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Badminton is a sport that requires speed and agility, and over the years, several players have amazed fans with their skills. One player who stands out is Lin Dan, widely regarded as the greatest badminton player of all time. By the age of 28, Lin had completed the Super Grand Slam, winning all nine major titles in the badminton world at the time. He is a two-time Olympic gold medallist, a five-time world champion, and a six-time All England champion. Lin Dan's achievements have earned him the nickname Super Dan from fans and the media, and he is undoubtedly an iconic figure in the world of badminton.
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What You'll Learn
Lin Dan: widely regarded as the GOAT
Lin Dan, widely regarded as the greatest badminton player of all time, is a former Chinese professional badminton player. Born on October 14, 1983, in Fujian, China, Lin began his badminton training at the age of five. By the age of twelve, he had won the National Junior Championships and was scouted by the People's Liberation Army Sports Team. In 2001, at the age of eighteen, he was enlisted into the Chinese National Badminton Team.
Lin's career highlights include being a two-time Olympic gold medallist, a feat made more impressive by the fact that he was the first men's singles player to retain the Olympic gold medal, winning in 2008 and defending his title in 2012. He is also a five-time World Champion, two-time World Cup champion, two-time Asian Games gold medallist, four-time Asian Champion, and a six-time All England champion. By the age of 28, Lin had completed the "Super Grand Slam," having won all nine major titles in the badminton world at the time. This included winning at least two of each of the nine major events, except for the Year-end Finals, where he won once in his only participation.
Lin's dominance in the sport earned him the nickname "Super Dan" from his opponent Peter Gade after winning the 2004 All England Open final. The moniker has since been widely adopted by his fans and the media to honour his achievements. Lin's career also included a renowned rivalry with Lee Chong Wei, which is often considered the greatest in badminton's history, with Lin holding the edge in their head-to-head record.
On July 4, 2020, Lin announced his retirement, citing pain and injuries as the reasons for his decision. At the time of his retirement, he had accumulated numerous accolades, including being inducted into the BWF's Hall of Fame in 2023, alongside his rival Lee Chong Wei. Lin Dan's extraordinary achievements and dominance in the world of badminton solidify his status as the GOAT in the eyes of many fans and experts.
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BWF rankings: how players are ranked
Lin Dan, a Chinese former professional badminton player, is widely regarded as the greatest badminton player of all time. Nicknamed "Super Dan" by his fans and the media, Lin Dan became the first men's singles player to win consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012. He is also a five-time World Champion, a two-time World Cup champion, a four-time Asian Champion, and a six-time All England Champion. By the age of 28, he had achieved the "Super Grand Slam," winning all nine major titles in badminton at the time. In 2023, Lin Dan was inducted into the Badminton World Federation's (BWF) Hall of Fame.
The BWF ranks badminton players based on their performance in sanctioned competitions. The ranking system takes into account the players' top 10 performances over the previous 52 weeks, with points awarded based on the tournament's level and advancement. The five categories of rankings are World Ranking, World Tour Ranking, World Junior Ranking, World Team Ranking, and Olympic/World Championship Qualification Ranking. Each ranking category includes lists for the five badminton disciplines: men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles.
The World Ranking is the most frequently updated, published on the BWF website every Thursday. It is used for seedings in BWF-sanctioned tournaments and qualification for major events such as the World Championships, Summer Olympic Games, and BWF World Tour tournaments. Players under 19 years old are eligible for the BWF World Junior Ranking, introduced in 2011.
The World Tour Ranking includes the HSBC Race to Guangzhou and BWF Tour Super 100 Tournaments. The World Junior Ranking covers all junior international open tournaments, and players can include up to three world ranking tournaments in their results. The World Team Rankings are quarterly country rankings, based on the individual rankings of players from each country. Finally, the Olympic/World Championship Qualification Rankings are used to track potential qualifiers for the upcoming Olympic Games and World Championships.
The BWF World Ranking system provides a structured framework to evaluate and compare the performance of badminton players worldwide. It considers both the level of tournaments and players' achievements, ensuring that the rankings reflect their standing in the sport.
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Lee Chong Wei: Lin Dan's long-time rival
The rivalry between Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan is considered one of the greatest in badminton history. The two athletes, who had almost exactly contemporaneous careers, played each other 40 times between 2004 and 2018, with Lin ultimately winning 28 of those matches.
Lee and Lin had very different styles of play. Lee was known for his speed, counter-attacking prowess, crouch defence, deceptive net play, and steep, hard-hitting jump smashes. Lin, on the other hand, was famed for his patience, tactical awareness, sliding defence, and all-round court play. He would adjust his style of play to that of his opponent and then suddenly unleash huge and heavy attacks.
