Lin Dan
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Lin Dan (born 14 October 1983) is a Chinese former professional badminton player. He is a two-time
Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
champion, five-time
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champion, as well as a six-time All England champion. Widely regarded as the greatest badminton player of all time, by the age of 28 Lin had completed the "Super Grand Slam", having won what some consider to be the nine major titles in the badminton world:
Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
,
World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
,
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
,
Thomas Cup The Thomas Cup, sometimes called the World Men's Team Championships, is an international badminton competition among teams representing member nations of the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport's global governing body. The championships ha ...
,
Sudirman Cup The Sudirman Cup is an international badminton mixed team competition contested by member countries of the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every two years since the inaugural ...
, Super Series Masters Finals, All England Open, Asian Games, and
Asian Championships An Asian Championship is a top level international sports competition between Asian athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. List of Championships (Summer Olympic Sports) ;Aquatics * Asia ...
, becoming the first and only player to achieve this feat. He also became the first men's singles player to retain the Olympic gold medal by winning in 2008 and successfully defending his title in 2012. In 2004, he was dubbed "Super Dan" by opponent
Peter Gade } Peter Høeg Gade (born 14 December 1976 in Aalborg, Denmark)BWF World Ranking
Bwfbadminto ...
after winning the All England Open final, and the nickname has since been widely used by his fans as well as the media to refer to him, in recognition of his achievements.


Early life

Lin was born in
Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its cap ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. At a young age, Lin was encouraged to learn to play the piano by his parents, and to be a pianist. However, he chose to play badminton instead. Having started his training at the age of five, he was scouted by the People's Liberation Army Sports Team after winning the National Junior Championships aged twelve, and was enlisted into the Chinese National Badminton Team in 2001, when he was 18.


Badminton career


Junior events

Lin emerged as a winner in the 2000 Badminton Asia Junior Championships in both the team and the singles events. He was also a member of the winning Chinese team and a boys' singles semi-finalist in the 2000 World Junior Championships.


2001–2003

2001 marked the start of then 18 year-old Lin's professional career. In his first final, at the Asian Badminton Championships, he was thrashed by compatriot
Xia Xuanze Xia Xuanze (born 5 January 1979) is a former badminton player from China who played singles at the world level from the late 1990s through the first few years of the 21st century. Now he is a singles coach for the national team of China. Career ...
. In 2002 Lin took his first title at the Korea Open. He was a member of
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
's 2002 Thomas Cup squad which defeated
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(5–0),
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...
(3–2), and
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
(4–1) to reach the semifinals. However, Lin didn't play in the semifinal tie against
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, which saw China's team tumble to a 1–3 defeat. Lin participated in another four tournaments without coming close to victory. He was knocked out in the first round of the Singapore, and Indonesia Opens, second round of the Denmark Open, and third round of the China Open. In October Lin was defeated in the semifinals of the Asian Games team competition which ended China's hope of a team gold medal. Lin started the 2003 season with a third round defeat in the All England Open. He reached a final later in the year at the Japan Open but was beaten by his compatriot Xia Xuanze once again. Lin then made his inaugural debut in the
World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
in
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,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. He breezed past Per-Henrik Croona and
Przemysław Wacha Przemysław Wacha (; born 31 January 1981) is a Polish badminton player. Career Wacha played badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in men's singles, losing in the first round to Wong Choong Hann of Malaysia. He won the bronze medal at the 2008 Eur ...
in the first two rounds, but was beaten by Xia again in his third round match. After the world meet, he was eliminated in the semifinals of the Singapore Open, third round of the Indonesia Open, and second round of the Malaysia Open. However, Lin ended the season strongly by capturing the Denmark, Hong Kong, and China Opens, and finishing runner-up at the German Open.


2004

Lin had a good start to 2004, earning the BWF's number one world ranking for the first time in February. He helped China win the qualifying round of
Thomas Cup The Thomas Cup, sometimes called the World Men's Team Championships, is an international badminton competition among teams representing member nations of the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport's global governing body. The championships ha ...
and then captured the Swiss Open. He won his first ever All England Open title by beating
Peter Gade } Peter Høeg Gade (born 14 December 1976 in Aalborg, Denmark)BWF World Ranking
Bwfbadminto ...
in the final. He reached the semifinal of the Japan Open before going off to
Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
,
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
in May for the Thomas Cup campaign. In
Thomas Cup The Thomas Cup, sometimes called the World Men's Team Championships, is an international badminton competition among teams representing member nations of the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport's global governing body. The championships ha ...
, Lin helped China to an excellent start in which they thrashed
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and defending champion
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
5–0 respectively to enter the quarterfinals. Lin then defeated
Shoji Sato A is a door, window or room divider used in traditional Japanese architecture, consisting of translucent (or transparent) sheets on a lattice frame. Where light transmission is not needed, the similar but opaque ''fusuma'' is used (oshiire ...
and
Lee Hyun-il Lee Hyun-il ( ko, 이현일; born 17 April 1980) is a former badminton player from South Korea. He is a former World and Asian Championships bronze medalist, and was part of South Korean team that won the 2003 Sudirman Cup as well the gold medal ...
in quarterfinal and semifinal ties against
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
respectively, each ending in 3–0 wins for China. In the final, he beat Peter Gade in straight games to give China the lead before the Chinese team eventually won three matches to one. China thus took the crown, ending a 14 years drought in the tournament. Lin suffered setbacks later in the 2004 season when he was ousted in the quarterfinals of the Malaysia Open, and was reported to have a leg injury in mid-July, prior to the Olympic Games. Lin "crashed" in his first
Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
when, as the first seed, he was ousted early by Singapore's
Ronald Susilo Ronald Susilo (; born 6 June 1979) is a Singaporean former badminton player. Susilo was ranked sixth, his highest ranking, in 2004. Susilo started his badminton career at age 19 and had represented Singapore since 2002. He had represented Singa ...
, who claimed Lin was "too eager to win". However, Lin bounced back with three titles at the Denmark, German, and China Opens, and ended the season as a semi-finalist at the Indonesia Open.


