Peter Rasmussen
Encyclopedia
Peter Rasmussen is a Danish badminton
player. A former World Champion and European Champion, Rasmussen ranks among the best Danish badminton players of all time.
in Glasgow
, Scotland
. It was the first time a Dane and a non- Asian player captured that title since Flemming Delfs
won at the first-ever IBF World Championships held in Sweden
in 1977. The Men's Finals in 1997 is regarded as one of the best badminton matches played ever because of both the duration and quality of the match. In the end, Peter Rasmussen's opponent, Sun Jun
of China
cramped up and could barely continue. Rasmussen capitalized on the opportunity and closed out his three game victory, 16-17, 18-13, 15-10.
Rasmussen has often been called Den Hvide Kineser or The White Chinaman. This is not only due to his playing style which featured speedy footwork and powerful jump-smashes (typically a hallmark of Chinese
badminton players), but also because of his spiritual interests. He educated himself in acupuncture
and practiced it to help overcome injures. He studied Miyamoto Musashi
and believed in a philosophy of strategy, rather than one of results which he saw as predominant among elite players.
Rasmussen suffered a career ending foot injury on 25 September 2004, during the Men's Singles Final of the 2004 U.S. Open (badminton). He was forced to retire while leading the score 12-7 in the first game against Lee Yen Hui Kendrick
. He attempted to rehabilitate but on 9 February 2005 he announced his retirement from international competition due to lack of progress.
The final match he played for the Danish national team was in the 2004 Thomas Cup
semi-finals. Denmark and Indonesia
were tied 2-2, and Peter Rasmussen vs Simon Santoso
would decide who advanced to the finals against China. Rasmussen won the match in straight sets, 15-3, 15-12. Rasmussen considers this match, in front of 12,000 Indonesian spectators, to be the highlight of his career.
Peter Rasmussen was sponsored by Carlton, which marketed a lineup of racquets bearing his name, including the Rasmussen Titanium, Rasmussen Lite, Rasmussen Superlite, and the Rasmussen Tour. His racquet of choice was the Rasmussen Superlite. Due to his retirement, the Rasmussen lineup has reverted back to the previous designation of Airblade. Prior to introducing this lineup of rackets, he used the Carlton AS-1 Ti.
Upon his retirement, Rasmussen set his sights on finishing his degree
in medicine
. He was also thinking about creating a website
about his mental approach to badminton.
, an ancient Japanese philosophy and his mentor, Miyamoto Musashi
, a great samurai
. Miyamoto Musashi began his “warrior’s pilgrimage” at age 13 when he began to train as a swordsmen and as a practicing Bushido Warrior. Legend claims that he killed his first opponent at age 14 in one of the 60 duels he fought over his lifetime. It is said that he was never defeated, both in single combat and during the 6 wars, in which he took part. At age 35, Musashi sheathed his sword to become a mentor, an artist and finally a writer, who penned one of Japan’s most influential pieces of literature – “The Book of the Five Rings.” Rasmussen had to face the fact of losing before he can entertain the thought of winning. Peter proved that his philosophy of playing badminton was very successful. After finding Bushido and practicing it, Peter went on a 6 month winning streak that culminated tournaments such as the Japan Open, the Nordic Championship, the Danish Championship and finally the World Championships.
At the European Championships in 2002, Peter had to face country-man Anders Boesen, this was after a four-year lay-off period for Peter who was recovering from foot injury. Boesen ranked 5th in the World at the time, was leading Rasmussen 5-1 in the final set but Rasmssusen seemed to have ignored the pressure completely and came back to win 7-5 and a ticket to face another country-man, Kenneth Johnasson, Rasmussen was outclassed in the first set losing 7-0 to the World #2 ranked player. But with a level of focus rarely seen in sports, Rasmussen fought back to take the match in a grueling 5 sets.
