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Lin Dan
林丹
Lin at Golden Bauhinia Square, Hong Kong, 2008
Personal information
Nickname(s) Super Dan
Birth name 林丹
Born (1983-10-14) 14 October 1983 (age 40)
Longyan, Fujian, China
Height 178 cm
Weight 70 kg
Country China
Years active 2000–2020
Handedness Left
Men's singles
Highest Ranking 1 (26 February 2004)
Title(s) 66
Medal record
Men's badminton
Representing  China
Olympic Games
Gold 2008 Beijing Men's singles
Gold 2012 London Men's singles
World Championships
Gold 2006 Madrid Men's singles
Gold 2007 Kuala Lumpur Men's singles
Gold 2009 Hyderabad Men's singles
Gold 2011 London Men's singles
Gold 2013 Guangzhou Men's singles
Silver 2005 Anaheim Men's singles
Silver 2017 Glasgow Men's singles
World Cup
Gold 2005 Yiyang Men's singles
Gold 2006 Yiyang Men's singles
Sudirman Cup
Gold 2005 Beijing Mixed team
Gold 2007 Glasgow Mixed team
Gold 2009 Guangzhou Mixed team
Gold 2011 Qingdao Mixed team
Gold 2015 Dongguan Mixed team
Silver 2017 Gold Coast Mixed team
Thomas Cup
Gold 2004 Jakarta Men's team
Gold 2006 Tokyo Men's team
Gold 2008 Jakarta Men's team
Gold 2010 Kuala Lumpur Men's team
Gold 2012 Wuhan Men's team
Gold 2018 Bangkok Men's team
Bronze 2002 Guangzhou Men's team
Bronze 2014 New Delhi Men's team
Asian Games
Gold 2006 Doha Men's team
Gold 2010 Guangzhou Men's singles
Gold 2010 Guangzhou Men's team
Gold 2014 Incheon Men's singles
Gold 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Men's team
Silver 2006 Doha Men's singles
Silver 2014 Incheon Men's team
Bronze 2002 Busan Men's team
Asian Championships
Gold 2010 New Delhi Men's singles
Gold 2011 Chengdu Men's singles
Gold 2014 Gimcheon Men's singles
Gold 2015 Wuhan Men's singles
Silver 2001 Manila Men's singles
Silver 2017 Wuhan Men's singles
Bronze 2008 Johor Bahru Men's singles
Bronze 2012 Qingdao Men's singles
Bronze 2016 Wuhan Men's singles
East Asian Games
Gold 2009 Hong Kong Men's team
Silver 2009 Hong Kong Men's singles
World Junior Championships
Gold 2000 Guangzhou Mixed team
Bronze 2000 Guangzhou Boys' singles
Asian Junior Championships
Gold 2000 Kyoto Boys' singles
Gold 2000 Kyoto Boys' team
Bronze 1999 Yangon Boys' doubles
Lin Dan
Lin Dan
Simplified Chinese 林丹
Traditional Chinese 林丹

Lin Dan (born 14 October 1983) is a Chinese former professional badminton player. He is a two-time Olympic champion, five-time World 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, World Championships, World Cup, Thomas Cup, Sudirman Cup, Super Series Masters Finals, All England Open, Asian Games, 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 and successfully defending his title in 2012.

In 2004, he was dubbed "Super Dan" by opponent Peter Gade 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.

On 26 May 2023, Lin was inducted to BWF Badminton Hall of Fame.

Early life

Lin was born in Fujian, 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 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: Senior debut and Four tour titles

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.

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 South 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 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 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: World #1, All England and Thomas Cup champions

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 defeated Shoji Sato and Lee Hyun-il in quarterfinal and semifinal ties against Japan and South 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: Sudirman and World Cup success

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 (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. In his bid to capture his first BWF 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 a peak-form Taufik Hidayat. Lin was also eliminated in the semifinals of the Singapore Open and the quarterfinals of the China Open.

2006: World Champion, Second All England and Thomas Cup triumph

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 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. In October, he won his second World Cup men's singles title.

2007: Consecutive World title, Third All England and Second Sudirman Cup

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 team that retained the cup after beating Indonesia 3–0 in the final at Glasgow, Scotland. 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: Olympic gold, Third Thomas Cup and Controversies

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 (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. 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 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 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, 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: Third World and Sudirman Cup titles, Fourth All England

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 a week later.

