Olympic Badminton Former Stars - Where Are They Now?

Where do former Olympic badminton medalists go when their playing career is over? They coach, they travel, they stay in the limelight, and sometimes they do all three!

Coaching
From the 2000 Olympics, men's singles badminton gold medalist Ji Xinpeng of China has made the transition to coaching. He is now coaching top Chinese players and dealing with disciplinary challenges, such as getting punched by his own pupil.

A men's doubles badminton gold medalist from the same year, Tony Gunawan, now coaches in the US. He is affiliated with USA Badminton as a Specialist Sparring Partner High Performance Coach.

Bang Soo Hyun, women's singles badminton gold medalist from the 1996 Olympics, is also coaching for USA Badminton as a Specialist Sparring Partner High Performance Coach.

Emigrating
Mia Audina, Indonesia's women's singles badminton silver medalist in the 1996 Olympics switched countries during her competitive career. She repeated her silver medal feat in 2004, but this time for the Netherlands, where she is now retired from professional play.

Staying in the Limelight
Indonesia's 'golden couple', Alan Budikusuma and Susi Susanti, the respective mens and womens singles badminton gold medalists from the 1992 Olympics, remain in the limelight. Married in 1997, they just carried the Olympic flame as part of the torch procession for the Beijing Olympics. May their participation be an inspiration for badminton excellence throughout the 2008 Olympics!