name | Lin Dan |
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size | 200px |
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nickname | Super Dan |
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birth name | 林丹 |
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birth date | October 14, 1983 |
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birth place | Longyan, Fujian, China |
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height | |
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weight | |
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event | Men's singles |
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country | |
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handedness | Left |
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highest ranking | 1 |
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date of highest ranking | February, 2004 |
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current ranking | 2 |
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date of current ranking | July 14, 2011 |
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medal templates | }} |
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| bwf_id = 296B69A5-3C25-4E3D-964E-DDFA46A1333A
}}
Lin Dan (; born October 14, 1983 in Longyan, Fujian) is a professional badminton player from China. By the age of 27, Lin completed the "Super Grand Slam", having won all major titles in world badminton: Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cup, Thomas Cup, Sudirman Cup, All England Open, Asian Games, and Asia Championships, becoming the first and only player to achieve this feat.
He has been nicknamed "Super Dan" by his fans.
Personal life
In his early years, Lin was encouraged to learn to play the
piano by his parents, but chose to play badminton at the age of five. He joined the sports troop of the
People's Liberation Army at the age of 13 and has been part of
China's national badminton team since 2001 when he was 18.
On April 10, 2008, he created controversy when he struck coach Ji Xinpeng in front of his teammates and reporters during the warm-up tournament ahead of Thomas Cup. The incident was reportedly triggered by Lin being unhappy with Ji's starting lineup for the tournament.
Lin has been in a romantic relationship with Xie Xingfang, herself a former world champion badminton player, since 2003. They were quietly married on December 13, 2010 in Haizhu, Guangzhou. Xie initially denied but later admitted the news when reporters got the evidence. Lin reacted angrily towards the news and insisted that it was a personal matter between him and Xie.
Career
Junior events
Lin emerged as a winner in the 2000 Asian Junior Championships in both the team and boys' 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 Lin's professional career. In his first final, at the Asian Badminton Championships, he was thrashed by compatriot
Xia Xuanze.
In 2002 Lin took his first title at the Korea Open. He was a member of China's 2002 Thomas Cup squad which defeated Sweden (5–0), Denmark (3–2), and Korea (4–1) to reach the semifinals. However, Lin didn't play in the semifinal tie against Malaysia, 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 directly blew China's hope of a 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 in Birmingham, England. He breezed past Per-Henrik Croona and Przemysław Wacha 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 and then captured the Swiss Open. He won his first ever
All England Open title by beating
Peter Gade in the final. He reached the semifinal of the Japan Open before going off to
Jakarta,
Indonesia in May for the Thomas Cup campaign.
In Thomas Cup, Lin helped China to an excellent start in which they thrashed United States and defending champion Indonesia 5–0 respectively to enter the quarterfinals. Lin then cruised past Shoji Sato and Lee Hyun-il in quarterfinal and semifinal ties against Japan and Korea 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 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 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. In his bid to capture his first world title at Anaheim California, he beat Kennevic Asuncion, Shoji Sato, Lee Hyun-il, and Peter Gade in succession to reach the final. There he was decisively beaten by 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, 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 had a superb display to save the title after a 13–20 down in rubber game, and also lost to Taufik Hidayat in
Asian Games final.
However, he won six individual titles in the season. He recapturing All England Open, won Chinese Taipei Open, Macau Open, Hong Kong Open, Japan Open, and 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, shut out Denmark 3–0 for 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 Team China in the
Sudirman Cup, held in
Glasgow, Scotland. The Chinese team retained the cup after beating
Indonesia 3–0 in the final. Later in the season Lin Dan defeated
Wong Choong Hann of
Malaysia and became the China Masters champion for 2007. In August, Lin Dan extended his reign as the
world champion when he beat
Indonesia'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 apologise 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. In the following week, Lin won his first
Swiss Open. 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.
In Thomas Cup, Lin won every match he played except his semifinal clash with Lee Chong Wei, and helped China to a third successive title in the tournament. After easy victories over Nigeria and Canada in the group stage, China defeated Thailand in the quarterfinals. Despite Lin's loss to Lee Chong Wei in the semifinals, China still managed to qualify for the final over Malaysia 3–2 and retained the title after beating South Korea 3–1.
Lin won the Thailand Open, his last tournament before the 2008 Olympic Games.
In Olympic Games, 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 Masters Finals, but due to the withdrawal of China, he didn't take part in the tournament.
2009
In March, Lin won his fourth
All England title by defeating Lee Chong Wei, in only his first appearance since November 2008, but lost to the same opponent in the final of
Swiss Open a week later.
He then participated in the Sudirman Cup in which he helped China to a 5–0 victory against England and another clean swept against Japan and Indonesia. In the semifinals, it was another showdown between Lin and Lee Chong Wei in a tie against Malaysia, and Lin went on to win in straight games to set up a clash against Korea in the final. In the final, Lin had no trouble beating Park Sung-hwan, helping China to secure the Cup for the third time in a row without conceding a match to any opponent in the tournament.