In May, Lin participated in the Sudirman Cup 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 in Hong Kong to South Korea's little known Choi Ho-jin. Aside from those upsets, Lin dominated. In August in Hyderabad he became the first player to win the World Championships 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: Asiad gold, Fourth Thomas Cup and Asian champion

Lin Dan (CHN)
Lin Dan (CHN)

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, which also marked his first victory at this annual event.

Taking part in his fifth Thomas Cup campaign for China in May, Lin won a pair of hard-fought encounters with South Korea'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 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. 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, 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 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: Fourth World and Sudirman Cup success, Second Asian and First Super Series Masters Finals titles

Badminton-lin dan
Lin Dan in 2011 German Open.

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 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 in the second round of Indonesia Open.

Healthy again in August, Lin won his fourth World Championship title by beating familiar rivals Peter Gade in the semifinal and Lee Chong Wei in a very tight three game final at Wembley Arena, 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 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 to Hong Kong player Wong Wing Ki, and another withdrawal during the semifinals of French Open despite leading in the match. He told officials that he was suffering from paronychia (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: Second Olympic gold, Fifth All England and Thomas Cup

Badminton at the 2012 Summer Olympics 9311
Lin Dan at the 2012 Olympics

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. 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 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 (remarkably China's women also went entirely undefeated to regain the Uber Cup 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 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: Fifth World title

After his 2012 Olympic victory Lin did not make another tournament appearance until the 2013 Badminton Asia Championships, 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 in Guangzhou, 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 Championships 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: Second Asiad gold and Third Asian title

After seven month tournament absence, Lin, down to 104th in the official world rankings, returned in April and took titles in the China Masters 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, 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 September, he successfully defended his men's singles title in the Incheon Asian Games and was also a part of the men's team winning the silver medal. In November, Lin lost in the final of the China Open to Kidambi Srikanth from India.

2015: Fourth Asian title and Fifth Sudirman Cup

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 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 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 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: Sixth All England title

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 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 to 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.

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, 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: First Malaysia Open title

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 quarter finals.

At the World Championships 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, 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: Sixth Thomas Cup

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 in two close games, 21–14, 21–19. Later that month, Lin was a member of the Chinese team which regained the Thomas Cup 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: Second Malaysia Open title

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 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, and Chen Long, 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 semi-finals of the New Zealand Open to Ng Ka Long in two straight games. In November, he lost in the final of the Korea Masters to Kanta Tsuneyama in another straight games defeat.

2020: Pandemic shorten season

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 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. At the All England Open held in March, he reached the second round but was defeated by compatriot Chen Long. This will turn out to be his last tournament as the rest of the world tour were canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Retirement

On 4 July 2020, Lin 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 players, Lee Chong Wei 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, since 2003. They were quietly engaged on 13 December 2010 in Haizhu, Guangzhou. 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.

Lin had five tattoos 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, which was presented at Huaqiao University. 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 17 November 2016, he admitted to an affair and apologised on Weibo. Social media users had purportedly identified the woman as actress and model Zhao Yaqi.

Honours and 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.

On 26 May 2023, Lin was inducted into the BWF's Hall of Fame along with long-time rival, Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia.

Achievements

Olympic Games

Men's singles
Year Venue Opponent Score Result
2008 Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium, Beijing, China Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 21–12, 21–8 Gold medal.svg Gold
2012 Wembley Arena, London, United Kingdom Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 15–21, 21–10, 21–19 Gold medal.svg Gold

World Championships

Men's singles
Year Venue Opponent Score Result
2005 Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, United States Indonesia Taufik Hidayat 3–15, 7–15 Silver Silver
2006 Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad, Madrid, Spain China Bao Chunlai 18–21, 21–17, 21–12 Gold Gold
2007 Putra Indoor Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Indonesia Sony Dwi Kuncoro 21–11, 22–20 Gold Gold
2009 Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad, India China Chen Jin 21–18, 21–16 Gold Gold
2011 Wembley Arena, London, England Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 20–22, 21–14, 23–21 Gold Gold
2013 Tianhe Sports Center, Guangzhou, China Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 16–21, 21–13, 20–17r Gold Gold
2017 Emirates Arena, Glasgow, Scotland Denmark Viktor Axelsen 20–22, 16–21 Silver Silver

