Gao Ling

Gao Ling (Chinese: 高崚; pinyin: Gāo Líng; born March 14, 1979, in Wuhan, Hubei; China) is a female badminton player from the People's Republic of China.

Career

Noted for her consistency, anticipation, forecourt prowess, and sporting smile, Gao is one of the most successful doubles players in the history of women's badminton. Her four Olympic badminton medals are the most of any player. At one time or another she has won titles at almost every top tier tournament in the world. Gao has earned four gold medals (among nine medals in total) at the BWF World Championships, three of them in women's doubles with Huang Sui (2001, 2003, and 2006) and one of them in mixed doubles with Zhang Jun (2001). She and Zhang Jun also won consecutive gold medals in mixed doubles at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, overcoming severe tests in both. Gao has not earned an Olympic gold medal in women's doubles, a relative gap in her resume, but earned a bronze medal in 2000 with Qin Yiyuan, and a silver medal with Huang Sui in 2004. From 2001 through 2006 she and Huang also captured a record six consecutive women's doubles titles at the venerable All-England Championships. Their All-England streak was finally broken in the semifinals of the 2007 tournament by fellow countrywomen Zhang Yawen and Wei Yili. Gao has also shared five All-England mixed doubles titles, three with Zhang Jun (2001, 2003, and 2006), and two with Zheng Bo (2007 and 2008). She has been a member of the perennial world champion Chinese Uber Cup (women's international) team since 2000.

Gao

Gao /ɡaʊ/ is a city in Mali and the capital of the Gao Region. The city is located on the River Niger, 320 km (200 mi) east-southeast of Timbuktu on the left bank at the junction with the Tilemsi valley.

For much of its history Gao was an important commercial centre involved in the trans-Saharan trade. In the 9th century external Arabic writers described Gao as an important regional power and by the end of the 10th century the local ruler was said to be a Muslim. Towards the end of the 13th century Gao became part of the Mali Empire, but in first half of the 15th century the town regained its independence and with the conquests of Sonni Ali (ruled 1464–1492) it became the capital of the Songhai Empire. The Empire collapsed after the Moroccan invasion in 1591 and the invaders chose to make Timbuktu their capital. By the time of Heinrich Barth's visit in 1854, Gao had declined to become an impoverished village with 300 huts constructed from matting. In 2009, the urban commune had a population of 86,633.

Gao (disambiguation)

Gao is a city in Mali and the capital of Gao Region.

Gao or GAO may also refer to:

Places

Languages

Battles

Other uses

Gao–Guenie meteorite

Gao–Guenie is a H5 ordinary chondrite meteorite fell on in 1960 in Burkina Faso, Africa. The fall was composed by a large number of fragments and it is one of the largest observed meteorite showers in Africa to date.

Name

The meteorites formerly known as Gao and Guenie in 1999 were officially paired and they name fused into the collective name Gao–Guenie.

History

Gao–Guenie meteorites fell in Burkina Faso on March 5, 1960 at 17:00 (local time). After three separate detonations, several thousands of stones rained down over an area of about 70 square kilometres (27 sq mi). The sound of the fall was heard as far as Ouagadougou, which is 100 kilometres (62 mi) away. Eyewitnesses said that some trees were broken and henhouses destroyed. The largest stones recovered weigh up to 10 kilograms (22 lb).

Composition and classification

Gao–Guenie is classified as H5 ordinary chondrite.

Surface details of a small oriented fragment

Surface details of a small oriented fragment

308 g sample