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Hiroe Yuki

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Hiroe Niinuma
Personal information
BornHiroe Yuki
湯木 博恵
(1948-11-15)15 November 1948
Kaita, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan
Died7 September 2011(2011-09-07) (aged 62)
Height1.61 m (5 ft 3 in)[1]
Weight60 kg (132 lb)[1]
Sport
CountryJapan
SportBadminton
HandednessRight
Coached byKiyoshi Mori
Retired1981
EventWomen's singles
Women's singles
BWF profile
Medal record
Women's badminton
Representing  Japan
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place1977 MalmöWomen's singles
World Cup
Silver medal – second place1979 TokyoWomen's singles
Silver medal – second place1980 KyotoWomen's singles
Uber Cup
Gold medal – first place1966 WellingtonWomen's team
Gold medal – first place1969 TokyoWomen's team
Gold medal – first place1972 TokyoWomen's team
Gold medal – first place1978 AucklandWomen's team
Gold medal – first place1981 TokyoWomen's team
Silver medal – second place1975 JakartaWomen's team
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place1970 BangkokWomen's singles
Gold medal – first place1970 BangkokWomen's team
Bronze medal – third place1974 TehranWomen's singles
Bronze medal – third place1974 TehranWomen's team
Bronze medal – third place1978 BangkokWomen's team

Hiroe Niinuma (新沼 博江, Niinuma Hiroe; née Yuki) (15 November 1948 – 7 September 2011 in Tokyo) was a Japanese badminton player. She won numerous major international titles from the late 1960s to the late 1970s.[2] She is recognized as one of Japan's most successful badminton players, having won the women's singles title at the All England Open four times. In 2002, she became the first Japanese player to be inducted into the Badminton Hall of Fame.[3][4]

Early life

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Yuki was born in Hiroshima Prefecture and raised in Okayama Prefecture, where she began playing badminton during junior high school. She won her first national inter-high school championship while attending Sanyo Girls' High School. She subsequently enrolled at the Japan Women's College of Physical Education and later played for the Kawasaki corporate team.[5][6]

Career

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She became a core member of the Japanese national team, helping the country win the Uber Cup five times between 1966 and 1981.[7]

Before the establishment of the World Championships in 1977, the All England Open was considered the premier individual tournament in the sport.[5] In 1969, while still a university student, Yuki made history by becoming the first Japanese player to win an All England Open title in any discipline when she captured the women's singles crown.[8] She went on to dominate the event, winning the title again in 1974, 1975, and 1977. In 1971, she also won the All England Open women's doubles title partnered with Noriko Takagi.[9] Her 1969 singles victory and 1971 doubles victory cemented her legacy as the first Asian woman to claim these titles at the venerated Wembley Arena.[3]

During a European tour in March 1970, Yuki suffered a major injury shortly before she was scheduled to defend her All England Open title.[10] On 10 March, while competing in the women's doubles at the Denmark Open partner with West Germany's Marieluise Wackerow, she tore her left Achilles tendon.[11] Following surgery and a two-week hospitalization in Denmark, she returned to Japan for rehabilitation.[12][13] Her recovery progressed quickly; her cast was removed in late April, and she resumed international competition by December 1970, winning the women's singles gold medal at the Asian Games in Bangkok.[14]

At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, where badminton was featured as a demonstration sport, Yuki won a bronze medal in the women's singles. Towards the end of her competitive career, she also earned a women's singles bronze medal at the inaugural IBF World Championships in 1977. She retired from competitive play in 1981.[15]

Personal life and death

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Following her retirement, Yuki served as a coach for her alma mater, the Japan Women's College of Physical Education, and its affiliated Nikaido High School. She met the popular Japanese enka singer Kenji Niinuma after being invited to coach a badminton club in his hometown of Ofunato, Iwate. After five years of dating, the couple married in March 1986, with Yuki changing her name to Hiroe Niinuma. They later had one son and one daughter. She also served as a strengthening committee member for the Nippon Badminton Association.[16][15]