World Cup

Men's singles
Year Venue Opponent Score Result
2005 Olympic Park, Yiyang, China Thailand Boonsak Ponsana 21–14, 21–11 Gold Gold
2006 Olympic Park, Yiyang, China China Chen Yu 21–19, 19–21, 21–17 Gold Gold

Asian Games

Men's singles
Year Venue Opponent Score Result
2006 Aspire Hall 3, Doha, Qatar Indonesia Taufik Hidayat 15–21, 20–22 Silver Silver
2010 Tianhe Gymnasium, Guangzhou, China Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 21–13, 15–21, 21–10 Gold Gold
2014 Gyeyang Gymnasium, Incheon, South Korea China Chen Long 12–21, 21–16, 21–16 Gold Gold

Asian Championships

Men's singles
Year Venue Opponent Score Result
2001 PhilSports Arena, Manila, Philippines China Xia Xuanze 10–15, 9–15 Silver Silver
2010 Siri Fort Indoor Stadium, New Delhi, India China Wang Zhengming 21–17, 21–15 Gold Gold
2011 Sichuan Gymnasium, Chengdu, China China Bao Chunlai 21–19, 21–13 Gold Gold
2014 Gimcheon Indoor Stadium, Gimcheon, South Korea Japan Sho Sasaki 14–21, 21–9, 21–15 Gold Gold
2015 Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium, Wuhan, China China Tian Houwei 21–19, 21–8 Gold Gold
2016 Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium, Wuhan, China Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 20–22, 21–15, 4–21 Bronze Bronze
2017 Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium, Wuhan, China China Chen Long 23–21, 11–21, 10–21 Silver Silver

East Asian Games

Men's singles
Year Venue Opponent Score Result
2009 Queen Elizabeth Stadium, Hong Kong South Korea Choi Ho-jin 19–21, 18–21 Silver Silver

World Junior Championships

Boys' singles
Year Venue Opponent Score Result
2000 Tianhe Gymnasium, Guangzhou, China China Bao Chunlai 4–7, 2–7, 7–0, 7–0, 1–7 Bronze Bronze

Asian Junior Championships

Boys' singles
Year Venue Opponent Score Result
2000 Nishiyama Park Gymnasium, Kyoto, Japan Indonesia Sony Dwi Kuncoro 15–12, 15–5 Gold Gold
Boys' doubles
Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
1999 National Indoor Stadium – 1, Yangon, Myanmar China Zheng Bo China Chen Yu
China Sang Yang
15–10, 3–15, 10–15 Bronze Bronze

BWF World Tour (2 titles, 3 runners-up)

The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018, is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tours are divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300 (part of the HSBC World Tour), and the BWF Tour Super 100.

Men's singles
Year Tournament Level Opponent Score Result
2018 All England Open Super 1000 China Shi Yuqi 19–21, 21–16, 9–21 2 Runner-up
2018 New Zealand Open Super 300 Indonesia Jonatan Christie 21–14, 21–19 1 Winner
2019 Thailand Masters Super 300 Singapore Loh Kean Yew 19–21, 18–21 2 Runner-up
2019 Malaysia Open Super 750 China Chen Long 9–21, 21–17, 21–11 1 Winner
2019 Korea Masters Super 300 Japan Kanta Tsuneyama 22–24, 12–21 2 Runner-up

BWF Superseries (21 titles, 10 runners-up)

The BWF Superseries, launched on 14 December 2006 and implemented in 2007, is a series of elite badminton tournaments, sanctioned by Badminton World Federation (BWF). BWF Superseries has two levels: Superseries and Superseries Premier. A season of Superseries features twelve tournaments around the world, which introduced since 2011, with successful players invited to the Superseries Finals held at the year end.

