Name Hwang Sun-ai | ||
Hwang Sun-ai (Hangul: 황선애, Hanja: 黄善愛) (born 1962 in Daejeon) is a retired female badminton player from South Korea.
Career
Hwang gained international attention in 1981 when she swept four championships including All England Open in the early season. In the final of the women's singles at the 1981 All England Open Badminton Championships, she easily defeated two-time All England champion Lene Køppen of Denmark, allowing only three points. In June, Hwang was ranked number 1 in the world by Badminton World Federation.
Hwang began the 1982 season in a slump due to a waist injury that she got at the end of the 1981 season, winning only one bronze medal in women's singles; at Japan Open. However, she won her first international doubles gold medal at the 1982 Asian Games, with partner Kang Haeng-suk.
In 1983 Hwang continued to suffer the injury that seriously hampered the pace of her training. She was finally omitted from the South Korean national team and only played in South Korea's collegiate competitions.
In March 1985 Hwang was called up to the national team again but mainly played in international competitions as a doubles player. In June 1985 She won the bronze medal at the World Championships in women's doubles with Kang Haeng-suk.
Hwang withdrew the match due to the injury in women's doubles at the Scandinavian Open in March 1986 and damaged her waist again at the Uber Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia in April 1986 and was permanently left out of the national team squad. She retired from playing badminton for good next year.