The rivalry between the two players was intense, with Lee reminding fans that Lin was a personal friend of his and asking them to change their attitude towards his arch-rival. Over time, hostility turned to admiration, and hatred to respect as fans realised they were witnessing a once-in-a-generation sporting rivalry. Both athletes acknowledged the positive impact of their rivalry on their performance, with Lin stating, "We always wanted to beat each other and that encouraged both of us to improve," and Lee adding, "I knew that I always had to beat Lin Dan to be a champion."
Lee and Lin met in the final 22 times and in the semi-finals 15 times, including twice each in the finals of the Olympic Games and World Championships, which Lin won. Lin also had the upper hand in their 11 meetings in Super Series finals, winning 9 of them. However, Lee's record includes 47 Super Series titles between 2007 and 2017, and he ranked first worldwide for 349 weeks, including a 199-week streak from 21 August 2008 to 14 June 2012.
Both athletes achieved significant milestones in their careers. Lin achieved a "Super Grand Slam" by winning all nine major titles in badminton by the age of 28, including being the first men's singles player to retain the Olympic gold medal. Lee became the oldest singles player in the Open era to win the All England Open at 34 years and 142 days, and he holds the record for most weeks spent as the world number one.
In recognition of their achievements, both Lee and Lin were inducted into the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Hall of Fame on 26 May 2023.
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Super Dan: Lin Dan's popular nickname
Lin Dan, widely regarded as the greatest badminton player of all time, is known by the nickname 'Super Dan'. The moniker was given to him by his opponent Peter Gade after Lin won the 2004 All England Open final. The nickname has since been widely adopted by his fans and the media in recognition of his achievements in the sport.
Lin Dan is a Chinese former professional badminton player. He is a two-time Olympic gold medallist, five-time World champion, two-time World Cup champion, two-time Asian Games gold medallist, four-time Asian Champion, and a six-time All England champion. By the age of 28, Lin had completed the "Super Grand Slam", becoming the first and only player to win all nine major titles in international badminton. He won at least two medals in each of the nine major events, except the Year-end Finals, where he won gold in his only participation in the event.
Lin is also the first men's singles player to retain the Olympic gold medal, winning in 2008 and successfully defending his title in 2012. In addition to his numerous accolades, Lin was also known for his rivalry with Lee Chong Wei, which is considered the greatest in the history of badminton, with Lin having the edge in head-to-head wins.
Despite his illustrious career, Lin's performance declined in his later years, with Chinese media outlets noting his "obvious signs of fatigue" and a "steep decline" in form. Nevertheless, Lin Dan's legacy as "Super Dan" remains intact, and he is remembered as one of the greatest athletes in the world of badminton.
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Major titles: Lin Dan's wins
Lin Dan, widely regarded as the greatest badminton player of all time, has won numerous major titles throughout his career. By the age of 28, Lin had completed the "Super Grand Slam", having won all nine major titles in the badminton world of his time.
Lin's major title wins include two Olympic gold medals, five World Championships, two World Cups, two Asian Games gold medals, four Asian Championships, and six All England Championships. He is the first men's singles player to retain the Olympic gold medal, winning in 2008 and defending his title in 2012.
Lin's first major title came in 2004 when he won the All England Open, earning him the nickname "Super Dan" from his opponent Peter Gade. The following year, he won his second Hong Kong Open and German Open titles, as well as the China Masters, Japan Open, and World Cup tournaments. In 2006, Lin won six individual titles, including the All England Open, Chinese Taipei Open, Macau Open, Hong Kong Open, and Japan Open.
In 2007, Lin started the year with a win at the Korea Open, defeating his teammate Chen Jin in the final. He then went on to win his fifth German Open and his fifth All England Open title. Lin also helped China retain the Sudirman Cup by beating Indonesia in the final. That same year, he extended his reign as World Champion, winning back-to-back World Championships and claiming his third Denmark Open and fourth Hong Kong Open titles.
Lin continued his winning streak in 2010, capturing his first gold medal at the Asian Games and becoming the first player to win all current major titles available to Asian men's badminton. In 2011, he won the Korea Open, beating Lee Chong Wei in the final, and the German Open, defeating Chen Jin. Lin ended 2011 with three consecutive titles: his fifth Hong Kong Open, the China Open, and his first Super Series Masters Finals.
With 66 singles titles to his name, including 15 BWF Super Series titles and five BWF Super Series Premier titles, Lin Dan's success in major tournaments solidifies his reputation as one of the greatest badminton players ever to grace the court.
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Frequently asked questions
Lin Dan, a former Chinese professional badminton player, is widely regarded as the greatest badminton player of all time. He is a two-time Olympic gold medallist and has won almost all major titles in the badminton world.
Nicknamed "Super Dan" by his fans and the media, Lin Dan has achieved numerous feats in badminton. He is a two-time Olympic gold medallist, five-time World champion, two-time World Cup champion, and a six-time All England champion. By the age of 28, he had completed the "Super Grand Slam", winning all nine major titles in badminton at the time.
On July 4, 2020, Lin Dan announced his retirement from badminton at the age of 37 due to pain and injuries.
