Twice is nice for University of Tennessee at Martin student Kazuhisa “Kaz” Iwabuchi.

The graduate student proved his Memphis victory last year was no fluke when he rallied to win the Kentucky State Badminton Open in the men’s single ‘A’ division earlier this month.

The 2001 Memphis Open Badminton Tournament men’s single ‘A’ division winner had spent most of his time in 2002 playing soccer after injury and illness led to his defeat in the Kentucky tournament and an Indiana State tournament last January.

“During the tournament, I never imagined I could win because of the lack of practice,” said the Tokyo, Japan native.

“I regained some of my skills and power in the first couple of games and then went on to win the tournament.”

Iwabuchi has been playing badminton since the seventh grade and is used to a winning tradition.

Upon his arrival at UT Martin, he was surprised to see no badminton club on campus. He was able to take a badminton class in the spring of 2001 with Dr. Linda Ramsey, professor for health and human performance, which then led to his victory in Memphis later that year.

“To my knowledge, no one from UT Martin has gotten as far as Kaz has,” said Ramsey.

“If there has, it’s been a long time. I've been trying to encourage him because he has such talent.” Iwabuchi, who credits girlfriend Mai Imamoto for encouraging him, doesn’t have the ego that fuels some athletes.

“He’s helping me with my badminton class right now and he plays at their level,” said Ramsey.

“He doesn’t play above them unless he is demonstrating something with me. He’s very considerate of their skill level and doesn’t show off. They are amazed. He’s encouraging them to continue to play badminton, which is the fastest of any of the racket sports.”

Last year, Iwabuchi began focusing on soccer instead of badminton after two losses, one at the 2002 Kentucky Open and at the 2002 Region 2 Classic/Indiana State Open.

“After the Memphis Open, I started to play soccer seriously and joined a soccer club last year, said Iwabuchi.

“I have spent more time on soccer than badminton since then.”

While soccer and badminton may seem like complete opposites in terms of rules and players, both have similar requirements, such as staying in shape, the need to change directions quickly and being fast on your feet while covering a very wide area.

Iwabuchi, who will graduate with a master’s degree in business from UT Martin in August 2002, currently has no plans to participate in any future tournaments.

However, if he has the time or money, he will try for the North Carolina Open in March.

But Ramsey has higher hopes for him.

“Without a doubt, I hope he will continue on,” said Ramsey. “I’m going to encourage him to the regionals, to the nationals, all the way to the Olympics.

“I’m very proud. I believe he’s not only a good player, but a nice young man who is considerate of others. He has very high caliber for such a well rounded athlete.”