2005

Lin retained his number one world ranking during 2005, winning his second German and Hong Kong Open titles, as well as the Japan Open, China Masters, and World Cup tournaments. He also helped China recapture the
Sudirman Cup The Sudirman Cup is an international badminton mixed team competition contested by member countries of the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every two years since the inaugural ...
(combined men's and women's team championship) when it shut-out both defending champion South Korea in the semifinals and Indonesia in the final. Lin failed to retain his All England title, losing a three set final to teammate Chen Hong, and he was beaten in the final of the Malaysia Open by another rising star,
Lee Chong Wei Datuk Lee Chong Wei (; born 21 October 1982) is a Malaysian former badminton player. As a singles player, Lee was ranked first worldwide for 349 weeks, including a 199-week streak from 21 August 2008 to 14 June 2012. He is the fifth Mala ...
. In his bid to capture his first BWF World title at Anaheim California, he beat Kennevic Asuncion,
Shoji Sato A is a door, window or room divider used in traditional Japanese architecture, consisting of translucent (or transparent) sheets on a lattice frame. Where light transmission is not needed, the similar but opaque ''fusuma'' is used (oshiire ...
,
Lee Hyun-il Lee Hyun-il ( ko, 이현일; born 17 April 1980) is a former badminton player from South Korea. He is a former World and Asian Championships bronze medalist, and was part of South Korean team that won the 2003 Sudirman Cup as well the gold medal ...
, and
Peter Gade } Peter Høeg Gade (born 14 December 1976 in Aalborg, Denmark)BWF World Ranking
Bwfbadminto ...
in succession to reach the final. There he was decisively beaten by a peak-form
Taufik Hidayat Taufik Hidayat (born 10 August 1981) is an Indonesian retired badminton player. He is a former World, Olympic, Asian Games, and Asian champion, and the youngest world number one in the men's singles. Hidayat has won the Indonesia Open six tim ...
. Lin was also eliminated in the semifinals of the Singapore Open and the quarterfinals of the China Open.


2006

Lin started the season by reaching the semifinals of the German Open, and had a same result in China Masters and China Open. He failed to win the Malaysia Open in June, which saw his opponent Lee Chong Wei produce a superb display to save the title after being 13–20 down in the deciding game, and also lost to Taufik Hidayat in Asian Games final. However, he won six individual titles in the season. He recaptured the All England Open, and won the Chinese Taipei, Macau, Hong Kong, and Japan Opens. Most significantly, in Madrid, Spain that September he won his first
world title A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
after beating his compatriot Bao Chunlai in the final. In May, Lin and his teammates had extended China's Thomas Cup reign by shutting out Denmark 3–0 for a second consecutive title.


2007

Lin Dan entered 2007 with a loss to South Korea's
Park Sung-hwan Park Sung-hwan (Hangul: 박성환; Hanja: 朴成煥; born September 4, 1984 in Jeju-do) is a badminton player from South Korea. Park is the top-ranked men's singles player in South Korea and has succeeded at an international level, winning indiv ...
in the round of 16 at the Malaysia Open. A week later he captured the Korea Open by defeating Chinese teammate Chen Jin in the final. He went on to win the German Open and then the All England championships again, crushing compatriot Chen Yu 21–13, 21–12. In June, Lin Dan was part of the Chinese
Sudirman Cup The Sudirman Cup is an international badminton mixed team competition contested by member countries of the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every two years since the inaugural ...
team that retained the cup after beating
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
3–0 in the final at
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, Scotland. Later in the season Lin Dan defeated
Wong Choong Hann Wong Choong Hann (; born 17 February 1977) is a former badminton player from Malaysia. He is the first Malaysian to win a medal in the men's singles event at the BWF World Championships. Currently he is the coaching director for the Malaysia n ...
of
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
and became the China Masters champion for 2007. In August, Lin Dan extended his reign as the
world champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
when he beat
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
's
Sony Dwi Kuncoro Sony Dwi Kuncoro (born 7 July 1984) is a badminton singles player from Indonesia. He was the 2004 Olympic bronze medalist, two-time World Championships medalist (silver–2007, bronze–2009) and three-time Asian Champion (2002, 2003, 2005). He ...
21–11, 22–20 in the final of the tournament held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Lin Dan thus became the first man since Yang Yang to win back to back world championships.


