Wei Yili (simplified Chinese: 魏轶力; traditional Chinese: 魏軼力; pinyin: Wèi Yìlì; born 24 June 1982) is a former badminton player from China.

Wei Yili
魏轶力
Personal information
CountryChina
Born (1982-06-24) 24 June 1982 (age 42)
Yichang, Hubei, China
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight68 kg (150 lb)
HandednessLeft
Women's doubles
Highest ranking1 (with Zhao Tingting May 2003)[1]
1 (with Zhang Yawen August 2007)[2]
Medal record
Women's badminton
Representing  China
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2008 Beijing Women's doubles
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2001 Seville Women's doubles
Silver medal – second place 2003 Birmingham Women's doubles
Silver medal – second place 2006 Madrid Women's doubles
Bronze medal – third place 2007 Kuala Lumpur Women's doubles
World Cup
Silver medal – second place 2005 Yiyang Women's doubles
Sudirman Cup
Gold medal – first place 2007 Glasgow Mixed team
Silver medal – second place 2003 Eindhoven Mixed team
Uber Cup
Gold medal – first place 2002 Guangzhou Women's team
Gold medal – first place 2004 Jakarta Women's team
Gold medal – first place 2008 Jakarta Women's team
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 2002 Busan Women's team
Asian Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Bangkok Women's doubles
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2000 Guangzhou Mixed team
Gold medal – first place 2000 Guangzhou Women's doubles
Silver medal – second place 2000 Guangzhou Mixed doubles
Asian Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 1999 Yangon Girls' team
Gold medal – first place 2000 Kyoto Girls' doubles
Gold medal – first place 2000 Kyoto Mixed doubles
Gold medal – first place 2000 Kyoto Girls' team
Silver medal – second place 1999 Yangon Girls' doubles
Silver medal – second place 1999 Yangon Mixed doubles
BWF profile

Career

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A women's doubles specialist, since 2001 Wei has competed on the world circuit in partnership with a variety of her fellow countrywomen, but most often with Zhang Jiewen, Zhao Tingting or Zhang Yawen. A member of China's perennial world champion Uber Cup teams, in the biggest events for individual players (such as the BWF World Championships, the All-England Championships, and the Olympic Games) Wei and her partners have usually been overshadowed by China's two dominant women's doubles pairs, Gao Ling and Huang Sui, and Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen. One exception came at the 2007 All-Englands where Wei Yili and Zhang Yawen defeated both of these teams to capture the highly coveted title. Her other women's doubles titles include the China (2001), Singapore (2001, 2007), Denmark (2002, 2004), Thailand (2003), Indonesia (2006), and French (2007) Opens.

Wei has medaled four times at the BWF World Championships without "striking gold". She earned a silver with Zhang Jiewen in 2001, a silver with Zhao Tingting in 2003, a silver with Zhang Yawen in 2006, and a bronze with Zhang Yawen in 2007. She finished fourth at the 2004 Olympics in Athens with Zhao Tingting.[3] At the 2008 Beijing Olympics Wei and Zhang Yawen were beaten in the semifinals by yet another Chinese pair, Du Jing and Yu Yang, who went on to win the gold medal. Wei and Zhang earned a bronze medal by defeating Japan's Miyuki Maeda and Satoko Suetsuna in the playoff for third place.[4]

In 2008, Wei retired from the national team. She received an award during a ceremony to mark her retirement with five other teammates from the Chinese national badminton team on the sidelines of the China Open badminton event in Shanghai, November 23, 2008.[5] However, she was still playing a year later by partnering with Gao Ling. They lost to Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen in the Thailand Open final of 2009, but won the Philippines Open of 2009.

Achievements

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Olympic Games

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Women's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2008 Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium, Beijing, China   Zhang Yawen   Miyuki Maeda
  Satoko Suetsuna
21–17, 21–10   Bronze

BWF World Championships

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Women's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2001 Palacio de Deportes de San Pablo, Seville, Spain   Zhang Jiewen   Gao Ling
  Huang Sui
11–15, 15–17   Silver
2003 National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, England   Zhao Tingting   Gao Ling
  Huang Sui
8–15, 11–15   Silver
2006 Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad, Madrid, Spain   Zhang Yawen   Gao Ling
  Huang Sui
21–23, 9–21   Silver
2007 Putra Indoor Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia   Zhang Yawen   Yang Wei
  Zhang Jiewen
21–19, 18–21, 16–21   Bronze

World Cup

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Women's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2005 Olympic Park, Yiyang, China   Zhang Yawen   Yang Wei
  Zhang Jiewen
18–21, 15–21   Silver

Asian Championships

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Women's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2002 Nimibutr Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand   Zhao Tingting   Gao Ling
  Huang Sui
5–11, 1–11   Bronze

World Junior Championships

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Girls' doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2000 Tianhe Gymnasium, Guangzhou, China   Zhang Yawen   Li Yujia
  Zhao Tingting
4–7, 7–2, 7–0, 7–1   Gold

Mixed doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
2000 Tianhe Gymnasium, Guangzhou, China   Zheng Bo   Sang Yang
  Zhang Yawen
3–7, 0–7, 6–8   Silver

Asian Junior Championships

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Girls' doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
1999 National Indoor Stadium – 1, Yangon, Myanmar   Li Yujia   Xie Xingfang
  Zhang Jiewen
9–15, 6–15   Silver
2000 Nishiyama Park Gymnasium, Kyoto, Japan   Zhang Yawen   Li Yujia
  Zhao Tingting
15–12, 15–5   Gold

Mixed doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
1999 National Indoor Stadium – 1, Yangon, Myanmar   Zheng Bo   Hendri Kurniawan Saputra
  Enny Erlangga
12–15, 16–17   Silver
2000 Nishiyama Park Gymnasium, Kyoto, Japan   Zheng Bo   Sang Yang
  Zhang Yawen
Walkover   Gold

BWF Superseries

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The BWF Superseries, which was launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007,[6] 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.[7] Successful players are invited to the Superseries Finals, which are held at the end of each year.