In 2004, Niinuma was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent surgery. Although she recovered and continued to play badminton recreationally, she later developed lung cancer. She died at a hospital in Tokyo on 7 September 2011, at the age of 62.[17][18][3]

Honours and awards

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Achievements

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Olympic Games (demonstration)

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Women's singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result
1972 Volleyballhalle, Munich, West Germany Indonesia Utami Dewi 5–11, 9–11 Bronze

World Championships

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Women's singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result
1977 Malmö Isstadion, Malmö, Sweden England Gillian Gilks 4–11, 7–11 Bronze Bronze

World Cup

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Women's singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result Ref
1979 Yoyogi National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan Denmark Lene Køppen 7–11, 6–11 Silver Silver [21][22]
1980 Kyoto Prefectural Gymnasium, Kyoto, Japan Denmark Lene Køppen 4–11, 10–12 Silver Silver [23]

Asian Games

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Women's singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result
1970 Kittikachorn Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand Thailand Thongkam Kingmanee 12–9, 11–8 Gold Gold
1974 Amjadieh Sport Complex, Tehran, Iran South Korea Oh Youn-han 11–4, 11–2 Bronze Bronze

International tournaments

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Women's singles

Year Tournament Opponent Score Result Ref
1968 Singapore Open Japan Noriko Takagi 7–11, 12–10, 4–11 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [24]
1968 Malaysia Open Sweden Eva Twedberg 11–1, 11–6 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1969 All England Open Japan Noriko Takagi 11–5, 11–5 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1969 Denmark Open Japan Noriko Takagi 12–10, 11–2 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1971 U. S. Open Japan Noriko Takagi 5–11, 9–11 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
1971 Canada Open Japan Noriko Takagi 12–9, 11–0 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1971 Denmark Open Japan Noriko Takagi 7–11, 7–11 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
1972 All England Open Japan Noriko Nakayama 5–11, 11–3, 7–11 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
1973 Denmark Open Denmark Imre Rietveld 11–7, 11–6 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [25]
1974 All England Open England Gillian Gilks 11–6, 12–11 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1974 Denmark Open Denmark Lene Køppen 11–4, 9–12, 12–9 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1975 All England Open England Gillian Gilks 11–5, 11–9 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1977 All England Open Denmark Lene Køppen 7–11, 11–3, 11–7 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1977 Denmark Open Netherlands Joke van Beusekom 11–4, 11–8 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1979 Denmark Open Denmark Lene Køppen 8–11, 11–7, 2–11 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [26]
1981 German Open England Sally Leadbeater 12–11, 11–9 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner

Women's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
1968 Malaysia Open Japan Noriko Takagi Japan Machiko Aizawa
Japan Etsuko Takenaka		 11–15, 10–15 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
1968 Singapore Open Japan Noriko Takagi Malaysia Rosalind Singha Ang
Sweden Eva Twedberg		 15–6, 15–11 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [24]
1969 Denmark Open Japan Noriko Takagi Japan Hiroe Amano
Japan Tomoko Takahashi		 15–9, 15–9 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1971 All England Open Japan Noriko Takagi England Gillian Gilks
United States Judy Hashman		 15–10, 18–13 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1971 U. S. Open Japan Noriko Takagi United States Ethel Marshall
United States Dorothy O'Neil		 15–8, 15–2 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1971 Canada Open Japan Noriko Takagi Japan Machiko Aizawa
Japan Etsuko Takenaka		 Walkover 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1971 Denmark Open Japan Noriko Takagi Japan Machiko Aizawa
Japan Etsuko Takenaka		 15–10, 15–3 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1972 Denmark Open Japan Noriko Nakayama Japan Machiko Aizawa
Japan Etsuko Takenaka		 15–11, 11–15, 17–15 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner

