Sture Johnsson
Encyclopedia
Sture Johnsson is a retired badminton
player from Sweden
who won numerous Swedish national
and international men's singles titles. His game was characterized by impressive mobility and a powerful overhead smash.
in 1968. He eventually won three singles titles at this biennial event (1968
, 1970
and 1974
), a total bested only by Peter Gade
in the early 2000s. He reached the semifinals of men's singles at the All-England Championships
on three occasions and was one of only a few players to beat Rudy Hartono
in tournament play. Johnsson was a member of six consecutive Swedish Thomas Cup teams
between 1963
and 1979
.
He also competed at the first ever IBF World Championships in Malmö, in 1977
, and was defeated in quarterfinals by the eventual champion Flemming Delfs
.
, as a demonstration sport
competition. In men's singles, he lost in semfinals against Rudy Hartono
, 15-2, 15-4. In mixed doubles he played with Eva Twedberg
, and they were beaten in the first round by Roland Maywald
and Brigitte Steden of West Germany
.
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
player from Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
who won numerous Swedish national
Swedish National Badminton Championships
The Swedish National Badminton Championships is a tournament organized to crown the best badminton players in Sweden.The tournament started in the season 1936/1937 and is held every year.-Past winners:-References:* at Badminton Europe...
and international men's singles titles. His game was characterized by impressive mobility and a powerful overhead smash.
Career
Johnsson won men's singles at the first European Badminton ChampionshipsEuropean Badminton Championships
The European Badminton Championships is a tournament organized by the Badminton Europe . The first of these competitions was held in 1968. The competition is held once every two years to determine the best badminton players in Europe....
in 1968. He eventually won three singles titles at this biennial event (1968
1968 European Badminton Championships
The 1st European Badminton Championships were held in Bochum , between 19 and 21 April 1968, and hosted by the European Badminton Union and the Deutscher Badminton-Verband e.V..-Medalists:-Men's singles:-Women's singles:-Men's doubles:...
, 1970
1970 European Badminton Championships
The 2nd European Badminton Championships were held in Port Talbot , between 17 and 19 April 1970, and hosted by the European Badminton Union and the Welsh Badminton Union.-Medalists:-Medal account:-References:...
and 1974
1974 European Badminton Championships
The 4th European Badminton Championships were held in Vienna , between 18 and 20 April 1974, and hosted by the European Badminton Union and the Österreichischer Badminton Verband.-Medalists:-Medal account:-References:...
), a total bested only by Peter Gade
Peter Gade
Peter Høeg Gade is a Danish professional badminton player. He currently resides in Holte in Copenhagen...
in the early 2000s. He reached the semifinals of men's singles at the All-England Championships
All England Open Badminton Championships
The All England Open Badminton Championships, or simply All England, is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious badminton tournaments. Played annually, it developed after the success of world's first badminton tournament held in Guildford in 1898...
on three occasions and was one of only a few players to beat Rudy Hartono
Rudy Hartono
Rudy Hartono Kurniawan , born August 18, 1949) is a former Chinese Indonesian badminton player who won the men's singles title at the World Championship in 1980, and the prestigious All-England Championship trophy eight times, seven times consecutively , in the 1960s and 1970s. He is one of the...
in tournament play. Johnsson was a member of six consecutive Swedish Thomas Cup teams
Sweden national badminton team
The Sweden national badminton team represents Sweden in international badminton team competitions.-Participation in BWF competitions:Thomas Cup *1984 - 7th / 8th*1986 - 7th / 8th*1988 - 7th / 8th*1990 - 7th / 8th*1992 - 5th / 6th...
between 1963
1964 Thomas Cup
The Thomas Cup competition is an international team tournament for supremacy in men's badminton . Beginning in 1948-1949 it was held every three years until 1982 and thereafter it has been held every two years...
and 1979
1979 Thomas Cup
The 1979 Thomas Cup was the 11th edition of the Thomas Cup competition, the world championship of men's international team badminton. The final rounds contested by qualifying zone winners and defending champion Indonesia were held in Jakarta, Indonesia in late May and early June...
.
He also competed at the first ever IBF World Championships in Malmö, in 1977
1977 IBF World Championships
-Medalists:- Men's singles :- Women's singles :- Men's doubles :- Women's doubles :- Mixed doubles :-Medal account:-External links:* *...
, and was defeated in quarterfinals by the eventual champion Flemming Delfs
Flemming Delfs
Flemming Delfs is a former Danish badminton player who won Danish national and international championships from the early 1970s to the early 1980s.-Career:...
.
1972 Summer Olympics
Johnsson competed in badminton at the 1972 Summer OlympicsBadminton at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Badminton was one of two demonstration sports at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. It was the first time that the sport was part of the Olympic program, and it would become an official Olympic sport 20 years later at the 1992 Summer Olympics....
