Judy Devlin on arvau

Wikipedia / Judy Devlin

Judy Devlin (later Hashman, 22 October 1935 – 6 May 2024) was an English and American badminton player who won more major international titles than any other player of her era.

Devlin began playing badminton with her Irish-born father Frank Devlin when she was seven in the Baltimore, Maryland region of the U.S.A. where her family had settled. Under her father's tutelage she developed a badminton game notable for its power, accuracy, and consistency. After dominating U.S. junior competition she won her first (adult) U.S. championship event, women's doubles, with her older sister Susan Devlin in 1953. This marked the beginning of the run of success listed below. She married Dick Hashman in 1960, living in England thereafter and eventually becoming a British citizen 10 years later.

Career

Competing before the establishment of an official world championships for individual players and before badminton's entry into the Olympic Games, Devlin won 86 national and international titles. Among these are 31 titles in the USA, 8 titles in Germany, 7 titles in Canada, 4 titles in the Netherlands, 4 titles in Sweden, 3 titles in Ireland, 3 titles in Jamaica, 2 titles in Scotland, and a combined 19 titles in All England Open and English National competition. She played on U.S. Uber Cup teams that won three successive world championships (1957, 1960, 1963). In 1972 she won 2 titles (team and women's doubles) at the European Badminton Championships. She retired in 1973.

From 1954 to 1967 Devlin dominated the women's singles event at the U.S. Open, winning 12 titles in 14 years, including 8 consecutive championships from 1956 to 1963.

Judy Devlin is the most successful female player ever in the All England Badminton Championships, with 17 titles, 10 of them in women's singles and 7 in women's doubles.

Devlin appeared as a castaway on the BBC Radio programme Desert Island Discs on 21 March 1970, and was inducted into the Badminton Hall of Fame in 1997, together with her father. She was also inducted into the U. S. Badminton Hall of Fame and the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame.

Death

Devlin died from cancer in Oxford on 6 May 2024, at the age of 88.

Achievements

European Championships

Women's doubles

Year	Venue	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
1972	Karlskrona Idrottshall, Karlskrona, Sweden	Gillian Gilks	Margaret Beck Julie Rickard	15–11, 15–7	Gold

International tournaments (78 titles, 14 runners-up)

Women's singles

Year	Tournament	Opponent	Score	Result
1954	All England Open	Iris Cooley	11–7, 11–5	Winner
1954	U.S. Open	Margaret Varner Bloss	8–11, 11–6, 11–6	Winner
1955	All England Open	Margaret Varner Bloss	12–9, 5–11, 1–11	Runner-up
1955	U.S. Open	Margaret Varner Bloss	11–6, 9–12, 9–12	Runner-up
1956	All England Open	Margaret Varner Bloss	8–11, 5–11	Runner-up
1956	U.S. Open	Margaret Varner Bloss	12–10, 11–6	Winner
1957	All England Open	Margaret Varner Bloss	11–2, 11–7	Winner
1957	Canada Open	Lois Alston	11–2, 11–3	Winner
1957	U.S. Open	Margaret Varner Bloss	11–2, 11–0	Winner
1957	Jamaica Open	Susan Devlin	11–4, 11–1	Winner
1958	All England Open	Margaret Varner Bloss	11–7, 12–10	Winner
1958	U.S. Open	Dorothy O'Neil	11–2, 11–2	Winner
1959	All England Open	Heather Ward	7–11, 11–3, 4–11	Runner-up
1959	Canada Open	Susan Devlin	11–1, 12–10	Winner
1959	U.S. Open	Dorothy O'Neil	11–0, 11–1	Winner
1960	All England Open	Margaret Varner Bloss	11–1, 11–9	Winner
1960	U.S. Open	Margaret Varner Bloss	6–11, 11–7, 11–7	Winner
1961	German Open	Sonia Cox	11–1, 11–3	Winner
1961	All England Open	Ursula Smith	11–2, 11–6	Winner
1961	Scottish Open	Wilma Tyre	11–2, 11–0	Winner
1961	U.S. Open	H. McGregor Stewart	11–2, 11–3	Winner
1962	German Open	Tonny Holst-Christensen	11–2, 11–3	Winner
1962	All England Open	Ursula Smith	11–4, 11–0	Winner
1962	U.S. Open	H. McGregor Stewart	11–9, 11–2	Winner
1963	German Open	Ulla Rasmussen	12–10, 12–9	Winner
1963	All England Open	Angela Bairstow	11–5, 11–9	Winner
1963	U.S. Open	Ursula Smith	11–6, 11–3	Winner
1964	Swedish Open	Ulla Rasmussen	12–10, 11–3	Winner
1964	Dutch Open	Angela Bairstow	11–2, 11–2	Winner
1964	German Open	Ulla Rasmussen	11–2, 11–3	Winner
1964	All England Open	Ursula Smith	11–0, 11–3	Winner
1964	Irish Open	Mary O'Sullivan	11–5, 11–1	Winner
1965	U.S. Open	Dorothy O'Neil	11–3, 11–0	Winner
1966	Swedish Open	Eva Twedberg	11–0, 11–0	Winner
1966	All England Open	Imre Rietveld	11–6, 11–7	Winner
1966	Canada Open	Ulla Strand	11–7, 11–7	Winner
1966	U.S. Open	Sharon Whittaker	11–6, 11–0	Winner
1967	All England Open	Noriko Takagi	5–11, 11–8, 12–10	Winner
1967	U.S. Open	Sharon Whittaker	11–3, 11–5	Winner