Dating & Relationship status

She is regarded by many as one of the best female doubles players in the history of badminton alongside past greats, such as former teammate Gao Ling. Zhao has achieved massive overall success in both the Mixed and Women’s Doubles categories, having won a total of 63 individual career titles (38 in Mixed, 25 in Women’s). Among these 63 individual titles, 42 of them are Super Series titles (27 in Mixed, 15 in Women’s), making her the third most successful player in terms of overall Super Series achievements, and the most-successful female player in this regard as well. After the 2016 Olympics, Zhao retired from international badminton competition.

She was in a relationship with her mixed doubles partner, Zhang Nan. But just before the 2016 Olympic Games, she announced that they had parted ways. In 2018, she married Hong Wei, another former national teammate and men doubles’ shuttler.

As of the 2015 BWF World Championships, she has become the most successful player in World Championship medal count, with a total of ten medals, overtaking Gao Ling, who has a total of nine. In addition, by winning the 2015 BWF World Championships Mixed Doubles title, she and partner Zhang Nan have won three World Championship Mixed Doubles titles, the first pairing ever to have done so. By winning the Asian Games Mixed Doubles Gold Medal in 2014, Zhao completed the record of winning the Double “Grand Slam” – winning the Olympics, World Championships, Asian Games, Asia Championships, and All-England Championships in both the Mixed Doubles and Women’s Doubles categories, as well as the World Mixed Team Championships (Sudirman Cup), World Women’s Team Championships (Uber Cup), Asian Games Women’s Team Gold Medal, and Asia Women’s Team Championships.

In August at the 2015 BWF World Championships in Jakarta, she successfully defended her titles in both the Mixed doubles with Zhang and the Women’s doubles with Tian.

In August at the 2014 BWF World Championships in Copenhagen, she won both the Mixed doubles with Zhang and the Women’s doubles with Tian, with this being Zhao’s first World Championship Women’s Doubles Gold Medal. In September, Zhao and Zhang won the 2014 Asian Games Mixed Doubles title, avenging the loss from four years ago. In December, Zhao and Zhang won the 2014 BWF World Super Series Finals Mixed Doubles title. Zhao was also awarded the 2014 BWF Female Player of the Year Award.

In July–August at the London Olympics, she won two gold medals for China: Mixed Doubles with Zhang Nan and Women’s doubles with Tian Qing.

In August at the 2013 BWF World Championships in Guangzhou, she won bronze in both the Mixed doubles with Zhang and the Women’s doubles with Tian.

In April–May, Zhao and Zhang won the 2016 Asian Championships Mixed Doubles title. In August, Zhao and Zhang won a bronze medal in Mixed Doubles at the 2016 Olympic Games. This is her third Olympic medal in addition to the two golds won four years ago.

The BWF Superseries has two level such as Superseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries features twelve tournaments around the world, which introduced since 2011, with successful players invited to the Superseries Finals held at the year end.

Zhao and Zhang won the 2010 All England Open Mixed Doubles title, being the first players and pairing to have ever won the title through beginning at the qualifying stage. Zhao and Tian won the 2010 Asian Games gold medal after vanquishing compatriots Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang 20–22, 21–15, and 21–12. Zhao also participated in China’s women’s team which gain a gold medal too.

In January, Zhao and Zhang won the 2010 VICTOR-BWF World Super Series Finals (having held during January 2011) in Taiwan, in the Mixed Doubles category, after defeating Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thungthongkam of Thailand 21–17, 21–12 in the final. Zhao also reached the final in the Women’s Doubles category with Cheng. Two weeks later, they triumphed at Seoul by winning the Korea Open Super Series Premier. In the final, they conquered compatriots Tao Jiaming and Tian Qing. Zhao and Tian reached the women’s doubles final as well. In August, at the 2011 BWF World Championships in London, Zhao and Zhang won the Mixed Doubles title, with this being Zhao’s first ever overall World Championship Gold Medal and first ever Mixed Doubles World Championship Gold Medal. She also won a silver medal in the Women’s Doubles category with Tian as well. In October, Zhao Yunlei and Zhang Nan reached the Denmark Open Super Series Premier Mixed Doubles semi-final but they lost to Denmark’s Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen 12–21, 21–14, and 20–22. However, Zhao and Zhao managed to reverse this, by winning against Nielsen and Pedersen in the Mixed Doubles finals at both the Hong Kong Open Super Series and China Open Super Series Premier. In December, Zhao and Zhang won the 2011 BWF World Super Series Finals Mixed Doubles title, successfully defending the title first won in January of the 2011 year.

The BWF Grand Prix has two levels, the Grand Prix Gold and Grand Prix. It is a series of badminton tournaments, sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) since 2007.

Zhao Yunlei (born August 25, 1986) is a mixed and women’s doubles badminton athlete from China. She graduated with a BA from Huazhong University of Science and Technology . She is the first and only badminton player to have ever won two Gold medals in the same Olympic edition, winning in both the Mixed and Women’s Doubles categories in 2012. Zhao joins the ranks with nine other players with two Olympic Gold Medals, the highest number of Gold Medals won by any badminton athlete. Through her performance at the 2014 and 2015 BWF World Championships, she became the first player to win two consecutive gold medals in two consecutive BWF World Championships.