Ippei Kojima

Ippei Kojima
Personal information
Country	Japan
Born	1944 (age 79–80)
Medal record Men's badminton Representing Japan Asian Games 1966 Bangkok Men's team 1970 Bangkok Men's singles 1970 Bangkok Mixed doubles 1970 Bangkok Men's team Asian Championships 1969 Manila Men's doubles 1969 Manila Men's team

Ippei Kojima (小島 一平, Kojima Ippei, born 1944) is a former Japanese badminton player who won a record eight Japanese national men's singles titles and some major international titles in both singles and doubles between the mid-1960s and the mid-1970s.

Career

His game was marked by exceptional foot speed, great tenacity, and power surprising for a man who was about five feet (1.524 meters) tall. Kojima is the first of only two Japanese players to have won men's singles at the prestigious Danish Open (1970). He also shared the Danish Open men's doubles title, with different partners, in 1968 and 1969. In 1970 he reached the final of all three events at both the U.S. and Canadian Open championships, winning men's doubles in the U.S. and both singles and mixed doubles in Canada. In 1971 he won men's singles at the Singapore Open and over a select international field at the Flare Square Invitational, a one-time-only event held in conjunction with the Calgary (Canada) Stampede, where he defeated Denmark's Svend Pri in the final. Perhaps the most notable matches of Kojima's career were a series of close but losing singles efforts against the iconic Rudy Hartono in Thomas Cup, the All-Englands, and other major venues in 1970 and 1971.

Achievements

Asian Games

Men's singles

Year	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result
1970	Kittikachorn Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand	Muljadi	15–17, 15–11, 10–15	Bronze

International tournaments

Men's singles

Year	Tournament	Opponent	Score	Result
1968	Malaysia Open	Tan Aik Huang	4–15, 15–13, 6–15	Runner-up
1968	Singapore Open	Tan Aik Huang	12–15, 4–15	Runner-up
1970	Denmark Open	Erland Kops	15–3, 15–10	Winner
1970	US Open	Junji Honma	15–13, 8–15, 8–15	Runner-up
1970	Canada Open	Junji Honma	15-11, 9–15, 15–6	Winner
1971	Denmark Open	Rudy Hartono	18–14, 14–15, 11–15	Runner-up
1971	Canada Open	Rudy Hartono	7–15, 2–15	Runner-up
1971	Flare Square Invitational	Svend Pri	15–3, 15–4	Winner
1971	Singapore Open	Nunung Murdjianto	15–3, 18–16	Winner
1972	Denmark Open	Svend Pri	9–15, 5–15	Runner-up

Men's doubles

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
1968	Malaysia Open	Issei Nichino	Tan Yee Khan Ng Boon Bee	15–11, 9–15, 9–15	Runner-up
1968	Denmark Open	Issei Nichino			Winner
1969	Denmark Open	Bjarne Andersen	Tan Aik Huang Tan Aik Mong	15–9, 6–15, 15–7	Winner
1969	US Open	Channarong Ratanaseangsuang	Punch Gunalan Ng Boon Bee	3–15, 7–15	Runner-up
1970	Canada Open	Junji Honma	Channarong Ratanaseangsuang Raphi Kanchanaraphi	10–15, 9–15	Runner-up
1970	US Open	Junji Honma	Don Paup Jim Poole	17-14, 15–2	Winner
1971	Singapore Open	Junji Honma	Ade Chandra Christian Hadinata	10–15, 8–15	Runner-up

Mixed doubles

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
1970	US Open	Machiko Aizawa	Paul Whetnall Margaret Boxall	8–15, 2–15	Runner-up
1970	Canada Open	Susan Whetnall	Paul Whetnall Margaret Boxall	10–15, 15–5, 15–13	Winner