2008

Lin started the season with a defeat in the final of the Korea Open to
Lee Hyun-il Lee Hyun-il ( ko, 이현일; born 17 April 1980) is a former badminton player from South Korea. He is a former World and Asian Championships bronze medalist, and was part of South Korean team that won the 2003 Sudirman Cup as well the gold medal ...
. It was a match filled with controversy as Lin had a scuffle with South Korea's coach Li Mao after a line call dispute. Lin refused to apologize and received no punishment from Badminton World Federation (BWF) after its probe of the altercation. In March he suffered another defeat to his compatriot Chen Jin in the final of the All England Open, which was followed by press accusations that Lin "gave" the match to Chen in order to increase Chen's ranking points for Olympic qualification (which placed stringent limits on the number of participants from any one country). In the following week, Lin won his first
Swiss Open The Omega European Masters is the Swiss stop on professional men's golf's European Tour, and in 2009 it became the first event in Europe to be co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour. Founded as the Swiss Open in 1923, the tournament was prefixed with Eu ...
. At the Asia Championships, Lin was again accused of helping his compatriot when his loss to Chen Jin in the semifinals ensured Chen's qualification for the Olympic Games. On 10 April 2008, Lin was involved in yet another controversy when he struck coach
Ji Xinpeng Ji Xinpeng (; born 30 December 1977) is a retired Chinese badminton player. Career Ji Xinpeng is the first Chinese badminton player to win an Olympic gold medal in men's singles. Having never previously captured a top-tier event on the inter ...
in front of his teammates and the media during an intra-squad tournament prior to the
Thomas Cup The Thomas Cup, sometimes called the World Men's Team Championships, is an international badminton competition among teams representing member nations of the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport's global governing body. The championships ha ...
. The incident was allegedly triggered by his unhappiness with Ji's arrangement of the starting line-up for the tournament. Despite the episode, in May Lin proceeded to win each match he played in the
Thomas Cup The Thomas Cup, sometimes called the World Men's Team Championships, is an international badminton competition among teams representing member nations of the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport's global governing body. The championships ha ...
until China's semifinal clash with Malaysia when he lost rather tamely to Lee Chong Wei. However, China still managed to reach the final by edging Malaysia 3-2, then retained the cup against South Korea with Lin's win at first singles helping China to a 3-1 victory. Lin won the Thailand Open, his last tournament before the 2008 Olympic Games. In the Beijing
Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
, he beat Hong Kong's
Ng Wei Ng Wei (; born 14 July 1981) is a former Hong Kong badminton player from Jiangsu. He competed in three consecutive Summer Olympics in 2000, 2004 and 2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt followin ...
in the first round,
Park Sung-hwan Park Sung-hwan (Hangul: 박성환; Hanja: 朴成煥; born September 4, 1984 in Jeju-do) is a badminton player from South Korea. Park is the top-ranked men's singles player in South Korea and has succeeded at an international level, winning indiv ...
in the second round, and
Peter Gade } Peter Høeg Gade (born 14 December 1976 in Aalborg, Denmark)BWF World Ranking
Bwfbadminto ...
in the quarterfinals. He then beat his teammate Chen Jin in straight sets to set up a "dream" final against Lee Chong Wei. However, the final was a one-sided match as Lin demolished Lee 21–12, 21–8, and became the first men's singles player to win the Olympic gold as a first seed. Not back in action until the China Open in November, Lin again beat Lee in the final, before losing to Chen Jin once again in the Hong Kong Open. Lin was eligible to participate in the lucrative Masters Finals in December, but due to the withdrawal of the whole Chinese contingent (citing weariness and injuries), he didn't take part in the tournament.


2009

In March, at his first tournament appearance of 2009, Lin won his fourth All England title without dropping a game, defeating Lee Chong Wei in the final. After this dominant performance, he lost to Lee in the final of
Swiss Open The Omega European Masters is the Swiss stop on professional men's golf's European Tour, and in 2009 it became the first event in Europe to be co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour. Founded as the Swiss Open in 1923, the tournament was prefixed with Eu ...
a week later. In May, Lin participated in the
Sudirman Cup The Sudirman Cup is an international badminton mixed team competition contested by member countries of the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every two years since the inaugural ...
helping China to consecutive 5–0 victories over England, Japan, and Indonesia. In the semifinals against Malaysia Lin defeated Lee Chong Wei in straight games as China advanced to the final against South Korea with another shutout. In the last round the same form held true as Lin beat
Park Sung-hwan Park Sung-hwan (Hangul: 박성환; Hanja: 朴成煥; born September 4, 1984 in Jeju-do) is a badminton player from South Korea. Park is the top-ranked men's singles player in South Korea and has succeeded at an international level, winning indiv ...
thus helping China to secure the Cup for the third time in a row, and each time without dropping a match in the series. During the rest of 2009 Lin dropped only two matches; in June in the quarterfinals of the Indonesia Open, and, perhaps most surprisingly, in the finals of December's
East Asian Games The East Asian Games was a multi-sport event organized by the East Asian Games Association (EAGA) and held every four years from 1993 to 2013. Among those who competed included athletes from East Asian countries and territories of the Olympic ...
in Hong Kong to South Korea's little known Choi Ho-jin. Aside from those upsets, Lin dominated. In August in
Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
he became the first player to win the
World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
three times by beating compatriot Chen Jin in the final. Later Dan would go on to win his fourth China Masters title and first French Open title. He ended his tournament winning streak in November with the China Open title before the late-year upset loss in Hong Kong.