Peter's most impressive match was probably at the Thomas Cup Finals where Denmark was facing Indonesia for a ticket to play China in the finals. Denmark took the first two Men's Doubles matches, but Peter Gade crumpled under the pressure of Indo first singles player Sony Dwi Kuncoro. Kenneth Johnassen followed suit by losing to future Olympic Gold and World Champion Taufik Hidayat. So the spotlight was again on Peter Rasmussen to step up, and step up he did. He beat the youngster from Indonesia, Simon Santoso in front of 12,000 screaming Indonesian fans in straight sets, 15-3, 15-12.
, the union representing the professional badminton players under the banner of the Badminton World Federation (formerly International Badminton Federation, formerly World Badminton Federation). He is also the father of Oscar.
Badminton Club along with Malaysian badminton player Mohamhed Roslin Hashim. Peter says that this is probably as far as he will go, that he will not be trying to get back onto the Danish National Team.
Danish National Championships
Nordic Championships
Yonex Japan Open
Yonex OCBC US Open
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. A former World Champion and European Champion, Rasmussen ranks among the best Danish badminton players of all time.
Career
The crowning achievement of his career was winning the Men's Singles at the 1997 IBF World Championships1997 IBF World Championships
The 10th IBF World Championships were held in Glasgow, Scotland, between 24 May and 1 June 1997.-Medalists:-Seeds:# Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen# Heryanto Arbi# Ardy Wiranata# Sun Jun# Park Sung-woo# Peter Rasmussen# Alan Budikusuma...
in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It was the first time a Dane and a non- Asian player captured that title since 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:...
won at the first-ever IBF World Championships held in 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....
in 1977. The Men's Finals in 1997 is regarded as one of the best badminton matches played ever because of both the duration and quality of the match. In the end, Peter Rasmussen's opponent, Sun Jun
Sun Jun (badminton)
Sun Jun is a former world number 1 singles badminton player from China in the late 1990s whose resume includes the World Championship, World Cup, Asian Championship and All England Men's Singles titles...
of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
cramped up and could barely continue. Rasmussen capitalized on the opportunity and closed out his three game victory, 16-17, 18-13, 15-10.
Rasmussen has often been called Den Hvide Kineser or The White Chinaman. This is not only due to his playing style which featured speedy footwork and powerful jump-smashes (typically a hallmark of Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
badminton players), but also because of his spiritual interests. He educated himself in acupuncture
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a type of alternative medicine that treats patients by insertion and manipulation of solid, generally thin needles in the body....
and practiced it to help overcome injures. He studied Miyamoto Musashi
Miyamoto Musashi
, also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku, was a Japanese swordsman and rōnin. Musashi, as he was often simply known, became renowned through stories of his excellent swordsmanship in numerous duels, even from a very young age...
and believed in a philosophy of strategy, rather than one of results which he saw as predominant among elite players.
Rasmussen suffered a career ending foot injury on 25 September 2004, during the Men's Singles Final of the 2004 U.S. Open (badminton). He was forced to retire while leading the score 12-7 in the first game against Lee Yen Hui Kendrick
Lee Yen Hui Kendrick
Lee Yen Hui Kendrick is one of Singapore's best badminton players.-Career:In the 24th SEA Games held in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, he had the honour of being the republic's flag-bearer. He was quoted as saying that it's an honour he does not take lightly. Compiled with the recent win in the...
. He attempted to rehabilitate but on 9 February 2005 he announced his retirement from international competition due to lack of progress.
The final match he played for the Danish national team was in the 2004 Thomas Cup
Thomas Cup
The Thomas Cup, sometimes called the World Men's Team Championships, is an international badminton competition among teams representing member nations of the Badminton World Federation , the sport's global governing body...
semi-finals. Denmark and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
were tied 2-2, and Peter Rasmussen vs Simon Santoso
Simon Santoso
Simon Santoso is a male badminton player from Indonesia.-Career:When he was young, he joined the Tangkas Jakarta badminton club before joining the Indonesian National team PBSI. In 2005 he won the Robot HCMC Vietnam Satellite and the silver medal at the 2005 Southeast Asian Games...
would decide who advanced to the finals against China. Rasmussen won the match in straight sets, 15-3, 15-12. Rasmussen considers this match, in front of 12,000 Indonesian spectators, to be the highlight of his career.