Invitational tournament

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Women's singles

Year Tournament Opponent Score Result
1974 (Glasgow) World Invitational Championships Denmark Lene Køppen 10–12, 11–6, 12–9 Gold Gold
1975 World Invitational Championships Indonesia Taty Sumirah 11–8, 11–7 Gold Gold

References

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  1. 1 2 "Representatives for the 6th Asian Games Decided". The Badminton World (in Japanese). November 1970. p. 2. Retrieved 5 May 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ↑ "HIROE YUKI". bwfmuseum.isida.pro. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "Announcements: World badminton mourns the passing of Hiroe Yuki". Badminton World Federation. 12 September 2011. Archived from the original on 5 May 2026. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  4. ↑ "BWF Hall of Fame Inductees" (PDF). Badminton World Federation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 May 2026. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Kenji Niinuma's wife, former world badminton champion, has passed away". Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). 8 September 2011. Archived from the original on 26 September 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  6. ↑ "Kenji Niinuma's wife, Hiroe, has passed away... former world badminton champion". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 7 September 2011. Archived from the original on 5 May 2026. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  7. ↑ Pat Davis, The Guinness Book of Badminton (Enfield, Middlesex, England: Guinness Superlative Ltd., 1983) 133-136.
  8. ↑ "A Visual History of Domestic and International Badminton". The Badminton World (in Japanese). July 1970. pp. 6–9. Retrieved 5 May 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ↑ Pat Davis, Guinness Book of Badminton (Enfield, Middlesex, England: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. 1983), pp. 106, 108.
  10. ↑ Invicta (May 1970). "Reflections from Wembley: Rudy Hartono Wins Men's Singles Trophy Outright and Unseeded Players Become Champions in Two Events" (PDF). The Badminton Gazette. pp. 138–141. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 May 2026. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  11. ↑ "The Danish Championships: Japanese Win Two Titles" (PDF). The Badminton Gazette. May 1970. p. 145. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 May 2026. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  12. ↑ Velma (May 1970). "Off the Court" (PDF). The Badminton Gazette. p. 146. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 May 2026. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  13. ↑ "Red Blanket Travel Diary". The Badminton World (in Japanese). July 1970. pp. 8–9. Retrieved 5 May 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ↑ "Recovering smoothly. "Thank you" from Player Yuki". The Badminton World (in Japanese). July 1970. p. 30. Retrieved 5 May 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. 1 2 "Kenji Niinuma's beloved wife, Hiroe, whom he considered 'the best in the world,' has passed away". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 8 September 2011. Archived from the original on 4 May 2026. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
  16. ↑ "Heartbroken Kenji Niinuma: Wife Hiroe passes away, unable to be by her side at the end". Hochi Shimbun (in Japanese). 8 September 2011. Archived from the original on 8 September 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
  17. ↑ "Hiroe, wife of Kenji Niinuma, died of lung cancer; wake to be held on the 17th". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 9 September 2011. Archived from the original on 4 May 2026. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
  18. ↑ "A promise made to his beloved wife before she passed away... Kenji Niinuma: 'I will become independent.'". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 18 September 2011. Archived from the original on 4 May 2026. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
  19. ↑ "Asahi Sports Award (1965-1974)". The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 20 June 2026. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  20. 1 2 "Asahi Sports Award (1975-1988)". The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 22 June 2026. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
  21. ↑ "Dane Nets Badminton Cup". The New York Times. 21 January 1979. Retrieved 12 July 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. ↑ "Lene routs Japan's Horie in Champions Cup shuttle tournament". The Straits Times. 21 January 1979. p. 23. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
  23. ↑ "Liem proves too strong for Japan's Tsuchida: Lene overpowers Hiroe for World Cup women's singles title". The Straits Times. 21 January 1980. Retrieved 12 July 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. 1 2 Frida, Ernest (22 October 1968). "It's Aik Huang's title again". The Straits Times. p. 18. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
  25. ↑ "Danish title to Hartono". New Nation. 16 March 1973. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
  26. ↑ "Delf wins title in straight sets". New Nation. 12 March 1979. p. 30. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
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