2010

After starting the season disappointingly with quarterfinal losses at both the All England and Swiss Opens, Lin won his first title of the year at the Badminton Asia Championships in
New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
, which also marked his first victory at this annual event. Taking part in his fifth
Thomas Cup The Thomas Cup, sometimes called the World Men's Team Championships, is an international badminton competition among teams representing member nations of the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport's global governing body. The championships ha ...
campaign for China in May, Lin won a pair of hard fought encounters with
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
's
Park Sung-hwan Park Sung-hwan (Hangul: 박성환; Hanja: 朴成煥; born September 4, 1984 in Jeju-do) is a badminton player from South Korea. Park is the top-ranked men's singles player in South Korea and has succeeded at an international level, winning indiv ...
in the group ties and the quarterfinals respectively. In the semifinals, he handily defeated Lee Chong Wei in contributing to China's 3-0 victory over Malaysia and a berth in the final against long time rival Indonesia. Here, Lin led off with a comfortable victory over familiar opponent Taufik Hidayat, as China went on to capture its eighth Men's World Team title; its fourth consecutively. After the Thomas Cup triumph, Lin played in the
World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. He won his opening match and then beat Henri Hurskainen and Bao Chunlai in the second and third rounds respectively before being upset by Park Sung-hwan in the quarterfinals. That day also saw his archrival Lee Chong Wei exit from the tournament which was eventually won by Lin's compatriot Chen Jin. Lin then bounced back to win the
China Masters The Fuzhou China Open, formerly known as China Masters, is an annual badminton tournament held in China. It became part of the BWF Super Series tournaments in 2007. In 2014 the level of the tournament was downgraded to BWF Grand Prix Gold because, ...
, but lost the final of the Japan Open to Lee Chong Wei the following week, and conceded walkovers in the quarterfinals of both the China Open, and Hong Kong Open late in the year. However, Lin managed to win his first ever Asian Games gold medal in November by beating
Lee Chong Wei Datuk Lee Chong Wei (; born 21 October 1982) is a Malaysian former badminton player. As a singles player, Lee was ranked first worldwide for 349 weeks, including a 199-week streak from 21 August 2008 to 14 June 2012. He is the fifth Mala ...
in final, thus, at 27, becoming the first player to win all of the present major titles available to Asian men in badminton, both individual and national team. Lin was voted the most valuable player (MVP) at the games' closing ceremony.


2011

Lin began the year with a withdrawal in the Malaysia Open's quarterfinals, which marked his third consecutive withdrawal since late 2010. This action brought some criticism, particularly by well known fellow competitor
Taufik Hidayat Taufik Hidayat (born 10 August 1981) is an Indonesian retired badminton player. He is a former World, Olympic, Asian Games, and Asian champion, and the youngest world number one in the men's singles. Hidayat has won the Indonesia Open six tim ...
. The very next week Lin sprang back to win the first ever million dollar badminton tournament, Korea Open by beating Lee Chong Wei in the final. He next won the German Open, beating his compatriot and reigning world champion Chen Jin in the final. At the prestigious All England Championships in March his hopes for a fifth title were put on hold when he was defeated by Lee Chong Wei in the final. However, in April he won his second
Asian Championships An Asian Championship is a top level international sports competition between Asian athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. List of Championships (Summer Olympic Sports) ;Aquatics * Asia ...
on a day which saw China sweep all five titles and in May he helped China to a fourth consecutive
Sudirman Cup The Sudirman Cup is an international badminton mixed team competition contested by member countries of the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every two years since the inaugural ...
title by defeating Denmark 3–0 in the final. In June, Lin's withdrawal from the Singapore Open final due to gastric flu drew jeers from fans in the stadium. Just few days later, he was upset by
Sho Sasaki is a Japanese retired badminton player from Tonami Transportation badminton team. He competed at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics. He also competed in four Asian Games from 2002 to 2014. Career In 2007 he won the Japanese National Cham ...
in the second round of Indonesia Open. Healthy again in August, Lin won his fourth
World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
title by beating familiar rivals
Peter Gade } Peter Høeg Gade (born 14 December 1976 in Aalborg, Denmark)BWF World Ranking
Bwfbadminto ...
in the semifinal and Lee Chong Wei in a very tight three game final at
Wembley Arena Wembley Arena (originally the Empire Pool, now known as OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. The 12,500-s ...
, a venue which would host the badminton competition for 2012 Summer Olympics. The rather up and down season for Lin continued with the
China Masters The Fuzhou China Open, formerly known as China Masters, is an annual badminton tournament held in China. It became part of the BWF Super Series tournaments in 2007. In 2014 the level of the tournament was downgraded to BWF Grand Prix Gold because, ...
in September where he was ousted in the semi-finals, and at the Japan Open where he withdrew from the semifinals. This was followed up by a shock exit in the second round of the
Denmark Open The Denmark Open, or formerly known as Danish Open, is an annual badminton tournament held in Denmark and organized by Badminton Denmark. The Denmark Open was part of the BWF Super Series Premier from 2011 to 2017. BWF categorised it as one o ...
to Hong Kong player
Wong Wing Ki Vincent Wong Wing Ki (, born Wong Shu Ki (黃書棋); 18 March 1990) is a retired badminton player who represented Hong Kong. Name change Wong Wing Ki was born Wong Shu Ki (黃書棋), but he changed his name when he was 17. "Shu" is homophon ...
, and another withdrawal during the semifinals of French Open despite leading in the match. He told officials that he was suffering from
paronychia Paronychia is an inflammation of the skin around the nail, which can occur suddenly, when it is usually due to the bacterium '' Staphylococcus aureus'', or gradually when it is commonly caused by the fungus ''Candida albicans''. The term is fr ...
(an infection below the fingernail). This was his sixth retirement of the season and many in the media imputed that this was part of a strategy to improve the rankings of other Chinese singles players to allow the maximum number to qualify for the 2012 Olympics. Both Lin and Chinese coach
Li Yongbo Li Yongbo (; born September 18, 1962) is a retired Chinese male badminton player and the former head coach of Chinese National Badminton Team. Career As a player, he was a men's doubles specialist noted for his quickness, reflexes, and power. ...
denied this, citing, instead, the heavy tournament schedule that BWF required of top players, and Lin's need to be ready for the biggest events such as the Olympics. In any case, Lin's slump did not last long. He ended the year by winning three straight events, His fifth Hong Kong Open, the China Open, and his first Super Series Masters Finals title.