Women's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
2007 All England Open   Zhang Yawen   Yang Wei
  Zhang Jiewen
21–16, 8–21, 24–22   Winner
2007 Singapore Open   Zhang Yawen   Yang Wei
  Zhao Tingting
10–21, 21–19, 21–18   Winner
2007 French Open   Zhang Yawen   Yu Yang
  Zhao Tingting
21–10, 21–15   Winner
2007 Hong Kong Open   Zhang Yawen   Du Jing
  Yu Yang
20–22, 21–13, 17–21   Runner-up
2008 Swiss Open   Zhang Yawen   Yang Wei
  Zhang Jiewen
18–21, 24–22, 8–21   Runner-up
  BWF Superseries Finals tournament
  BWF Superseries Premier tournament
  BWF Superseries tournament

BWF Grand Prix

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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 the International Badminton Federation from 1983 to 2006.

Women's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
2000 Denmark Open   Zhang Jiewen   Chen Lin
  Jiang Xuelian
7–15, 3–15   Runner-up
2001 All England Open   Zhang Jiewen   Gao Ling
  Huang Sui
15–10, 8–15, 9–15   Runner-up
2001 Singapore Open   Zhang Jiewen   Zhang Yawen
  Zhao Tingting
8–6, 7–3, 7–4   Winner
2001 China Open   Zhang Jiewen   Huang Nanyan
  Yang Wei
8–6, 7–3, 6–8, 8–7   Winner
2002 Denmark Open   Zhao Tingting   Mia Audina
  Lotte Jonathans
11–3, 6–11, 11–9   Winner
2002 China Open   Zhao Tingting   Gao Ling
  Huang Sui
9–11, 3–11   Runner-up
2003 Thailand Open   Zhao Tingting   Lee Hyo-jung
  Yim Kyung-jin
11–9, 5–11, 11–6   Winner
2003 Swiss Open   Zhao Tingting   Yang Wei
  Zhang Jiewen
7–11, 11–6, 4–11   Runner-up
2003 Japan Open   Zhao Tingting   Gao Ling
  Huang Sui
13–10, 6–11, 5–11   Runner-up
2004 Japan Open   Zhao Tingting   Lee Kyung-won
  Ra Kyung-min
6–15, 15–5, 1–15   Runner-up
2004 Denmark Open   Zhao Tingting   Zhang Dan
  Zhang Yawen
15–13, 12–15, 15–7   Winner
2004 German Open   Zhao Tingting   Zhang Dan
  Zhang Yawen
8–15, 12–15   Runner-up
2004 China Open   Zhao Tingting   Yang Wei
  Zhang Jiewen
14–15, 12–15   Runner-up
2005 German Open   Zhao Tingting   Gao Ling
  Huang Sui
4–15, 10–15   Runner-up
2005 All England Open   Zhao Tingting   Gao Ling
  Huang Sui
10–15, 13–15   Runner-up
2005 Japan Open   Zhao Tingting   Yang Wei
  Zhang Jiewen
12–15, 2–15   Runner-up
2006 China Masters   Zhang Yawen   Gao Ling
  Huang Sui
12–21, 21–18, 14–21   Runner-up
2006 Indonesia Open   Zhang Yawen   Yang Wei
  Zhang Jiewen
21–13, 21–13   Winner
2006 Japan Open   Zhang Yawen   Gao Ling
  Huang Sui
15–21, 17–21   Runner-up
2006 China Open   Zhang Yawen   Yang Wei
  Zhang Jiewen
17–21, 7–21   Runner-up
2009 Philippines Open   Gao Ling   Shendy Puspa Irawati
  Meiliana Jauhari
21–11, 21–11   Winner
2009 Thailand Open   Gao Ling   Yang Wei
  Zhang Jiewen
24–22, 17–21, 15–21   Runner-up
  BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament
  BWF & IBF Grand Prix tournament

IBF International

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Women's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
2002 French International   Zhang Jiewen   Zhang Yawen
  Zhao Tingting
7–1, 7–2, 5–7, 5–7, 2–7   Runner-up

References

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  1. ^ "国际羽联最新排名 魏轶力/赵婷婷首登女双后座". sports.sohu.com (in Chinese). 1 June 2003. Archived from the original on 14 May 2004. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  2. ^ "BWF World Ranking - August 16 2007". www.internationalbadminton.org. Archived from the original on 19 August 2007. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  3. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Wei Yili". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2016-12-04.
  4. ^ "Athlete Biography: Wei Yili". Beijing 2008. Archived from the original on 17 August 2008. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  5. ^ "Veteran badminton champions retire -- china.org.cn".
  6. ^ "BWF Launches Super Series". Badminton Australia. 15 December 2006. Archived from the original on 6 October 2007.
  7. ^ "Yonex All England Elevated To BWF Premier Super Series Event". www.ibadmintonstore.com. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
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