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
World
In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
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 multi ...
,
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 h ...
,
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 1989 Sudir ...
,
Super Series Masters Finals,
All England Open
The All England Open Badminton Championships is the world's oldest badminton tournament, held annually in England. With the introduction of the BWF's latest grading system, it was given Super Series status in 2007, upgraded to Super Series Premie ...
,
Asian Games
The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until th ...
, and
Asian Championships, 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
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...
and successfully defending his title in
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
.
In 2004, he was dubbed "Super Dan" by opponent
Peter Gade after winning the
All England Open
The All England Open Badminton Championships is the world's oldest badminton tournament, held annually in England. With the introduction of the BWF's latest grading system, it was given Super Series status in 2007, upgraded to Super Series Premie ...
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 c ...
,
China. 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
People's, branded as ''People's Viennaline'' until May 2018, and legally ''Altenrhein Luftfahrt GmbH'', is an Austrian airline headquartered in Vienna. It operates scheduled and charter passenger flights mainly from its base at St. Gallen-Alt ...
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 The Badminton Asia Junior Championships is a tournament organized by the Badminton Asia governing body to crown the best junior badminton players (under-19) in Asia.
Championships (U19)
The table below gives an overview of all host cities and count ...
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.
Caree ...
.
In 2002 Lin took his first title at the
Korea Open. He was a member of
China's
2002 Thomas Cup
The 2002 Thomas & Uber Cup was held in Guangzhou, China from May 9 to May 19, 2002. It was the 22nd tournament of World Men's Team Badminton Championships of Thomas Cup and 19th tournament of World Women's Team Badminton Championships of Uber Cup. ...
squad which defeated
Sweden (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 = Kingdom of Denmark
, establishe ...
(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
The All England Open Badminton Championships is the world's oldest badminton tournament, held annually in England. With the introduction of the BWF's latest grading system, it was given Super Series status in 2007, upgraded to Super Series Premie ...
. 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
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
,
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 ...
. 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 E ...
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 h ...
and then captured the Swiss Open. He won his first ever
All England Open
The All England Open Badminton Championships is the world's oldest badminton tournament, held annually in England. With the introduction of the BWF's latest grading system, it was given Super Series status in 2007, upgraded to Super Series Premie ...
title by beating
Peter Gade in the final. He reached the semifinal of the Japan Open before going off to
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 h ...
, Lin helped China to an excellent start in which they thrashed
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
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 and
Lee Hyun-il in quarterfinal and semifinal ties against
Japan 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 multi ...
when, as the first seed, he was ousted early by Singapore's
Ronald Susilo, 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 1989 Sudir ...
(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 Malay ...
. In his bid to capture his first
BWF World title at
Anaheim
Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-mos ...
California, he beat
Kennevic Asuncion
Kennevic Asuncion (Chinese: 洪育雄; born March 21, 1980) is a male badminton player from the Philippines. He was born in Barbaza, Antique and is the son of former Philippine Badminton Team Coach Nelson Asuncion. He plays doubles with his sis ...
,
Shoji Sato,
Lee Hyun-il, and
Peter Gade in succession to reach the final. There he was decisively beaten by a peak-form
Taufik Hidayat. 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 German Open is a name given to many sports events established in Germany, and include:
*German Open (badminton), an annual badminton tournament held since 1955.
*German Open (golf), was a golf tournament on the European Tour
*German Masters, a snook ...
, 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
The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until th ...
final.
However, he won six individual titles in the season. He recaptured the
All England Open
The All England Open Badminton Championships is the world's oldest badminton tournament, held annually in England. With the introduction of the BWF's latest grading system, it was given Super Series status in 2007, upgraded to Super Series Premie ...
, and won the Chinese Taipei, Macau, Hong Kong, and Japan Opens. Most significantly, in Madrid, Spain that September he won his first
world title 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 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 1989 Sudir ...
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
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...
, 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 Malaysi ...
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 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. 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
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the international governing body for the sport of badminton recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It was founded in 1934 as the International Badminton Federation (IBF) with nine member ...
(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
The All England Open Badminton Championships is the world's oldest badminton tournament, held annually in England. With the introduction of the BWF's latest grading system, it was given Super Series status in 2007, upgraded to Super Series Premie ...
, 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 ...
. 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 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 h ...
. 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 h ...
