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Wong Peng Soon 黄秉璇 MBE SK
Wong Peng Soon in 1947
Personal information
Nickname(s)	Great Wong
Country	Malaya Singapore
Born	(1917-02-17)17 February 1917 Johor Bahru, Malaya
Died	22 May 1996(1996-05-22) (aged 79) Singapore
Handedness	Right
Medal record Men's badminton Representing  Malaya Thomas Cup 1949 Preston Team 1952 Singapore Team 1955 Singapore Team

Wong Peng Soon, MBE SK (simplified Chinese: 黄秉璇; traditional Chinese: 黃秉璇; pinyin: Huáng Bǐng Xuán; 17 February 1917 – 22 May 1996) was a Malayan/Singaporean badminton player who reigned as a top player in Malaya from the 1930s to the 1950s when it was a single nation. Noted for his smooth but powerful strokes and graceful footwork, he won the singles title seven times in Singapore and eight times in Malaya during this period, as well as being the top player in the All England, the Danish Open, the Indian and Philippines championships to name a few.

Acknowledged as one of the greatest badminton players of all time, he won the All England singles title four times in only five attempts and dominated the Thomas Cup in the late 1940s to the mid 1950s as a member of the Malayan teams. Wong's great rival during his career was his contemporary Ong Poh Lim.

Early life

Wong was born into a large and wealthy family in Johor Bahru, Malaya. He was the seventh son of Mr Wong Ah Yam and Madam Mak Qui Tong. His granduncle is Wong Ah Fook, who was a good friend of Sultan Abu Bakar and was the contractor responsible for the construction of Istana Besar. Wong has nine brothers and seven sisters. Of his siblings, five brothers and a sister were also prominent Johore badminton players. The family stayed in a mansion at Jalan Ah Siang, Johor Bahru.

Badminton career

Having grown up in a family with a love for badminton, Wong started playing the sport since young. His career began when he joined Mayflower Badminton Party in Singapore as a teenager, and went on to win numerous club and interstate competitions. He excelled in the singles event and quickly rose to become a household name in Singapore and Malaya.

In 1938, Wong won his first Singapore Open singles title and went on to win the tournament six more times in 1939, 1941, 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1951. In addition to his singles success, he also secured four men's doubles titles in 1938 with Chan Chim Bock, in 1947 with Wong Chong Teck, and in 1948 and 1949 with Teoh Peng Hooi. Additionally, he teamed up with his sister, Waileen Wong to claim three mixed doubles titles in 1939, 1948 and 1949. With a total of 14 combined titles, Wong was the second most successful male shuttler in the competition's history, trailing only behind rival, Ong Poh Lim.

Wong captured his first two Malaysia Open singles titles in 1940 and 1941 before a hiatus due to World War II interrupted his career until 1947, when he reclaimed the crown. He then went on an impressive streak, winning five consecutive titles from 1949 to 1953. His eight Malaysian singles titles were also a long-standing international circuit record jointly held by the legendary Rudy Hartono (eight-time All England champion) and Morten Frost (eight-time Denmark Open champion) till it was surpassed by Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia in 2013. Wong also triumphed in three mixed doubles events in 1937 and 1938 with his sister, Waileen Wong, and in 1940 with Lee Chee Neo.

In 1950, he became the first Asian to win the All-England men's singles championship, and won the title again in 1951, 1952, and 1955, earning him an international reputation as the "Great Wong". He was also a member of the victorious Malayan Thomas Cup teams of 1949, 1952, and 1955, serving as captain of the last. His achievements in 1955 were remarkable because he was 38 years old at the time, an age by which most badminton players were considered past their prime.

Wong also won the Surrey Open men's doubles title alongside Englishman Noel Radford, and both the men's singles and doubles titles at the Scotland championships, again with Radford in 1950. Additionally, he claimed the Denmark Open men's singles title in 1951, and triumphed in the Bombay Open men's singles and doubles events with Abdullah Piruz in the same year. Wong also secured the men's singles title at the Selangor Open, along with winning both the men's singles and doubles titles at the Philippines Open with Cheong Hock Leng in 1952.

Wong retired from competitive badminton after the 1955 Thomas Cup. He became a badminton coach for the Singapore Youth Sports Centre. He also coached the Malayan team in its bid to retain the Thomas Cup in 1958, when Malaya lost the title to Indonesia. Wong later took up coaching stints in Thailand, Canada, India and Japan, as well as at the Haarlem Badminton Club of Holland in 1966.