Peter Rasmussen was sponsored by Carlton, which marketed a lineup of racquets bearing his name, including the Rasmussen Titanium, Rasmussen Lite, Rasmussen Superlite, and the Rasmussen Tour. His racquet of choice was the Rasmussen Superlite. Due to his retirement, the Rasmussen lineup has reverted back to the previous designation of Airblade. Prior to introducing this lineup of rackets, he used the Carlton AS-1 Ti.
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
in medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
. He was also thinking about creating a website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
about his mental approach to badminton.
Musashi and Bushido
Peter claims that the reason why he was so successful on the badminton court was because of his studies of BushidoBushido
, meaning "Way of the Warrior-Knight", is a Japanese word which is used to describe a uniquely Japanese code of conduct and a way of the samurai life, loosely analogous to the concept of chivalry. It originates from the samurai moral code and stresses frugality, loyalty, martial arts mastery, and...
, an ancient Japanese philosophy and his mentor, Miyamoto Musashi
Miyamoto Musashi
, also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku, was a Japanese swordsman and rōnin. Musashi, as he was often simply known, became renowned through stories of his excellent swordsmanship in numerous duels, even from a very young age...
, a great samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
. Miyamoto Musashi began his “warrior’s pilgrimage” at age 13 when he began to train as a swordsmen and as a practicing Bushido Warrior. Legend claims that he killed his first opponent at age 14 in one of the 60 duels he fought over his lifetime. It is said that he was never defeated, both in single combat and during the 6 wars, in which he took part. At age 35, Musashi sheathed his sword to become a mentor, an artist and finally a writer, who penned one of Japan’s most influential pieces of literature – “The Book of the Five Rings.” Rasmussen had to face the fact of losing before he can entertain the thought of winning. Peter proved that his philosophy of playing badminton was very successful. After finding Bushido and practicing it, Peter went on a 6 month winning streak that culminated tournaments such as the Japan Open, the Nordic Championship, the Danish Championship and finally the World Championships.
Under Pressure
Peter is well known for his actions while responding to pressure. He claims that he does not play to win, he says that Bushido dictates that "walking the path is enough", the fact that he was playing badminton humbled him. Various examples of Bushido in work included when Peter, just entering the Danish National Camp, was playing in the Danish National Championships had to face the fourth seeded Peter Janum in the quarters, who was heavily favored to win the tournament. But the resilient Peter Rasmussen came out and beat Janum 15-1, 15-2 in less than 25 minutes.At the European Championships in 2002, Peter had to face country-man Anders Boesen, this was after a four-year lay-off period for Peter who was recovering from foot injury. Boesen ranked 5th in the World at the time, was leading Rasmussen 5-1 in the final set but Rasmssusen seemed to have ignored the pressure completely and came back to win 7-5 and a ticket to face another country-man, Kenneth Johnasson, Rasmussen was outclassed in the first set losing 7-0 to the World #2 ranked player. But with a level of focus rarely seen in sports, Rasmussen fought back to take the match in a grueling 5 sets.
Peter's most impressive match was probably at the Thomas Cup Finals where Denmark was facing Indonesia for a ticket to play China in the finals. Denmark took the first two Men's Doubles matches, but Peter Gade crumpled under the pressure of Indo first singles player Sony Dwi Kuncoro. Kenneth Johnassen followed suit by losing to future Olympic Gold and World Champion Taufik Hidayat. So the spotlight was again on Peter Rasmussen to step up, and step up he did. He beat the youngster from Indonesia, Simon Santoso in front of 12,000 screaming Indonesian fans in straight sets, 15-3, 15-12.
Post Retirement
Peter, who has devoted much of his life to badminton and gave everything that he had, did not want to stop after retiring from the pro circuit in February 2005. He is now completing his medical studies and is also a manager for the Badminton Players FederationBadminton Players Federation
The Badminton Players Federation is an independent organisation of badminton which was founded in 1972 by Danish World Champion Steen Fladberg with the mission of creating a more profitable structure in the badminton arena, to make the sport more enjoyable and to promote badminton.The BPF...
