Ben Lee

Born: Burma

Right-handed player

USA National Championships

Men's Doubles: 1987, ‘88, ‘89, ‘90, ‘92, ‘93, ‘94, ‘95, & ‘98

International Records:

1992 Olympic Games, Barcelona

Five Thomas Cup Teams, Men's Doubles

1994 Norway Open Men's Doubles champion

1995 Bulgarian Open Men's Doubles Champion, grand prix event

1991 Jamaican Open Men's Doubles bronze

1995 Jamaican Open Men's Doubles silver

Best world ranking, 16th in Men's Doubles, 1992

Three Pan American Teams, 1- Men's Doubles Gold

Ten USA Olympic Festival medals, holding USA record

Awards:

USA Badminton "Walk of Fame" Inductee 2005

Ken Davidson Award, 1984

USA Olympic Committee/USA Badminton's "Athlete of the Year," 1992

Presented by Dick Ng:

Ben Lee, known to many as Benny, was born in Myanmar (Burma). He has two sisters, one who lives in Daly City, California, and a second sister who recently passed away in September of 2004. He was married two years ago to his wonderful wife Lan. Lan and Ben were just recently blessed with the birth of their daughter, Allison, who was born March 24, 2005. He is currently working for the City of Palo Alto as a Police Officer, driving a patrol car.

Ben began his badminton career at the early age of eleven. During these early years he was coached by Dick Ng. He has always been a powerful, naturally gifted athlete, blessed with exceptional vertical jumping, powerful smashes, and an outstanding fitness. He states, "I was always a fitness fanatic. I was extremely proud of my ability to run. I ran distance and sprints to raise my level of fitness and often times you could find me on the bleachers running stairs."

He won his first national title at the age of 20. For over ten years, from 1987 to 1998, he was one of the dominant men's doubles players in the USA. In 1991, he dedicated a year to full time training and traveling through out Europe and Asia attempting to qualify for the upcoming Olympic Games. In the spring of 1992, his greatest badminton accomplishment and dream came true, when he and his partner Tom Reidy qualified for the 1992 Olympic Games, Barcelona. During the qualifying year, 1991, he and his partner Tom Reidy were ranked as high as 16th on the IBF ranking system. In the summer of 1992, Ben walked into the Olympic stadium in Barcelona fulfilling a dream and proudly representing his country as one of its first athletes to compete in the Olympic Games. He states, "Badminton meant a great deal to me. I think of my career as an "all encompassing" one and not one of individual events or records. I had a wonderful badminton career and experience, and would not trade it for anything." For those of us who know Ben Lee, we know him as a very humble and modest man with exceptional talent.

Today, Ben continues to be an avid spectator of many sports. Basketball has always been a favorite to play and watch, especially when he was watching his idol MJ (Michael Jordan). He continues to play other sports--tennis, paint ball, bowling-- and loves to play poker. His national titles and Olympic Games competition are well documented, but perhaps his greatest legacy to badminton will be his latest financial adventure. On May 24, 2005, Ben and his co-founder, Mike Yang, opened a private badminton club in Menlo Park, California, the Golden Gate Badminton Club, http://www.ggbadminton.com/. It took several years of negotiating with the city before he and Mike could realize their dream. The club offers elite training and court time for recreational players. The facility has eight badminton courts and a ceiling clearance of thirty-five feet. Ben's dream of opening a private club is now a reality and should serve the traditionally rich badminton area well, offering many uninterrupted hours of play and training for San Francisco, San Jose, and surrounding communities.