Badminton World Federation’s Player of the Year Awards, to be presented at the sport’s annual Gala Dinner next week in Guangzhou, will provide a fitting curtain raiser to the inaugural HSBC BWF World Tour Finals.
The prestigious awards night recognises the achievements of our elite badminton players and pairs in six categories.
Winners in five of the categories will be chosen by the BWF Awards Commission from a list of nominees while the Most Improved Player is special direct award from the Commission.
Indonesia’s all-conquering Men’s Doubles team of Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo are aiming for back-to-back crowns in the Male Player of the Year category.
Japan’s Women’s Doubles pair Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota (featured image) capped off a breakthrough season last year claiming the Most Improved Player of the Year award. This year they could go one better, nominated for Female Player of the Year alongside Tai Tzu Ying and Huang Yaqiong.
Lucas Mazur is again up for the Male Para-badminton Player of the Year award, his third nomination in a row, while Sujirat Pookkham is shortlisted alongside first-time nominees Yuma Yamazaki (Japan) and Leani Ratri Oktila (Indonesia).
FULL LIST OF NOMINEES
Male Player of the Year
Kento Momota (Men’s Singles, Japan)
Highlight: Winner – Total BWF World Championships 2018 & Badminton Asia Championships 2018
Marcus Fernaldi Gideon/Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (Men’s Doubles, Indonesia)
Highlight: 8 x Winner – HSBC BWF World Tour 2018 & Asian Games 2018
Zheng Siwei (Mixed Doubles, China)
Highlight: Winner – Total BWF World Championships 2018 & Asian Games 2018
Female Player of the Year
Tai Tzu Ying (Women’s Singles, Chinese Taipei)
Highlight: 6 x Winner – HSBC BWF World Tour 2018 & Asian Games 2018
Huang Yaqiong (Mixed Doubles, China)
Highlight: Winner – Total BWF World Championships 2018 & Asian Games 2018
Yuki Fukushima/Sayaka Hirota (Women’s Doubles, Japan)
Highlight: 6 x Winner – HSBC BWF World Tour 2018
Eddy Choong Most Promising Player of the Year
Apriyani Rahayu (Women’s Doubles, Indonesia)
Highlight: Winner – YONEX-SUNRISE DR. AKHILESH DAS GUPTA India Open 2018 & TOYOTA Thailand Open 2018
He Jiting (Men’s Doubles & Mixed Doubles, China)
Highlight: Winner – VICTOR Korea Open 2018 (Mixed Doubles)
Han Chengkai/Zhou Haodong (Men’s Doubles, China)
Highlight: Winner – YONEX French Open 2018
Gregoria Mariska Tunjung (Women’s Singles, Indonesia)
Highlight: Semifinal – TOYOTA Thailand Open 2018 & DANISA Denmark Open 2018
Goh Jin Wei (Women’s Singles, Malaysia)
Highlight: Winner – Youth Olympics Games 2018 & World Junior Championships 2018
Male Para-badminton Player of the Year
Lucas Mazur (France)
Highlight: Winner – Men’s Singles SL4 & Mixed Doubles SL3-SU5 European Para-Badminton Championships 2018
Cheah Liek Hou (Malaysia)
Highlight: Winner – Men’s Singles SU5 Dubai, Uganda, Turkey & Ireland Para-Badminton International 2018
Jack Shephard (England)
Highlight: Winner – Men’s Singles SS6 & Men’s Doubles SS6 European Para-Badminton Championships 2018
Female Para-badminton Player of the Year
Sujirat Pookkham (Thailand)
Highlight: Winner – Women’s Singles WH1 Spain, Turkey & Thailand Para-Badminton International 2018
Yuma Yamazaki (Japan)
Highlight: Winner – Women’s Singles WH2 Spain, Turkey, Thailand & Japan Para-Badminton International 2018
Leani Ratri Oktila (Indonesia)
Highlight: Winner – Women’s Doubles SL3-SU5 & Mixed Doubles SL3-SU5 Asian Para Games 2018
The Most Improved Player of the Year recognises outstanding advances in performance across all players and pairs and is selected at the discretion of the Awards Commission.
Most Improved Player of the Year
Seo Seong Jae (Men’s Doubles & Mixed Doubles, Korea)
Mayu Matsumoto/Wakana Nagahara (Women’s Doubles, Japan)
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chiraj Shetty (Men’s Doubles, India)
He Jiting (Men’s Doubles & Mixed Doubles, China)
Anthony Sinisuka Ginting (Men’s Singles, Indonesia)
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