, as a demonstration sport
Demonstration sport
A demonstration sport is a sport which is played to promote itself, most commonly during the Olympic Games, but also at other sporting events.Demonstration sports were officially introduced in 1912 Summer Olympics, when Sweden decided to include glima, traditional Icelandic wrestling, in the...
competition. In men's singles, he lost in semfinals against Rudy Hartono
Rudy Hartono
Rudy Hartono Kurniawan , born August 18, 1949) is a former Chinese Indonesian badminton player who won the men's singles title at the World Championship in 1980, and the prestigious All-England Championship trophy eight times, seven times consecutively , in the 1960s and 1970s. He is one of the...
, 15-2, 15-4. In mixed doubles he played with Eva Twedberg
Eva Twedberg
Eva Twedberg is a former Swedish badminton player who won women's singles at numerous international championships. Noted for her stamina and swift court coverage, her peak years were the late 1960s and the early 1970s...
, and they were beaten in the first round by Roland Maywald
Roland Maywald
Roland Maywald is a former German badminton player who won numerous German national and other European titles from the late 1960s to the mid 1980's. Though he won the German national singles title in 1974, Maywald was primarily a doubles specialist...
and Brigitte Steden of West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
.
Major achievements
| Rank | Event | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| European Championships European Badminton Championships The European Badminton Championships is a tournament organized by the Badminton Europe . The first of these competitions was held in 1968. The competition is held once every two years to determine the best badminton players in Europe.... |
|||
| 1 | Men's singles | 1968 1968 European Badminton Championships The 1st European Badminton Championships were held in Bochum , between 19 and 21 April 1968, and hosted by the European Badminton Union and the Deutscher Badminton-Verband e.V..-Medalists:-Men's singles:-Women's singles:-Men's doubles:... |
Bochum, GER |
| 1 | Men's singles | 1970 1970 European Badminton Championships The 2nd European Badminton Championships were held in Port Talbot , between 17 and 19 April 1970, and hosted by the European Badminton Union and the Welsh Badminton Union.-Medalists:-Medal account:-References:... |
Port Talbot, WAL |
| 1 | Men's singles | 1974 1974 European Badminton Championships The 4th European Badminton Championships were held in Vienna , between 18 and 20 April 1974, and hosted by the European Badminton Union and the Österreichischer Badminton Verband.-Medalists:-Medal account:-References:... |
Vienna, AUT |
| 3 | Men's singles | 1978 1978 European Badminton Championships The 6th European Badminton Championships were held in Preston , between 13 April and 15 April 1978, and hosted by the European Badminton Union and the Badminton England.-Medalists:-Medal account:-References:... |
Preston, ENG |
| Open Championships | |||
| 1 | Men's singles | 1974, 1976 | Swedish Open Swedish Open (badminton) The Swedish Open was an open badminton tournament that was annually held from 1956 to 1999 after which the organizer, Svenska Badmintonförbundet, could no longer find a suitable sponsor. To some extent it has been replaced by the Swedish International Stockholm tournament.-Winners:... |
| 1 | Men's singles | 1965, 1968, 1976 | Norwegian International Norwegian International Championships (badminton) The Norwegian International in badminton is an international open held in Norway since 1954. In the first years only the pure man disciplines were played, but since 1959 women's singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles were also played. In 1957, 1962, 1966, 1974, 1979 and 1990 the championships... |
| Mixed doubles | 1969 | ||
| 1 | Men's singles | 1968 | French Open French Open (badminton) The French Open is an annual Badminton tournament held in France since 1909 and hosted by the Fédération Française de Badminton . The 2009 edition will be held from the 27th of October to the 1st of November.... |
| 1 | Men's singles | 1969 | Belgian International Belgian International (badminton) The Belgian International in badminton is an international open held in Belgium since 1958, but it has been held in irregular periods.Starting 2005 Yonex became title sponsor of the event... |
| 1 | Men's singles | 1972, 1973 | U.S. Open U.S. Open Badminton Championships The U.S. Open Badminton Championships is an annual badminton tournament first held in 1954 when the American Badminton Association opened the U.S. National Badminton Championships to foreign competition. For the full list of winners see List of U.S. Open Badminton champions.-21st century:-External... |
| Mixed doubles | 1973 | ||
| 1 | Men's singles | 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1977 | German Open German Open (badminton) The German Open is an annual badminton tournament held in Germany since 1955 and organized by German Badminton Association or Deustcher Badminton Verband .... |
| 1 | Men's singles | 1969, 1972, 1975 | Nordic Championships Nordic Championships (badminton) The Nordic Championships in badminton was an international open held in the Scandinavian states from 1962 until 1999.Between 1962 and 1988 it was held annually. Afterwards it took place biennually, which increased to 3 years once with the change from the even years up to 1992 into odd years... |
| National Championships | |||
| 1 | Men's singles | 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1979 |
Swedish Nationals Swedish National Badminton Championships The Swedish National Badminton Championships is a tournament organized to crown the best badminton players in Sweden.The tournament started in the season 1936/1937 and is held every year.-Past winners:-References:* at Badminton Europe... |
| Men's doubles | 1970, 1972 | ||