Gu Juan

{{Short description|Chinese-born Singaporean badminton player (born 1990)}}

{{Infobox badminton player

| name = Gu Juan
顾娟

| image = Gu_Juan.jpg

| size =

| caption =

| nickname =

| birth_name =

| country = Singapore

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1990|05|26}}

| birth_place = Dafeng, Jiangsu, China

| height = 1.60 m

| weight = 56 kg

| event = Women's Singles

| years_active =

| handedness =

| coach = Luan Jin

| highest_ranking = 15

| date_of_highest_ranking = 20 December 2012

| current_ranking =

| date_of_current_ranking =

| medal_templates =

{{MedalCountry| {{SIN}}}}

| bwfbadminton_id = 53782

| bwf_id = 1B38E89D-6E83-4B8F-A251-C513A0056F6E

}}

Gu Juan ({{zh|c=顾娟}}; born 26 May 1990) is a Chinese-born Singaporean badminton player who competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics.{{cite web |title=Gu Juan |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/gu/gu-juan-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418090006/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/gu/gu-juan-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2020 |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=11 May 2017}}

Early life

Gu followed her father to Nanjing when she was six years old. Due to poor body constitution, her father sent her to a badminton school to build her up. Gu represented Nanjing and won a competition. She was subsequently invited to join the Beijing badminton team but withdrew after not being used to the weather conditions. Gu then further represented Nanjing in the Jiangsu sports competition and won the girls doubles and mixed doubles. Former Jiangsu badminton coach, representing the Singapore Badminton Association, scouted her and invited her to Singapore.{{cite web |title=明星信息 |url=http://2012.sina.com.cn/star/gu_juan/ |website=2012.sina.com.cn |publisher=Sina Corp |access-date=11 May 2017 |language=zh |archive-date=11 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191211020830/http://2012.sina.com.cn/star/gu_juan/ |url-status=live }}

Career

Gu came to Singapore in 2003 under the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme and became a Singapore citizen in June 2007.

Gu was part of the Singapore women's team who won the silver medal at the 2007 Southeast Asian Games held in Thailand. In 2012, Gu was selected as Singapore's only Olympic women's singles player for the 2012 Summer Olympics by the Singapore Badminton Association, ahead of Southeast Asian Games women's singles champion Fu Mingtian.{{cite news |title=羽球／羽球女單傳捷報　鄭韶婕拍落顧娟晉級前8強 |url=http://www.nownews.com/n/2012/08/01/164257 |publisher=NOWnews |access-date=11 May 2017 |language=zh |archive-date=5 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305215752/http://www.nownews.com/n/2012/08/01/164257 |url-status=live }} At the 2012 Olympics, she qualified from her group before losing to Cheng Shao-chieh.

Gu resigned from the Singapore national team on 30 April 2014, citing injuries, tending to her aged parents and lack of progress in Singapore.{{Cite web |title=Top-ranked S’pore shuttler Gu Juan quits |url=https://www.todayonline.com/sports/top-ranked-spore-shuttler-gu-juan-quits |access-date=22 January 2024 |website=TODAY |language=en}} Gu went to Shanghai for further studies.{{cite news |title=Out to make the most of her Olympic stop |url=http://www.asiaone.com/print/News/olympics/Story/A1Story20120723-360837.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708133051/http://www.asiaone.com/print/News/olympics/Story/A1Story20120723-360837.html |archive-date=8 July 2018 |access-date=1 August 2012 |publisher=AsiaOne}} Sixteen months later after her resignation, she was persuaded by the Singapore national badminton team's head coach to re-join the national team.