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 multi ...
, he beat Hong Kong's
Ng Wei in the first round,
Park Sung-hwan in the second round, and
Peter Gade 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 ...
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 1989 Sudir ...
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 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
The Badminton Asia Championships (formerly Asian Badminton Championships until 2006) is a tournament organized by governing body Badminton Asia to crown the best badminton players in Asia.
The tournament started in 1962 and is held annually sin ...
in
New Delhi
New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the NCT Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati B ...
, 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 h ...
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 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. ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
. He won his opening match and then beat Henri Hurskainen and
Bao Chunlai
Baozi (), Pao-tsih or bao, is a type of yeast-leavened filled bun in various Chinese cuisines. There are many variations in fillings ( meat or vegetarian) and preparations, though the buns are most often steamed. They are a variation of ''m ...
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
The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until th ...
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 Malay ...
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
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
(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. 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 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 1989 Sudir ...
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 Champ ...
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 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-se ...
, 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 homopho ...
, and another withdrawal during the semifinals of
French Open
The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and v ...
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 fro ...
(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 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 N ...
. 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
The All England Open Badminton Championships is the world's oldest badminton tournament, held annually in England. With the introduction of the BWF's latest grading system, it was given Super Series status in 2007, upgraded to Super Series Premie ...
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 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 h ...
(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.
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 Champ ...
put Lin to the test before yielding 16-21 in the third game. Lin then handily beat South Korean veteran
Lee Hyun-il in the semifinals to set up yet another meeting with his chief
rival 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 ...
, 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 city, capital of India and a part of the NCT Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati B ...
, 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
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US 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 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 Univ ...
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 1989 Sudir ...
by defeating Japan's
Takuma Ueda 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.
2016
In March, Lin defeated Taiwan's
Chou Tien-Chen
Chou Tien-chen ( Chinese: 周天成; born 8 January 1990) is a Taiwanese badminton player. He became the first local shuttler in 17 years to win the men's singles title of the Chinese Taipei Open in 2016 since Indonesian-born Fung Permadi won ...
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 Univ ...
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
The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...
, Lin sailed through his group round robin to qualify for the main draw. In the quarterfinals he was tested by India's
Srikanth Kidambi, 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, 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, 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 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
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US 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
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, at age 33, Lin managed to reach a record seventh
men's singles
Singles are people not in a committed relationship.
Singles may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series
* ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe
* ''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 homopho ...
, 21–17, 21–18 in the quarter finals and beating Korea's
Son Wan-ho, 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 of Denmark, 22–20, 21–16.
2018
In March, the 34-year-old Lin tied
Rudy Hartono'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 in three exhausting games, 19-21, 21-16, 9-21. In May, he won the
New Zealand Open 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 h ...
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, 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, 21-19, 16-21, 21-12 and
Chen Long, 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 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 tournament to
Kanta Tsuneyama
is a Japanese badminton player.
Achievements
Youth Olympic Games
''Mixed doubles''
Asia Junior Championships
''Boys' singles''
''Boys' doubles''
BWF World Tour (3 titles)
The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 ...
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
The Malaysia Masters, began in 2009, is a badminton tournament at the Super 500 grade, formerly a Grand Prix Gold. The total prize money is now US$350,000, having previously been US$120,000.
BWF categorised Malaysia Masters as one of the seven ...
by
Jan Ø. Jørgensen
Jan Østergaard Jørgensen (born 31 December 1987) is a Danish retired badminton player who played for SIF (Skovshoved) in the national league. He won the men's singles title at the 2014 European Championships, and was the bronze medalist at the ...
in two tense games, 19-21, 18-21. The following week, he participated in the
Indonesia Masters and was defeated in the first round again, this time by
Viktor Axelsen, 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 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
The All England Open Badminton Championships is the world's oldest badminton tournament, held annually in England. With the introduction of the BWF's latest grading system, it was given Super Series status in 2007, upgraded to Super Series Premie ...
held in March, he reached the second round but was defeated by compatriot
Chen Long, 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 racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...
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 Malay ...
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, 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,
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 ...
. 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 tattooing proc ...
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 s ...
. His autobiography, ''Until the End of the World'', was published after he successfully defended his Olympic title at the
London 2012 Olympics.
He and his wife
Xie Xingfang 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
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
(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 me ...
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