2012

Lin started the year by losing to Lee Chong Wei in the final of the Korea Open, and then losing in the second round of the Malaysia Open to Denmark's
Jan O. Jorgensen Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Numb ...
. In early March he took his first title of the season by winning his fifth German Open. The very next week he won his fifth All England Open title as rival Lee Chong Wei was forced to retire in discomfort early in the second game of the final. In April, Lin was again the subject of some controversy when he withdrew from the semifinals of the Badminton Asia Championships, a move that was openly seen as a ploy to secure an Olympic berth for his compatriot Chen Jin. In
Wuhan, China Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei Province in the People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the ninth-most populous Chinese city a ...
in May, Lin Dan and his teammates won all of their individual matches in each tie they played to win their fifth consecutive
Thomas Cup The Thomas Cup, sometimes called the World Men's Team Championships, is an international badminton competition among teams representing member nations of the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport's global governing body. The championships ha ...
(remarkably China's women also went entirely undefeated to regain the
Uber Cup The Uber Cup, sometimes called the World Women's Team Championships, is a major international badminton competition contested by women's national badminton teams. First held in 1956–1957 and contested at three year intervals, it has been contes ...
from South Korea). With only a week between Thomas Cup and the Thailand Open in early June, a fatigued Lin lost in the semifinals to Indonesia's highly capable
Sony Dwi Kuncoro Sony Dwi Kuncoro (born 7 July 1984) is a badminton singles player from Indonesia. He was the 2004 Olympic bronze medalist, two-time World Championships medalist (silver–2007, bronze–2009) and three-time Asian Champion (2002, 2003, 2005). He ...
. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Lin routinely beat Ireland's Scott Evans to qualify for the main draw of sixteen players where he started by trouncing fading star Taufik Hidayat. In the quarterfinals, however, Japan's hard-fighting
Sho Sasaki is a Japanese retired badminton player from Tonami Transportation badminton team. He competed at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics. He also competed in four Asian Games from 2002 to 2014. Career In 2007 he won the Japanese National Cham ...
put Lin to the test before yielding 16-21 in the third game. Lin then handily beat South Korean veteran
Lee Hyun-il Lee Hyun-il ( ko, 이현일; born 17 April 1980) is a former badminton player from South Korea. He is a former World and Asian Championships bronze medalist, and was part of South Korean team that won the 2003 Sudirman Cup as well the gold medal ...
in the semifinals to set up yet another meeting with his chief
rival A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...
Lee Chong Wei. Unlike the 2008 Olympic final this one was no cakewalk for Lin. He lost the first game to Lee but came back strongly to take the second. The rubber game was a thriller which saw Lin claw back from slight deficits most of the way to finally prevail 21-19 An ecstatic Lin thus became the first men's singles player to retain the Olympic title, while Lee, now almost 30, was once again foiled at one of the sport's two biggest events (aside from the Thomas and Uber Cups), the Olympics and the World Championships.


2013

After his 2012 Olympic victory Lin did not make another tournament appearance until the
2013 Badminton Asia Championships The 2013 Badminton Asia Championships was the 32nd edition of the Badminton Asia Championships. It was held in Taipei, Taiwan, from April 16 to April 21. Venue *Taipei Arena. Medalists Results Men's singles Seeds # Chen Long ''(final)'' # ...
, in April where, citing injury, he withdrew from the quarterfinals. Amid some speculation that he was planning to retire, Lin was granted a special wild card entry into the
World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
in
Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...
, as, despite his great achievements, his recent inactivity had caused his world ranking to fall below that of other Chinese players who would then normally fill the maximum quota of three entrants that any one country was allowed. Without appearing in any tournament between the Badminton Asia Champiohships in April and the World Championships in August, Lin was able to convert this wildcard entry into his fifth world title. He won all of his matches in straight games until the final where, yet again, hard-luck Lee Chong Wei could not quite catch him in the third game rubber, and was forced to submit with a painful cramp down 17-20.


2014

After seven month tournament absence, Lin, down to 104th in the official world rankings, returned in April and took titles in the
China Masters The Fuzhou China Open, formerly known as China Masters, is an annual badminton tournament held in China. It became part of the BWF Super Series tournaments in 2007. In 2014 the level of the tournament was downgraded to BWF Grand Prix Gold because, ...
and the Badminton Asia Championships in quick succession. Lin was part of China's Thomas Cup team which defended its title in May, but because of his deflated ranking could only play at third singles. Consequently, when China met a talented and highly motivated Japanese team in the semifinals at
New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
, Lin could only watch helplessly as Japan took the first two singles and a doubles to break China's ten year streak of men's world team titles. Beyond this disappointment, the BWF would not grant Lin a wild card entry into the 2014 World Championships, as they did in 2013. Thus Lin could not defend his title which was won by Chinese teammate Chen Long who defeated the unlucky Lee Chong Wei in a close two game final. In June, Lin lost in the quarterfinals of Japan Open. Shortly afterwards, he won the Australian Open, his first Super Series title since the 2012 All England Open. In November, Lin lost in the final of the China Open to
Kidambi Srikanth Srikanth Kidambi (born 7 February 1993) is an Indian badminton player. A former world no. 1, Kidambi was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, in 2018. and the Arjuna award in 2015. In 2021, he became the first Indian t ...
from India.