, the union representing the professional badminton players under the banner of the Badminton World Federation (formerly International Badminton Federation, formerly World Badminton Federation). He is also the father of Oscar.
2004 Badminton Revolution Cup
Prior to his announcing of his retirement, Peter was contacted by Bobby Milroy, the current president of the BPF, to offer Peter the chance to come to Canada, Milroy's country to participate in what was known as the 2004 Revolution Cup. The Revolution Cup was the biggest badminton tournament to go to Canada since the World Championships held in Calgary in 1985. An official DVD of the tournament is also available http://www.badmintonvm.com/store.Return to Badminton
Peter Rasmussen has marked his return to playing badminton at the Danish Club level for VendsysselVendsyssel-Thy
The North Jutlandic Island , Vendsyssel-Thy, or simply Jutland north of the Limfjord are lesser-used names for the northernmost part of Denmark and of Jutland. It is more common to refer to the three traditional districts Vendsyssel, Hanherred and Thy...
Badminton Club along with Malaysian badminton player Mohamhed Roslin Hashim. Peter says that this is probably as far as he will go, that he will not be trying to get back onto the Danish National Team.
Quotes
- "I've always trained hard - perhaps too hard, too - but it's been worth it. Badminton has given me incredibly much. I have put it this way: Badminton is life and life is badminton."
- "I have always joked that I am sharp as a sword, that I have the deciding strike that wins the important points. But all players can reach a pure state without conscious thought, where instinct dictates action. That is where you have to go, if you are to use your potential optimally."
- "If you think too much about the possible moves, you obstruct yourself. The same applies to thinking about victory or defeat. You cannot think about how much you want to win without the mind automatically generating defeat as a possibility, and that creates fear. When that happens, you hold back and play cautiously, basically you play below standard."
- "I am a bit sorry to end it in this fashion. This is not exactly how I planned to place the period [on my career]. It doesn't help that I feel that I have the desire and ability to be among the best in the world. It will be difficult without badminton. I have worked hard on accepting my situation and in my heart-of-hearts, I am OK with saying goodbye to the sport that has been everything to me since my youth." - announcing his retirement.
- “ They are both great players and they achieved a great deal in their careers but I do something different. They are all focused on their results. They want to win, they want to achieve their goals, and of course so do I. The difference is that I put my focus elsewhere. Bushido teaches that to walk "The Path" is a goal in itself. Results are places on the road that will happen as you take the journey, but they are not the focus. The process is where my focus is and it is where I differ from every other Danish Player in history.” - speaking of fellow country-men Anders Boesen and Kenneth Johnassen after the 2002 European Championships.
Career highlights
Apart from all the tournament victories Peter has accomplished, he and finalist of the IBF World Championships in 1997, Sun Jun hold the longest game record at 124 minutes.Danish National ChampionshipsDanish National Badminton ChampionshipsThe Danish National Badminton Championships is a tournament organized to crown the best badminton players in Denmark since the season 1930/1931.-21st century:Below is the list of the past winners in this 21st century.-References:*...
- 1991 Under 18 Men's Singles: Finalist
- 1992 Under 18 Men's Singles: Champion
- 1994 Men's Singles: Quarter finalist
- 1995 Men's Singles: Quarter finalist
- 1997 Men's Singles: Champion
- 1998 Men's Singles: Finalist
- 1999 Men's Singles: Champion
Nordic ChampionshipsNordic 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...
- 1991 Under 18 Men's Doubles: Finalist (partner Jimmy Mørch Sørensen)
- 1995 Men's Singles: Quarter Finalist
- 1997 Men's Singles: Champion
European Championships (badminton)
- 1996 Men's Singles: Finalist
- 1996 Team Gold
- 1998 Team Gold
- 2002 Men's Singles: Champion
- 2002 Team Gold
IBF World Championships
- 1995 Team Bronze
- 1997 Men's Singles: World Champion
- 1997 Team Bronze
- 1999 Men's Singles: Quarter Finalist
Yonex Japan OpenJapan Open (badminton)The Japan Open is an annual badminton tournament held in Japan. It became part of the BWF Super Series tournaments in 2007.-Past winners:...
