winner |
| 1961 | Canada Open | Jørgen Hammergaard Hansen | Erland Kops Robert McCoig | 15–8, 15–10 | Winner |
| 1962 | German Open | Jørgen Hammergaard Hansen | Erland Kops Poul-Erik Nielsen | 15–7, 15–13 | Winner |
| 1962 | Belgian International | Jørgen Hammergaard Hansen | Oon Chong Teik Ole Mertz | 15–9, 7–15, 6–15 | Runner-up |
| 1962 | All England | Jørgen Hammergaard Hansen | Narong Bhornchima Raphi Kanchanaraphi | 17–16, 15–3 | Winner |
| 1963 | All England | Jørgen Hammergaard Hansen | Tan Joe Hock Ferry Sonneville | 10–15, 15–4, 15–7 | Winner |
| 1964 | German Open | Jørgen Hammergaard Hansen | Erland Kops Poul-Erik Nielsen | 3–15, 6–15 | Runner-up |
| 1964 | All England | Jørgen Hammergaard Hansen | Erland Kops Poul-Erik Nielsen | 15–6, 15–3 | Winner |
| 1966 | All England | Jørgen Hammergaard Hansen | Ng Boon Bee Tan Yee Khan | 15–9, 9–15, 15–17 | Runner-up |