Professionalism

Wong was an advocate of strong work ethic, physical fitness, and mental preparation. He will cycle from Johor to Singapore just for training even though it was many kilometers away. He was a disciplinarian who adhered to a routine of rigorous training that included sessions of skipping lasting more than an hour. Wong always studied his opponents before playing against them. He was renowned for maintaining a strict diet and he never stayed out late in the evening. He was also known for his meticulous care of his equipment, often going to the extent of personally stringing and fixing his own rackets.

Personal life

Wong married Doreen Poi Chim Neo at a church in Seremban on 3 August 1947 and moved to Singapore shortly after. They lived at a single-storey home in Jalan Jarak, Seletar Hills and had two daughters and a son.

In 1981, Wong suffered a stroke which left him partially paralysed. Although he regained mobility, his health slowly declined thereafter.

Death

Wong died on 22 May 1996 at Toa Payoh Hospital, Singapore, at the age of 79, due to pneumonia. His wake was attended by the officials from Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) as well as then Minister for Community Development, Abdullah Tarmugi. A one-hour Mass was also held at the Church of St Vincent de Paul where Wong had worshipped. More than 150 relatives and friends gathered to bid a final farewell to Wong at the Mount Vernon Crematorium where he was cremated.

Honours and awards

In the 1956 New Year Honours, Wong's contribution to the sport was recognised when he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) "for services to sport in the Federation of Malaya". In 1962, he made local history as the first and still the only sportsperson to date to be awarded the Sijil Kemuliaan (Certificate of Honour) by the Government of Singapore.

In 1985, the International Badminton Federation (IBF) awarded Wong the Distinguished Services Award for his services to the sport. In 1986, Wong was inducted into the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) Sports Museum Hall of Fame.

Three years after his death, the International Badminton Federation (IBF) inducted him into its Hall of Fame posthumously in May 1999. Then chairman of the IBF, H R Ward, commented, that "Wong was one of the most remarkable players" and "had enhanced the sport through exceptional achievements". In a Straits Times poll of 2000, Wong was voted as Singapore's "Sports Personality of the Century". The Olympic Council of Malaysia inducted Wong into its Hall of Fame in 2004.

Achievements

Tournaments

Men's singles

Year	Tournament	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
1938	Malaysia Open	Tan Chong Tee	2–15, 15–9, 11–15	Runner-up
1938	Singapore Open	Seah Eng Hee	7–15, 15–10, 15–3	Winner
1939	Singapore Open	S. A. Durai	15–6, 15–11	Winner
1940	Malaysia Open	Ooi Teik Hock	15–1, 15–7	Winner
1941	Malaysia Open	S. A. Durai	15–3, 15–3	Winner
1941	Singapore Open	Yap Chin Tee	15–10, 5–15, 15–11	Winner
1947	Malaysia Open	Lim Kee Fong	15–8, 15–12	Winner
1947	Singapore Open	Ismail Marjan	15–9, 15–6	Winner
1948	Singapore Open	Ong Poh Lim	15–9, 15–11	Winner
1949	Malaysia Open	Ooi Teik Hock	15–6, 15–10	Winner
1949	Singapore Open	Loong Pan Yap	15–3, 15–4	Winner
1950	All England	Poul Holm	15–7, 15-10	Winner
1950	Malaysia Open	Ooi Teik Hock	15–13, 15–4	Winner
1950	North Scotland Open	Noel Radford	15–4, 15–5	Winner
1950	Singapore Open	Cheong Hock Leng	5–15, 15–9, 12–15	Runner-up
1951	All England	Ong Poh Lim	15–18, 18–14, 15–7	Winner
1951	Bombay Open	Devinder Mohan	15–11, 15–4	Winner
1951	Denmark Open	Eddy Choong	15–8, 15–5	Winner
1951	French Open	Ong Poh Lim	9–15, 8–15	Runner-up
1951	Malaysia Open	Law Teik Hock	15–3, 15–6	Winner
1951	Singapore Open	Ong Poh Lim	18–13, 15–8	Winner
1952	All England	Eddy Choong	15–11, 18–13	Winner
1952	Malaysia Open	Abdullah Priuz	15–8, retired	Winner
1952	Philippines Open	Cheong Hock Leng	15–3, 15–3	Winner
1952	Selangor Open	Cheong Hock Leng	15–2, 15–3	Winner
1953	Malaysia Open	Lim Koon Yam	15–5, 15–3	Winner
1954	Singapore Open	Ong Poh Lim	15–9, 10–15, 16–17	Runner-up
1955	All England	Eddy Choong	15–7, 14–17, 15–10	Winner
1955	Manchester Open	Eddy Choong	8–15, 5–15	Runner-up
1955	Selangor Open	Eddy Choong	7–15, 15–7, 16–17	Runner-up

