Ippei Kojima
# Ippei Kojima

Ippei Kojima (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 |