2015

In April, Lin won the men's singles title at the Badminton Asia Championships in China, defending his title won the previous year in South Korea. He defeated compatriot
Tian Houwei Tian Houwei (; born 11 January 1992) is a badminton player from China. He was the 2009 World and Asian Junior Champions in the boys' singles event. Tian was part of the Chinese national team that won the silver medals at the 2013 Summer Univer ...
21–19, 21–8 in a match that lasted 50 minutes in the central city of Wuhan. In May, Lin Dan contributed to China winning its 10th
Sudirman Cup The Sudirman Cup is an international badminton mixed team competition contested by member countries of the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every two years since the inaugural ...
by defeating Japan's
Takuma Ueda is a male Japanese badminton player from the Unisys Unisys Corporation is an American multinational information technology (IT) services and consulting company headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. It provides digital workplace soluti ...
21–15, 21–13 in the final for his team's third and decisive point. His return to the
World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
in August, however, was not particularly auspicious as he was routinely eliminated by Denmark's Jan O. Jorgensen in the quarterfinals, as Lin's compatriot Chen Long again prevailed over Lee Chong Wei in the finals. Recovering from this disappointment, in September Lin won his only Super Series title of the year at the Japan Open, making a remarkable comeback after trailing 3–11 in the deciding game of the final against Denmark's young star
Viktor Axelsen Viktor Axelsen (born 4 January 1994) is a Danish badminton player. He is the 2017 and 2022 World champion and the 2020 Olympic champion. He won the 2010 World Junior Championships, beating South Korea's Kang Ji-wook in the final to become the ...
.


2016

In March, Lin defeated Taiwan's Chou Tien-Chen in three hard games to clinch his seventh men's singles title at the German Open. A week after this win, Lin regained his All England title in Birmingham England, giving him his 6th victory at this prestigious event. In impressive form, he beat compatriot
Tian Houwei Tian Houwei (; born 11 January 1992) is a badminton player from China. He was the 2009 World and Asian Junior Champions in the boys' singles event. Tian was part of the Chinese national team that won the silver medals at the 2013 Summer Univer ...
21–9, 21–10 in the final. In April, Lin Dan beat world No. 1 Chen Long in straight games to lift his sixth China Masters crown in Jiangsu, China. Here Lin showed his competitive mettle by coming from 11-16 behind in the second game to clinch the match 23-21. In June, however, he was stunned in second round of Indonesia Open by eighteen year old
Jonatan Christie Leonardus Jonatan Christie (born 15 September 1997) is an Indonesian badminton player specializing in the singles discipline affiliated with the Tangkas Specs club. He won the men's singles title at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games and at the 20 ...
. At the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, Lin sailed through his group round robin to qualify for the main draw. In the quarterfinals he was tested by India's
Srikanth Kidambi Srikanth Kidambi (born 7 February 1993) is an Indian badminton player. A former world no. 1, Kidambi was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, in 2018. and the Arjuna award in 2015. In 2021, he became the first Indian t ...
, but pulled through 21-18 in the third game. This set up a semifinal confrontation with long-time rival Lee Chong Wei which drew great fan interest as the players, both in their thirties, were assumed to be near retirement. In another epic match Lee was finally able to reverse past Olympic and World Championship losses to Lin and prevail, 15–21, 21–11, 22–20. But Lee's quest for Olympic gold after two silver medals ended with a disappointing finale, as he was beaten in two close games by Lin's compatriot Chen Long. In the bronze medal match, Lin played Denmark's Viktor Axelsen. After taking the first set 21–15, the two-time Olympic champion lost the next two and the match with a scoreline of 21–15, 10–21, 17–21. After the Rio Olympics, he skipped all international tournaments for the remainder of the year.


2017

In March, at the prestigious All England Championships Lin defeated Viktor Axelson in the quarterfinals but was eliminated in the semifinals by his countryman
Shi Yuqi Shi Yuqi (; Mandarin pronunciation: ; born 28 February 1996) is a Chinese badminton player. Shi Yuqi won his first Superseries title in the 2016 French Open. At the 2017 All England Open, he defeated 6-time champion Lin Dan to reach the final, a ...
, more than twelve years Lin's Junior. However, he bounced back to win the Swiss Open by beating Shi Yuqi in the finals. In April he won the Malaysia Open for the first time by defeating Lee Chong Wei, who had virtually owned this title for more than a decade. In the China Masters he lost in the semifinal to
Qiao Bin Qiao Bin (, born 17 November 1992) is a Chinese badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "single ...
, and in the Badminton Asia Championship, where he recorded a semifinal win over Lee Chong Wei, he took a silver medal after losing to
Chen Long Chen Long (; ; born 18 January 1989), is a Chinese former professional badminton player. He is the 2016 Olympic champion, two-time World champion, and an Asian champion. Chen was a former World number 1, occupying the top men's singles ranki ...
in the final. Lin was beaten in the German Open and Indonesian Open respectively in round of 16. He lost to Chen Long in the Australian Open quarter finals. At the
World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
in Glasgow, Scotland, at age 33, Lin managed to reach a record seventh men's singles final by beating Hong Kong's
Wong Wing Ki Vincent Wong Wing Ki (, born Wong Shu Ki (黃書棋); 18 March 1990) is a retired badminton player who represented Hong Kong. Name change Wong Wing Ki was born Wong Shu Ki (黃書棋), but he changed his name when he was 17. "Shu" is homophon ...
, 21–17, 21–18 in the quarter finals and beating Korea's
Son Wan-ho Son Wan-ho (Hangul: 손완호; or ; born 17 May 1988) is a South Korean badminton player. He reached a career high as world number 1 in the men's singles in May 2017. He competed at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics. He plays primarily defensive ...
, 21–17, 21–14 in the semi finals. But in the finals, he was beaten in straight sets by his ten years younger opponent,
Viktor Axelsen Viktor Axelsen (born 4 January 1994) is a Danish badminton player. He is the 2017 and 2022 World champion and the 2020 Olympic champion. He won the 2010 World Junior Championships, beating South Korea's Kang Ji-wook in the final to become the ...
of Denmark, 22–20, 21–16.