Men's doubles

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
1936	Singapore Open	Chan Chim Bock	Seah Eng Hee Tan Chong Tee	21–16, 21–23, 13–21	Runner-up
1937	Malaysia Open	Chan Chim Bock	A. S. Samuel Chan Kon Leong	23–20, 18–21, 15–21	Runner-up
1937	Singapore Open	Chan Chim Bock	Seah Eng Hee Tan Chong Tee	21–4, 22–23, 20–24	Runner-up
1938	Singapore Open	Chan Chim Bock	Wee Boon Hai Wong Chong Teck	16–21, 21–8, 21–17	Winner
1939	Singapore Open	Wong Peng Nam	Wee Boon Hai Wong Chong Teck	7–21, 21–8, 15–21	Runner-up
1941	Singapore Open	Wong Peng Nam	Wee Boon Hai Wong Chong Teck	9–21, 11–21	Runner-up
1947	Singapore Open	Wong Chong Teck	George Chen Yap Chin Tee	17–14, 15–6	Winner
1948	Singapore Open	Teoh Peng Hooi	Ong Poh Lim Tan Chong Tee	15–8, 17–15	Winner
1949	Singapore Open	Teoh Peng Hooi	Sng Haw Pah Quek Keng Chuan	15–8, 15–4	Winner
1950	North Scotland Open	Noel Radford	D. Green T. Majury	15–8, 15–9	Winner
1950	Singapore Open	Teoh Peng Hooi	Ismail Marjan Ong Poh Lim	12–15, 9–15	Runner-up
1950	Surrey Open	Noel Radford	H. J. Wingfield W. C. Shute	15–8, 15–2	Winner
1951	Bombay Open	Abdullah Priuz	Devinder Mohan Henry Ferreira	15–12, 15–9	Winner
1951	Hull Open	Noel Radford	Ismail Marjan Ong Poh Lim	16–18, 12–15	Runner-up
1951	Surrey Open	Noel Radford	Ismail Marjan Ong Poh Lim	2–15, 12–15	Runner-up
1952	Philippines Open	Cheong Hock Leng	Francisco Santos M. Yanga	15–5, 15–2	Winner
1954	Singapore Open	Teoh Peng Hooi	Ismail Marjan Ong Poh Lim	6–15, 10–15	Runner-up

Mixed doubles

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result	Ref
1937	Malaysia Open	Waileen Wong	Koh Keng Siang Alice Pennefather	21–11, 21–12	Winner
1938	Malaysia Open	Waileen Wong	A. S. Samuel Ida Lim	20–23, 21–11, 21–7	Winner
1939	Singapore Open	Waileen Wong	Tan Chong Tee Lee Shao Meng	21–12, 21–3	Winner
1940	Malaysia Open	Lee Chee Neo	Ooi Teik Hock Cecilia Chan	15–9, 15–11	Winner
1948	Singapore Open	Waileen Wong	Ong Poh Lim Helen Heng	15–5, 15–8	Winner
1949	Singapore Open	Waileen Wong	Quek Keng Chuan Ong Heng Kwee	15–3, 15–6	Winner

References

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83. "Peng Soon Beaten in Doubles". The Straits Times. 21 January 1951. p. 14. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
84. "Ong and Marjan Win Title". The Singapore Free Press. 2 April 1951. p. 7. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
85. "Poh Lim and Marjan Win Final". The Straits Times. 5 March 1951. p. 8. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
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External links

• "Hall of Fame - Wong Peng Soon". Singapore Sports Council. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007.

• 1917 births
• 1996 deaths
• Singaporean people of Cantonese descent
• Singaporean sportspeople of Chinese descent
• Malaysian people of Cantonese descent
• Malaysian sportspeople of Chinese descent
• Malaysian male badminton players
• Members of the Order of the British Empire
• Singaporean male badminton players
• Recipients of the Sijil Kemuliaan
• People from Johor Bahru
• Sportspeople from Johor