Roy Díaz González (born 1953) is a former world-class badminton player from Mexico. Something of a child prodigy in the sport, González began touring internationally at fourteen, the age at which he captured the first of his many Mexican national singles titles.[1] He won the Belgian International men's doubles title at fifteen and the Swiss Open men's singles title at sixteen.[2][3][4]
| Roy Díaz González | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Mexico | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1953 (age 71–72) | |||||||||||||||||
| Men's singles & doubles | ||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | 15 (MS, 1981) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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By his late teens, in the early 1970s, González was competitive with the world's best players, but he never developed the penetrating power, or the deceptive wizardry, which might have allowed him to break through in badminton's biggest events. Nevertheless, he remained a respected and dangerous opponent on the world scene for over a decade, admired for his footwork, stamina, and touch. In 1977 he won men's singles at the first ever Pan-American Badminton Championships.[5]
González played in five Thomas Cup (men's international team) campaigns for Mexico, between 1970 and 1984, before finally losing a Thomas Cup singles match to another North American player. His advisor at the court was for a long time his father Dr. Jorge Díaz González.
Achievements
editPan Am Championships
editMen's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Université de Moncton, Moncton, Canada |  Jamie McKee
|
17–14, 11–15, 15–9 |  Gold
|
| 1980 | San Diego Badminton Club, San Diego, United States |  Gary Higgins
|
15–5, 15–10 | Gold
|
International Open Tournaments (5 titles, 4 runners-up)
editMen's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Belgian International |  Lee Kin Tat
|
3–15, 5–15 |  Runner-up
|
| 1970 | Swiss Open |  Hermann Fröhlich
|
15–6, 15–5 |  Winner
|
| 1972 | Mexican International |  Sture Johnsson
|
8–15, 11–15 | Runner-up
|
| 1974 | Swiss Open |  Edy Andrey
|
15–3, 15–4 | Winner
|
| 1977 | Mexican International |  Ricardo Jaramillo
|
15–5, 15–5 | Winner
|
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Belgian International | Lee Kin Tat
|
 Ho Kim Kooi Remy
|
15–8, 15–5 | Winner
|
| 1970 | Swiss Open | Hermann Fröhlich
|
 Rupert Liebl Erich Eikelkamp
|
15–5, 15–10 | Winner
|
| 1972 | Mexican International | Victor Jaramillo
|
Jorge Palazuelos Francisco Sañudo
|
10–15, 14–17 | Runner-up
|
| 1974 | Swiss Open | Claude Bovard
|
Ricardo Jaramillo Francisco Sañudo
|
9–15, 15–6, 12–15 | Runner-up
|
References
edit- ^ Herbert Scheele ed., The International Badminton Federation Handbook for 1971 (Canterbury, Kent, England: J. A. Jennings Ltd., 1971) 236.
- ^ Scheele, 123, 298.
- ^ "BADMINTON - A BEAULIEU: SUISSE-BELGIQUE et les "Internationaux" de Suisse - VICTOIRES AUX ETRANGERS". Le Confédéré. 1970-03-16. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-10-15 – via e-newspaperarchives.ch.
- ^ "Badminton - Audrey überraschte". Die Tat. 1974-03-13. p. 11. Retrieved 2024-10-15 – via e-newspaperarchives.ch.
- ^ "The first Pan-American Championships," World Badminton, July–August 1977, 11.