- 1996 Men's Singles: Quarter Finalist
- 1997 Men's Singles: Champion
- 1999 Men's Singles: Quarter Finalist
Yonex OCBC US OpenU.S. Open Badminton ChampionshipsThe 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...
- 2002 Men's Singles: Finalist
- 2004 Men's SIngles: Finalist
Miscellaneous Tournaments
- 1992 Men's Singles: Quarter-Finalist [Danish Open]
- 1993 Men's Singles: Quarter-Finalist [Polish International]
- 1993 Men's Singles: Quarter-Finalist [Hamburg Cup]
- 1993 Men's Singles: Finalist [Finnish Open]
- 1993 Men's Doubles: Semi-Finalist [Polish International]
- 1993 Men's Doubles: Quarter-Finalist [Amor Tournament]
- 1993 Men's Doubles: Semi-Finalist [Uppsala International]
- 1993 Men's Doubles: Semi-Finalist [Finnish Open]
- 1994 Men's Singles: Finalist [Dutch Open]
- 1994 Men's Singles: Champion [Norweigen International]
- 1994 Men's Singles: Champion [Welsh International]
- 1995 Men's Singles: Champion [Amor Tournament]
- 1995 Men's Singles: Quarter-Finalist [Singapore Open]
- 1995 Men's Singles: Semi-Finalist [Danish Open]
- 1995 Men's Singles: Semi-Finalist [German Open]
- 1995 Men's Singles: Semi-Finalist [China Open]
- 1996 Men's Singles: Quarter-Finalist [Swiss Open]
- 1997 Men's Singles: Semi-Finalist [Swiss Open]
- 1997 Men's Singles: Semi-Finalist [German Open]
- 1997 Men's Singles: Semi-Finalist [Hong Kong Open]
- 1999 Men's Singles: Semi-Finalist [Korea Open]
- 1999 Men's Singles: Quarter-Finalist [Swedish open]
- 1999 Men's Singles: Quarter-Finalist [Swiss Open]
- 1999 Men's Singles: Quarter-Finalist [China Open]
- 2002 Men's Singles: Champion [Puerto Rico Open]
- 2002 Men's Singles: Semi-Finalist [Realkredit Danmark Open]
- 2003 Men's Singles: Quarter Finalist [Korea Open]
- 2004 Men's Singles: Finalist [Badminton Revolution Cup in Calgary Canada]
- 2004 Men's Singles: Quarter-Finalist [Proton-Eon Malaysia Open]
Sources
- Peter Rasmussen (in DanishDanish languageDanish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
) official Danmarks Badminton ForbundDanmarks Badminton ForbundDanmarks Badminton Forbund or DBF is the national governing body for the sport of badminton in Denmark. The organization represents 560 clubs and 118,000 players. The highest authority in DBF is the assembly where each member club is represented. The board of directors' duty is to ensure the...
profile, retrieved 16 May 2006. - En dansk samurai (in DanishDanish languageDanish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
) by Christian W. Larsen, Team DanmarkTeam DanmarkTeam Danmark is an organization funded by the Danish government through the proceeds from "Danske Spil" with the purpose of promoting elite sports in Denmark....
, 28 April 2005, retrieved 16 May 2006. - Peter Rasmussen stopper karrieren (in DanishDanish languageDanish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
), 9 February 2005, official Danmarks Badminton ForbundDanmarks Badminton ForbundDanmarks Badminton Forbund or DBF is the national governing body for the sport of badminton in Denmark. The organization represents 560 clubs and 118,000 players. The highest authority in DBF is the assembly where each member club is represented. The board of directors' duty is to ensure the...
press release announcing retirement, retrieved 16 May 2006.