Paula Lynn Cao Hok
Filipino-American badminton player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paula Lynn Cao Hok (née Obañana; born March 19, 1985) is a Filipino-born badminton player who competes internationally for the United States.[1][2] In 2015, she won the women's doubles gold medals at the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada partnered with Eva Lee.[3] In 2016, she competed at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[4]
March 19, 1985
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| Born | Paula Lynn Parrocho Obañana March 19, 1985 Dumaguete, Philippines | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.61 m (5 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 58 kg (128 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Badminton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Handedness | Right | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Alistair Casey Johanna Lee | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Women's & mixed doubles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | 17 (WD 2 April 2015) 63 (XD 30 July 2019) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BWF profile | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Personal life
Paula Lynn Obañana was born in Dumaguete, Philippines and started training at the age of 10 during her elementary years at the Silliman University Elementary School. She joined the high school badminton Varsity Team at Silliman University and was subsequently awarded "Athlete of the Year", "Most Outstanding Athlete of the Year", and "Most Valuable Player".[5] After graduating from high school she was recruited on a scholarship to De La Salle University in Manila where she obtained her bachelor's degree.
Obañana left the Philippines in 2006 for the United States, where her mother Nenita had been recruited to work as a nurse in Minnesota. She became a U.S. citizen in May 2011.[6]
Achievements
Pan American Games
Women's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Multipurpose Gymnasium, Guadalajara, Mexico |
 Eva Lee |
 Alex Bruce Michelle Li |
21–12, 16-21, 19-21 |  Bronze |
| 2015 | Atos Markham Pan Am Centre, Toronto, Canada |
Eva Lee |
 Lohaynny Vicente Luana Vicente |
21–14, 21–6 |  Gold |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Multipurpose Gymnasium, Guadalajara, Mexico |
Howard Bach |
Toby Ng Grace Gao |
11–21, 21–19, 14–21 | Bronze |
| 2019 | Polideportivo 3, Lima, Peru |
Howard Shu |
Nyl Yakura Kristen Tsai |
15–21, 15–21 | Bronze |
Pan Am Championships
Women's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Palacio de los Deportes Virgilio Travieso Soto, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
Eva Lee |
Alex Bruce Phyllis Chan |
21–15, 21–13 | Gold |
| 2014 | Markham Pan Am Centre, Markham, Canada |
Eva Lee |
Lohaynny Vicente Luana Vicente |
23–21, 21–14 | Gold |
BWF Grand Prix (1 runner-up)
The BWF Grand Prix had two levels, the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and played between 2007 and 2017.
Women's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | U.S. Grand Prix | Eva Lee |
 Hsieh Pei-chen Wu Ti-jung |
16–21, 10–21 |  Runner-up |
- BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament
- BWF Grand Prix tournament
BWF International Challenge/Series (19 titles, 13 runners-up)
Women's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Miami Pan Am International | Priscilla Lun |
 Sandra Chirlaque Alejandra Monteverde |
22–20, 13–21, 21–13 |  Winner |
| 2010 | Brazil International | Eva Lee |
Iris Wang Rena Wang |
14–21, 21–11, 21–12 | Winner |
| 2011 | Guatemala International | Eva Lee |
Grace Gao Joycelyn Ko |
19–21, 21–18, 21–13 | Winner |
| 2011 | Brazil International | Eva Lee |
Alex Bruce Michelle Li |
21–14, 21–17 | Winner |
| 2011 | Norwegian International | Eva Lee |
 Lotte Jonathans Paulien van Dooremalen |
17–21, 21–6, 21–13 | Winner |
| 2012 | Swedish Masters | Eva Lee |
 Mariana Agathangelou Heather Olver |
15–21, 12–21 | Runner-up |
| 2012 | Austrian International | Eva Lee |
 Ng Hui Ern Ng Hui Lin |
16–21, 18–21 | Runner-up |
| 2012 | Polish Open | Eva Lee |
Mariana Agathangelou Heather Olver |
12–21, 21–23 | Runner-up |
| 2012 | Tahiti International | Eva Lee |
Alex Bruce Michelle Li |
21–13, 21–12 | Winner |
| 2013 | Canadian International | Eva Lee |
Alex Bruce Phyllis Chan |
15–21, 14–21 | Winner |
| 2013 | Bulgarian International | Eva Lee |
 Gabriela Stoeva Stefani Stoeva |
15–21, 10–21 | Runner-up |
| 2014 | Peru International | Eva Lee |
Nicole Grether Charmaine Reid |
21–14, 21–15 | Winner |
| 2014 | Guatemala International | Eva Lee |
Paula Pereira Fabiana Silva |
11–3, 11–3, 11–10 | Winner |
| 2014 | USA International | Eva Lee |
 Naoko Fukuman Kurumi Yonao |
10–21, 23–25 | Runner-up |
| 2015 | Guatemala International | Eva Lee |
 Johanna Goliszewski Carla Nelte |
18–21, 22–24 | Runner-up |
| 2015 | Bulgarian International | Eva Lee |
Gabriela Stoeva Stefani Stoeva |
14–21, 10–21 | Runner-up |
| 2015 | Chile International Challenge | Eva Lee |
Lohaynny Vicente Luana Vicente |
21–17, 21–16 | Winner |
| 2016 | Austrian Open | Eva Lee |
 Ekaterina Bolotova Evgeniya Kosetskaya |
11–21, 21–23 | Runner-up |
| 2016 | Tahiti International | Eva Lee |
Akane Araki Ayaka Kawasaki |
13–21, 12–21 | Runner-up |
| 2016 | Yonex / K&D Graphics International | Eva Lee |
Jing Yu Hong Beiwen Zhang |
17–21, 20–22 | Runner-up |
| 2022 | Peru Challenge | Lauren Lam |
Annie Xu Kerry Xu |
21–19, 21–18 | Winner |
| 2022 | Mexican International | Lauren Lam |
Catherine Choi Josephine Wu |
19–21, 10–21 | Runner-up |
| 2022 | El Salvador International | Lauren Lam |
Annie Xu Kerry Xu |
21–18, 21–17 | Winner |
| 2023 | Estonian International | Lauren Lam |
 Moa Sjöö Tilda Sjöö |
21–10, 21–11 | Winner |
| 2023 | Lagos International | Lauren Lam |
 Simran Singhi Ritika Thaker |
Walkover | Runner-up |
| 2024 | Uganda International | Lauren Lam |
Francesca Corbett Allison Lee |
19–21, 21–18, 21–15 | Winner |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Miami International | Phillip Chew |
 Lasitha Menaka Renu Chandrika Hettiarachchige |
21–18, 17–21, 21–10 | Winner |
| 2019 | Uganda International | Howard Shu |
Vinson Chiu Breanna Chi |
21–9, 21–12 | Winner |
| 2019 | Mauritius International | Howard Shu |
Vinson Chiu Breanna Chi |
17–21, 16–21 | Runner-up |
| 2019 | Peru International | Howard Shu |
Fabricio Farias Jaqueline Lima |
21–17, 22–20 | Winner |
| 2019 | Benin International | Howard Shu |
 Pit Seng Low Louisa Ma |
21–12, 21–13 | Winner |
| 2019 | Côte d'Ivoire International | Howard Shu |
 Ahmed Salah Hadia Hosny |
21–16, 21–14 | Winner |
- BWF International Challenge tournament
- BWF International Series tournament
- BWF Future Series tournament
