Country : China
Hometown : Suzhou
Date Of Birth : January 19, 1980
Height : 182cm
Profession : Professional badminton player ( doubles )
When he was 6, his parents enrolled him in a music school to learn organ and to hone his musical skill. By the time he entered elementary school, he had showcased his skill in a number of performances in the city. Unlike other children who always played outdoor, Cai Yun stayed indoor to practice playing the organ and this had made him a quiet and reserved who even hardly spoke to his mother.
When he was in elementary 3, he started to jog regularly and was introduced to badminton by the sports teacher of his school. Realizing that they had to make their son to be more physically active and to build up his physique, his parents agreed to allow him to spend some of his time in sports. From then on, he would go to play badminton in a nearby sports school everyday from 3.30pm to 7.00/8.00pm in the evening. Cai Yun practiced badminton rigorously and by the time he was in elementary 6, he was already competing in provincial competition. Despite being active in badminton, Cai Yun did not neglect his studies. He studied and did his homework at night after his badminton game. Besides badminton, he also excelled in his studies, scoring good grades in school.
At one point, due to enormous school work, his parents stopped him from practicing badminton but after a month, Cai Yun insisted he wanted to continue playing badminton, he hoped to be selected to play in provincial level competition. Finally his parents relented and his hard work paid off. He was not only selected to join the provincial team but was also the key member of the team.
While playing in a final match in a provincial competition in 1997, his coach discovered that Cai Yun lacked physical strength to play in competitive matches. From then on, he was subjected to rigorous physical training to build up his stamina. However he got tired and ran out of breathe easily. He suspected something was wrong with his heart.
In 1998, while playing in his first national level competition, he suprised many by knocking out national sports school players one by one. He even defeated Ji Xinpeng who two years later became the Olympic champion in Sydney, Australia. In 1999, he was drafted into the China's national badminton team.
In 2001, after competing in national championship, his coached asked him to take care of his health or stopped playing badminton. He returned to his province and went for a detailed health check, he was diagnosed to have a heart problem that caused him to feel dizzy and lack of breath easily. He was advised not to engaged in strenous exercise. This diagnosis was a big blow to Cai Yun, as it would mean he had to stop playing competitive badminton. Despite this he took everything in his stride and with the support of his parents decided to stop playing but continued his studies in university.
People behind his badminton career thought that it was waste for a talented player like Cai Yun to retire prematurely. They helped him to find the best doctor around and with the consent of his parents sent him for a minor heart surgery. After fully recovered from the surgery, the doctor confirmed that Cai Yun was fit and could play badminton again. After hearing this from the doctor he decided to continue playing even though his parents were not so keen to see him play again. In May 2002, Cai Yun returned to the national team.
In 2002, China failed to win the much coveted Thomas Cup and the weakness in men's doubles was identified as one of the causes for the failure. A new doubles coach was appointed. In May 2002, the coach held a nationwide search for a good combination of players to play in the doubles. Shortlisted players which included Cai Yun were sent for a three months training camp. The coach was looking for dynamic pairs who could play well along each others. Cai Yun was selected to partner Fu Haifeng. In December the same year, the new pair played in their first competition.
In March 2003, at the Sudirman Cup in Indonesia, Cai Yun together with his partner suprised many by defeating their more established Indonesia opponents in the semifinals, paving the way for their team to the final. A few months later, he played in the World Championship and made it to the semifinal. Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng won their first international title at the 2004 Swiss Open. From that competition, the pari had won numerous others competition around the world. They have won the World Championship three times, in 2006, 2009 and 2010, part of the winning team of the Thomas Cup in 2004, 2006 and 2008, a gold medal at the 2006 Asian Games and a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Today, Cai Yun is married to Wang Na, former member of the China's synchronized swimming team and now the coach of the national team.
As of today, Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng stand at no.4 in the world ranking.
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