Yu Yaodong was born in 1951 in Dongguan, Guangdong. He entered the Guangzhou Amateur Sports School in 1961 then entered the Guangdong team in 1965 and was finally selected for the national team in 1972. At the second ever Badminton World Championships (first by World Badminton Federation) held in Thailand in 1978, Yaodong defeated his teammate Han Jian in the men's singles final and became the first ever badminton world champion in Chinese history. Later, he along with Hou Jiachang won the title of men's doubles World Champion as well. On the day of the final, Deng Xiaoping came to the scene to watch the game and presented the award to Yu Yaodong. After retiring, Yu Yaodong served as the coach of the Guangdong Province badminton team, cultivating famous badminton players such as Xie Xingfang, Zhang Jiewen and Fu Haifeng.[3]
Han Jian
Gold
Sawei Chanseorasmee 
Silver
Ade Chandra
Bronze