2018

In March, the 34-year-old Lin tied
Rudy Hartono Rudy Hartono Kurniawan (born Nio Hap Liang (); 18 August 1949) is an Indonesian former badminton player holding the record of winning the men's singles title at the All-England Championship eight times, seven times consecutively from 1968 to 1974 ...
's record of reaching ten All England men's singles finals, but was foiled in his try for a seventh title by his much younger compatriot,
Shi Yuqi Shi Yuqi (; Mandarin pronunciation: ; born 28 February 1996) is a Chinese badminton player. Shi Yuqi won his first Superseries title in the 2016 French Open. At the 2017 All England Open, he defeated 6-time champion Lin Dan to reach the final, a ...
in three exhausting games, 19-21, 21-16, 9-21. In May, he won the
New Zealand Open The New Zealand Open is the premier men's golf tournament in New Zealand. It has been a regular fixture on the PGA Tour of Australasia tournament schedule since the 1970s. The 2019 event was the 100th edition of the tournament. Since 2014 it has ...
by beating talented Indonesian youngster
Jonatan Christie Leonardus Jonatan Christie (born 15 September 1997) is an Indonesian badminton player specializing in the singles discipline affiliated with the Tangkas Specs club. He won the men's singles title at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games and at the 20 ...
in two close games, 21-14, 21-19. Later that month, Lin was a member of the Chinese team which regained the
Thomas Cup The Thomas Cup, sometimes called the World Men's Team Championships, is an international badminton competition among teams representing member nations of the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport's global governing body. The championships ha ...
after four years of absence, though his team was never extended to a deciding 5th match which would have required his services in the third singles position.


2019

In his first tournament of 2019, Lin reached the final of the
Thailand Masters The Thailand Masters was a professional snooker tournament. Previously known as Asian Open and Thailand Open, it was a ranking tournament from 1989/90 to 2001/02. An event called the ''Thailand Masters'' also formed part of the ''World Series'' ...
, where he lost to the up and coming
Loh Kean Yew Loh Kean Yew (; born 26 June 1997) is a Singaporean badminton player. He is the former men's singles world champion, winning the title at the 2021 BWF World Championships, becoming the first Singaporean to achieve this feat. Born in Penang, Ma ...
in two tightly contested games, 19-21, 18-21. In April, at the age of 35, he won his second Malaysia Open title, beating higher ranked compatriot
Shi Yuqi Shi Yuqi (; Mandarin pronunciation: ; born 28 February 1996) is a Chinese badminton player. Shi Yuqi won his first Superseries title in the 2016 French Open. At the 2017 All England Open, he defeated 6-time champion Lin Dan to reach the final, a ...
, 21-19, 16-21, 21-12 and
Chen Long Chen Long (; ; born 18 January 1989), is a Chinese former professional badminton player. He is the 2016 Olympic champion, two-time World champion, and an Asian champion. Chen was a former World number 1, occupying the top men's singles ranki ...
, 9-21, 21-17, 21-11 in the semifinals and finals respectively. However, he withdrew from the Singapore Open during the first round against Viktor Axelsen, citing a "thigh injury", but only after being visibly upset by early line calls. In May, he lost in the semifinals of the
New Zealand Open The New Zealand Open is the premier men's golf tournament in New Zealand. It has been a regular fixture on the PGA Tour of Australasia tournament schedule since the 1970s. The 2019 event was the 100th edition of the tournament. Since 2014 it has ...
to
Ng Ka Long Angus Ng Ka-long (born 24 June 1994) is a badminton player from Hong Kong. He has a career-high ranking of 6th in the men's singles discipline. He won the 2016 Hong Kong Super Series and the 2020 Thailand Masters. Early life and education ...
in two straight games, 13-21, 11-21. In November, he lost in the finals of the
Korea Masters The Korea Masters is an international badminton tournament that usually held in November or December every year of BWF event calendar in South Korea. The total prize money in 2016 was US$120,000. Before 2010, the level of the tournament was an Inter ...
tournament to
Kanta Tsuneyama is a Japanese badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and ...
in two straight games as well, 22-24, 12-21.


2020

Lin begins the 2020 season poorly. In January, he was eliminated in the first round of the Malaysia Masters by Jan Ø. Jørgensen in two tense games, 19-21, 18-21. The following week, he participated in the
Indonesia Masters The Indonesia Masters is an international badminton tournament in BWF World Tour Super 500 (Super 750 in 2021). Formerly known as the Indonesia Open Grand Prix Gold, it was first held in 2010 in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, and change its venue i ...
and was defeated in the first round again, this time by
Viktor Axelsen Viktor Axelsen (born 4 January 1994) is a Danish badminton player. He is the 2017 and 2022 World champion and the 2020 Olympic champion. He won the 2010 World Junior Championships, beating South Korea's Kang Ji-wook in the final to become the ...
, who beat him in two relatively easy games, 12-21, 14-21. Lin then followed up with yet another first round exit at the
Thailand Masters The Thailand Masters was a professional snooker tournament. Previously known as Asian Open and Thailand Open, it was a ranking tournament from 1989/90 to 2001/02. An event called the ''Thailand Masters'' also formed part of the ''World Series'' ...
where he lost to
Ng Ka Long Angus Ng Ka-long (born 24 June 1994) is a badminton player from Hong Kong. He has a career-high ranking of 6th in the men's singles discipline. He won the 2016 Hong Kong Super Series and the 2020 Thailand Masters. Early life and education ...
in another two straight games defeat, 18-21, 9-21. At the All England Open held in March, he reached the second round but was defeated by compatriot
Chen Long Chen Long (; ; born 18 January 1989), is a Chinese former professional badminton player. He is the 2016 Olympic champion, two-time World champion, and an Asian champion. Chen was a former World number 1, occupying the top men's singles ranki ...
, 17-21, 8-21. This will turn out to be his last tournament as the rest were canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.