In June, Lin failed to win the Indonesia Open after being knocked out in the quarter-finals. It was the second tournament he failed to win, aside from an upset by South Korean's Choi Ho-jin in December during the East Asian Games final.
Lin then went on to sweep all titles in tournaments he participated in between August and November. He became the first player to win the World Championships three times in Hyderabad, India, beating Chen Jin in the final. Later Dan would go on to win his fourth China Masters title and first French Open title. He closed the season with the China Open title before heading to Hong Kong for the East Asian Games.
2010
Lin started the season with failure to defend the
All England Open title by losing in the quarterfinals, and had another quarterfinals exit in the
Swiss Open. He only won his first seasonal title in the
Badminton Asia Championships, which also marked his first title in the championships.
Lin had his fifth appearance in Thomas Cup. After an easy win against Peru, he won the double encounter against Korea's Park Sung-hwan in the second group tie and the quarterfinals respectively. In the semifinals, he defeated Lee Chong Wei in straight games to help China reach the final, before outclassing Indonesia for a fourth consecutive title.
After the Thomas Cup triumph, Lin played in the World Championships in Paris, France. 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. The day also saw his arch rival Lee Chong Wei exit from the tournament. Lin then bounced back to win the China Masters, but continued his lowlight in the season after being beaten in the final of the Japan Open, and conceding walkovers in the quarterfinals of the China Open, and Hong Kong Open respectively.
However, Lin managed to win his first ever Asian Games gold medal in November, thus becoming the first player to win all of the present major titles available to Asians in badminton, both individual and national team.
2011
Lin began the year with a withdrawal in the
Malaysia Open's quarterfinals, which marked his third withdrawal in a row since late 2010. This action caused criticism mostly by
Taufik Hidayat, who wanted the
Badminton World Federation (BWF) to investigate. His mother denied that he retired on purpose, and cited he had a waist injury. However, he sprang back to win the first ever million dollar badminton tournament,
Korea Open, a week later. He then won the German Open, beating his compatriot
Chen Jin in the final.
However, Lin's hope to become the first player to win five All England titles in the open era was dashed when he was defeated by Lee Chong Wei in the final. He then won his second Asian Championships in April on a day which saw China sweep all five titles. Lin helped China to a fourth consecutive Sudirman Cup title in May, defeating Denmark 3–0 in the final. In June, Lin withdrew from the Singapore Open final due to gastric flu, this drew the jeers from fans in the stadium. Just few days later, he was stunned by Sho Sasaki in the second round of Indonesia Open.
He won his fourth World Championships title in August in Wembley Arena, a venue which will host the same competition for 2012 Summer Olympics.
Awards
Lin was voted
Most Valuable Player (MVP) during the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. On January 16, 2011, he was voted as the 2010 best male athlete in
CCTV Sports Personality of the Year for his clean sweep in major badminton titles.
Individual finals
Titles (44)
{| class=wikitable
!Year
!Tournament
!Opponent in final
!Score
|-
|2002
|
Korea Open (1)
|
Shon Seung-mo
|1–7, 7–3, 7–3, 7–5
|-
|2003
|
Denmark Open (1)
|
Chen Yu
|15–4, 15–6
|-
|2003
|
Hong Kong Open (1)
|
Boonsak Ponsana
|15–4, 9–15, 15–8
|-
|2003
|
China Open (1)
|
Wong Choong Hann
|17–16, 15–12
|-
|2004
|
Swiss Open (1)
|
Bao Chunlai
|15–12, 15–6
|-
|
2004
|
All England Open (1)
|
Peter Gade
|9–15, 15–5, 15–8
|-
|2004
|
Denmark Open (2)
|
Xia Xuanze
|15–12, 15–11
|-
|2004
|
German Open (1)
|
Xia Xuanze