Awards

Gu received the 2013 Meritorious Award from the Singapore National Olympic Committee.{{cite web |title=Singapore Sports Awards |url=http://www.singaporeolympics.com/singapore-sports-awards/ |publisher=Singapore National Olympic Council |access-date=13 February 2022 |archive-date=4 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120704065839/http://www.singaporeolympics.com/sportsgirl_of_the_year2.php |url-status=live }}

Achievements

= BWF World Junior Championships =

Girls' singles

class="sortable wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"

! Year

! Venue

! Opponent

! Score

! Result

style="background:#98FB98"

| align="center" | 2007

| align="left" | The Trusts Stadium, Waitakere City, New Zealand

| align="left" | {{flagicon|CHN}} Wang Lin

| align="left" | 14–21, 14–21

| style="text-align:left; background:white" | Bronze Bronze

= Asian Junior Championships =

Girls' singles

class="sortable wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"

! Year

! Venue

! Opponent

! Score

! Result

style="background:#AABBCC"

| align="center" | 2007

| align="left" | Stadium Juara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

| align="left" | {{flagicon|CHN}} Liu Xin

| align="left" | 7–21, 21–15, 16–21

| style="text-align:left; background:white" | Silver Silver

= BWF Grand Prix =

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.

Women's singles

class="sortable wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"

! Year

! Tournament

! Opponent

! Score

! Result

style="background:#FFFF67"

| align="center" | 2013

| align="left" | Malaysia Grand Prix Gold

| align="left" | {{flagicon|IND}} P. V. Sindhu

| align="left" | 17–21, 21–17, 19–21

| style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{silver2}} Runner-up

style="background:#D4F1C5"

| align="center" | 2013

| align="left" | Dutch Open

| align="left" | {{flagicon|THA}} Busanan Ongbamrungphan

| align="left" | 12–21, 12–21

| style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{silver2}} Runner-up

: {{Color box|#FFFF67|border=darkgray}} BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament

: {{Color box|#D4F1C5|border=darkgray}} BWF Grand Prix tournament

= BWF International Challenge/Series =

Women's singles

class="sortable wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"

! Year

! Tournament

! Opponent

! Score

! Result

style="background:#D5D5D5"

| align="center" | 2007

| align="left" | Waikato International

| align="left" | {{flagicon|SIN}} Fu Mingtian

| align="left" | 14–21, 17–21

| style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{silver2}} Runner-up

style="background:#D5D5D5"

| align="center" | 2010

| align="left" | Banuinvest International

| align="left" | {{flagicon|JPN}} Hitomi Oka

| align="left" | 23–25, 21–15, 4–21

| style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{silver2}} Runner-up

style="background:#D8CEF6"

| align="center" | 2010

| align="left" | Vietnam International

| align="left" | {{flagicon|KOR}} Lee Hyun-jin

| align="left" | 19–21, 15–21

| style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{silver2}} Runner-up

style="background:#D8CEF6"

| align="center" | 2011

| align="left" | New Zealand International

| align="left" | {{flagicon|JPN}} Sayaka Sato

| align="left" | 14–21, 13–21

| style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{silver2}} Runner-up

style="background:#D5D5D5"

| align="center" | 2011

| align="left" | Singapore International

| align="left" | {{flagicon|SIN}} Xing Aiying

| align="left" | 10–21, 12–21

| style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{silver2}} Runner-up

Women's doubles

class="sortable wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"

! Year

! Tournament

! Partner

! Opponent

! Score

! Result

style="background:#D5D5D5"

| align="center" | 2007

| align="left" | Croatian International

| align="left" | {{flagicon|SIN}} Zhang Beiwen

| align="left" | {{flagicon|CHN}} Cai Jiani
{{flagicon|CHN}} Guo Xin

| align="left" | 21–15, 6–21, 10–21

| style="text-align:left; background:white" | {{silver2}} Runner-up

: {{Color box|#D8CEF6|border=darkgray}} BWF International Challenge tournament

: {{Color box|#D5D5D5|border=darkgray}} BWF International Series tournament

Record against selected opponents

Record against year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists{{cite web |title=Juan Gu Head to Head |url=http://www.tournamentsoftware.com/profile/selectheadtohead.aspx?id=1B38E89D-6E83-4B8F-A251-C513A0056F6E |publisher=Badminton World Federation |access-date=8 February 2012}}