Retirement

On 4 July 2020 Lin Dan announced his retirement, saying "at 37, pain and injuries no longer allow me to fight with my teammates. I have gratitude, a heavy heart and unwillingness." After his retirement, he joined Instagram to stay connected with his fans all over the world.


Rivalry with Lee Chong Wei

The Lee–Lin rivalry was a rivalry between two professional
badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players p ...
players,
Lee Chong Wei Datuk Lee Chong Wei (; born 21 October 1982) is a Malaysian former badminton player. As a singles player, Lee was ranked first worldwide for 349 weeks, including a 199-week streak from 21 August 2008 to 14 June 2012. He is the fifth Mala ...
and Lin Dan whose careers were almost exactly contemporaneous. The rivalry is often considered the greatest in the history of badminton even though Lin had the decided edge. Of their 40 meetings, Lin won the head-to-head by 28–12.


Personal life

Lin has been in a relationship with
Xie Xingfang Xie Xingfang (born January 8, 1981) is a retired Chinese badminton player from Guangzhou, Guangdong. She is a former defending two-time world champion for women's singles, and former women's singles World No. 1. Her first big title was in girl ...
, herself a former
world champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
, since 2003. They were quietly engaged on 13 December 2010 in
Haizhu Haizhu District is one of 11 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, China. Geography Haizhu District is located in the southern part of Guangzhou city. After the adjustment of Guangzhou ...
,
Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...
. Xie initially denied but later acknowledged romantic involvement with Lin, who reacted angrily at the public exposure of their relationship, citing reasons of personal privacy. The two were married on 23 September 2012 and the wedding ceremony was held at the
Beijing University of Technology Beijing University of Technology (), also called Beijing Polytechnic University or Bei Gong Da (), is recognized as one of the Project 211 universities. The university has established a multidisciplinary academic structure, offering a variety ...
. Lin had five
tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several Process of tatt ...
s visible during the 2012 Summer Olympics. His upper left arm has a Christian cross, his lower left arm has five stars, his right upper arm reads "until the end of world", a double "F" lettering on his lower right arm, and his initials "LD" are tattooed on the back of his neck. These tattoos have been the subject of controversy due to his military and religious status. On 17 October 2012, he became the first active Chinese badminton player to accept a
master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.
, which was presented at
Huaqiao University Huaqiao University (; Acronym: HQU) is a national university located in Xiamen and Quanzhou, Fujian province, China. Huaqiao University was founded in 1960, with support from the late Chinese premier and historical figure Zhou Enlai, for stu ...
. His autobiography, ''Until the End of the World'', was published after he successfully defended his Olympic title at the
London 2012 Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
. He and his wife
Xie Xingfang Xie Xingfang (born January 8, 1981) is a retired Chinese badminton player from Guangzhou, Guangdong. She is a former defending two-time world champion for women's singles, and former women's singles World No. 1. Her first big title was in girl ...
had their first child "Xiao Yu" (Little feather) on 5 November 2016. On November 17, 2016, he admitted to an affair and apologised on Weibo. Social media users had purportedly identified the woman as actress and model Zhao Yaqi.


Awards

Lin won the Eddie Choong Player of the Year award for two consecutive years in 2006 and 2007. He also secured the BWF Best Male Player of the Year in 2008. Lin was voted Most Valuable Player (MVP) during the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. On 16 January 2011, he was named China's best male athlete for 2010 in China Central Television's Sports Personality of the Year poll for his clean sweep in major badminton titles.


Social media

Weibo is the main
social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
platform which Lin is using to post and update his latest status as well as communicate with his fans or friends. Lin uses his name '林丹‘as the name of the account. In February 2018, the latest number of his followers in Weibo has achieved 3.7 million. Additionally, Lin's fan group has set an exclusive account called '林丹全国球迷会‘ in Weibo to update Lin's latest status, post his pictures and results of matches.


Individual finals


Titles


Runners-up


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lin, Dan 1983 births Living people People from Longyan Hakka sportspeople Badminton players from Fujian Chinese male badminton players World No. 1 badminton players Olympic badminton players of China Olympic gold medalists for China Olympic medalists in badminton Badminton players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Badminton players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Badminton players at the 2012 Summer Olympics Badminton players at the 2016 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Badminton players at the 2002 Asian Games Badminton players at the 2006 Asian Games Badminton players at the 2010 Asian Games Badminton players at the 2014 Asian Games Badminton players at the 2018 Asian Games Asian Games gold medalists for China Asian Games silver medalists for China Asian Games bronze medalists for China Asian Games medalists in badminton Medalists at the 2002 Asian Games Medalists at the 2006 Asian Games Medalists at the 2010 Asian Games Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games Medalists at the 2018 Asian Games 21st-century Chinese people