|17–16, 15–9
|-
|2004
|
China Open (2)
|
Bao Chunlai
|15–11, 15–10
|-
|2005
|
German Open (2)
|
Muhammad Hafiz Hashim
|15–8, 15–8
|-
|2005
|
Japan Open (1)
|
Chen Hong
|15–4, 2–0 (retired)
|-
|2005
|
China Masters (1)
|
Bao Chunlai
|15–6, 15–13
|-
|2005
|
Hong Kong Open (2)
|
Bao Chunlai
|15–10, 15–4
|-
|2005
|
World Cup (1)
|
Boonsak Ponsana
|21–13, 21–11
|-
|
2006
|
All England Open (2)
|
Lee Hyun-il
|15–7, 15–7
|-
|2006
|
Chinese Taipei Open
|
Lee Chong Wei
|21–18, 12–21, 21–11
|-
|2006
|
Macau Open
|
Lee Chong Wei
|21–18, 18–21, 21–18
|-
|2006
|
Hong Kong Open (3)
|
Lee Chong Wei
|21–19, 8–21, 21–16
|-
|
2006
|
World Championships (1)
|
Bao Chunlai
|18–21, 21–17, 21–12
|-
|2006
|
Japan Open (2)
|
Taufik Hidayat
|16–21, 21–16, 21–3
|-
|2006
|
World Cup (2)
|
Chen Yu
|21–19, 19–21, 21–17
|-
|
2007
|
Korea Open (2)
|
Chen Jin
|21–14, 21–19
|-
|
2007
|
German Open (3)
|
Chen Yu
|walkover
|-
|
2007
|
All England Open (3)
|
Chen Yu
|21–13, 21–12
|-
|
2007
|
China Masters (2)
|
Wong Choong Hann
|21–19, 21–9
|-
|
2007
|
World Championships (2)
|
Sony Dwi Kuncoro
|21–11, 22–20
|-
|
2007
|
Denmark Open (3)
|
Bao Chunlai
|21–15, 21–12
|-
|
2007
|
Hong Kong Open (4)
|
Lee Chong Wei
|9–21, 21–15, 21–15
|-
|
2008
|
Swiss Open (2)
|
Lee Chong Wei
|21–13, 21–18
|-
|2008
|
Thailand Open
|
Boonsak Ponsana
|17–21, 21–15, 21–13
|-
|
2008
|
Olympic Games
|
Lee Chong Wei
|21–12, 21–8
|-
|
2008
|
China Open (3)
|
Lee Chong Wei
|21–18, 21–9
|-
|
2009
|
All England Open (4)
|
Lee Chong Wei
|21–19, 21–12
|-
|
2009
|
World Championships (3)
|
Chen Jin
|21–18, 21–16
|-
|2009
|
China Masters (3)
|
Boonsak Ponsana
|21–17, 21–17
|-
|2009
|
French Open
|
Taufik Hidayat
|21–6, 21–15
|-
|2009
|
China Open (4)
|
Jan Ø. Jørgensen
|21–12, 21–12
|-
|
2010
|
Badminton Asia Championships (1)
|
Wang Zhengming
|21–17, 21–15
|-
|
2010
|
China Masters (4)
|
Chen Long
|21–15, 13–21, 21–14
|-
|
2010
|
Asian Games
|
Lee Chong Wei
|21–13, 15–21, 21–10
|-
|
2011
|
Korea Open (3)
|
Lee Chong Wei
|21–19, 14–21, 21–16
|-
|2011
|
German Open (4)
|
Chen Jin
|21–19, 21–11
|-
|
2011
|
Badminton Asia Championships (2)
|
Bao Chunlai
|21–19, 21–13
|-
|
2011
|
World Championships (4)
|
Lee Chong Wei
|20–22, 21–14, 23–21
|}
Runners-up (16)
{| class=wikitable
!Year
!Tournament
!Opponent in final
!Score
|-
|2001
|
Asian Badminton Championships
|
Xia Xuanze
|10–15, 9–15
|-
|2001
|
Denmark Open
|
Bao Chunlai
|5–7, 1–7, 0–7
|-
|2003
|
Japan Open (1)
|
Xia Xuanze
|12–15, 10–15
|-
|2003
|
German Open
|
Lee Hyun-il
|4–15, 4–15
|-
|
2005
|
All England Open (1)
|
Chen Hong
|15–8, 5–15, 2–15
|-
|2005
|
Malaysia Open (1)
|
Lee Chong Wei
|15–17, 15–9, 9–15
|-
|
2005
|
World Championships
|
Taufik Hidayat
|3–15, 7–15
|-
|2006
|
Malaysia Open (2)
|
Lee Chong Wei
|18–21, 21–18, 21–23
|-
|
2006
|
Asian Games
|
Taufik Hidayat
|15–21, 20–22
|-
|
2008
|
Korea Open
|
Lee Hyun-il
|21–4, 21–23, 23–25
|-
|
2008
|
All England Open (2)
|
Chen Jin
|20–22, 23–25
|-
|
2008
|
Hong Kong Open
|
Chen Jin
|9–21, 21–9, 17–21
|-
|
2009
|
Swiss Open
|
Lee Chong Wei
|16–21, 16–21
|-
|2009
|
East Asian Games
|
Choi Ho-jin
|20–22, 17–21
|-
|
2010
|
Japan Open (2)
|
Lee Chong Wei
|20–22, 21–16, 17–21
|-
|
2011
|
All England Open (3)
|
Lee Chong Wei
|17–21, 17–21
|-
|
2011
|
Singapore Open
|
Chen Jin
|Walkover
|}
References
External links
Official blog
Official website
Category:Chinese badminton players
Category:1983 births
Category:Living people
Category:Badminton players at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Category:Badminton players at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Category:Olympic badminton players of China
Category:Olympic gold medalists for China
Category:People from Longyan
Category:Hakka sportspeople
Category:Olympic medalists in badminton
Category:Asian Games medalists in badminton
da:Lin Dan
de:Lin Dan
es:Lin Dan
fr:Lin Dan
ko:린단
id:Lin Dan
it:Lin Dan
jv:Lin Dan
ms:Lin Dan
nl:Lin Dan
ja:林丹
no:Lin Dan
pl:Lin Dan
pt:Lin Dan
ru:Линь Дань
fi:Lin Dan
sv:Lin Dan
uk:Лінь Дань
zh:林丹