Men's singles
Year Tournament Opponent Score Result
2007 Korea Open China Chen Jin 21–14, 21–19 1 Winner
2007 All England Open China Chen Yu 21–13, 21–12 1 Winner
2007 China Masters Malaysia Wong Choong Hann 21–19, 21–9 1 Winner
2007 Denmark Open China Bao Chunlai 21–15, 21–12 1 Winner
2007 Hong Kong Open Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 9–21, 21–15, 21–15 1 Winner
2008 Korea Open South Korea Lee Hyun-il 21–4, 21–23, 23–25 2 Runner-up
2008 All England Open China Chen Jin 20–22, 23–25 2 Runner-up
2008 Swiss Open Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 21–13, 21–18 1 Winner
2008 China Open Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 21–18, 21–9 1 Winner
2008 Hong Kong Open China Chen Jin 9–21, 21–9, 17–21 2 Runner-up
2009 All England Open Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 21–19, 21–12 1 Winner
2009 Swiss Open Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 16–21, 16–21 2 Runner-up
2009 French Open Indonesia Taufik Hidayat 21–6, 21–15 1 Winner
2009 China Masters Thailand Boonsak Ponsana 21–17, 21–17 1 Winner
2009 China Open Denmark Jan Ø. Jørgensen 21–12, 21–12 1 Winner
2010 China Masters China Chen Long 21–15, 13–21, 21–14 1 Winner
2010 Japan Open Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 20–22, 21–16, 17–21 2 Runner-up
2011 Korea Open Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 21–19, 14–21, 21–16 1 Winner
2011 All England Open Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 17–21, 17–21 2 Runner-up
2011 Singapore Open China Chen Jin Walkover 2 Runner-up
2011 China Open China Chen Long 21–17, 26–24 1 Winner
2011 Hong Kong Open China Chen Jin 21–12, 21–19 1 Winner
2011 BWF Super Series Finals China Chen Long 21–12, 21–16 1 Winner
2012 Korea Open Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 21–12, 18–21, 14–21 2 Runner-up
2012 All England Open Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 21–19, 6–2r 1 Winner
2014 Australian Open Indonesia Simon Santoso 22–24, 21–16, 21–7 1 Winner
2014 China Open India Srikanth Kidambi 19–21, 17–21 2 Runner-up
2015 Malaysia Open China Chen Long 22–20, 13–21, 11–21 2 Runner-up
2015 Japan Open Denmark Viktor Axelsen 21–19, 16–21, 21–19 1 Winner
2016 All England Open China Tian Houwei 21–9, 21–10 1 Winner
2017 Malaysia Open Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 21–19, 21–14 1 Winner
     BWF Superseries Finals tournament
     BWF Superseries Premier tournament
     BWF Superseries tournament

IBF/BWF Grand Prix (28 titles, 6 runners-up)

The BWF Grand Prix had two levels, the BWF Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) which was held from 2007 to 2017. The World Badminton Grand Prix sanctioned by International Badminton Federation (IBF) from 1983 to 2006.

Men's singles
Year Tournament Opponent Score Result
2001 Denmark Open China Bao Chunlai 5–7, 1–7, 0–7 2 Runner-up
2002 Korea Open South Korea Shon Seung-mo 1–7, 7–3, 7–3, 7–5 1 Winner
2003 German Open South Korea Lee Hyun-il 4–15, 4–15 2 Runner-up
2003 Japan Open China Xia Xuanze 12–15, 10–15 2 Runner-up
2003 China Open Malaysia Wong Choong Hann 17–16, 15–12 1 Winner
2003 Denmark Open China Chen Yu 15–4, 15–6 1 Winner
2003 Hong Kong Open Thailand Boonsak Ponsana 15–4, 9–15, 15–8 1 Winner
2004 German Open China Xia Xuanze 17–16, 15–9 1 Winner
2004 All England Open Denmark Peter Gade 9–15, 15–5, 15–8 1 Winner
2004 Swiss Open China Bao Chunlai 15–12, 15–6 1 Winner
2004 Denmark Open China Xia Xuanze 15–12, 15–11 1 Winner
2004 China Open China Bao Chunlai 15–11, 15–10 1 Winner
2005 German Open Malaysia Muhammad Hafiz Hashim 15–8, 15–8 1 Winner
2005 All England Open China Chen Hong 15–8, 5–15, 2–15 2 Runner-up
2005 China Masters China Bao Chunlai 15–6, 15–13 1 Winner
2005 Malaysia Open Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 15–17, 15–9, 9–15 2 Runner-up
2005 Japan Open China Chen Hong 15–4, 2–0r 1 Winner
2005 Hong Kong Open China Bao Chunlai 15–4, 15–6 1 Winner
2006 All England Open South Korea Lee Hyun-il 15–7, 15–7 1 Winner
2006 Malaysia Open Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 18–21, 21–18, 21–23 2 Runner-up
2006 Japan Open Indonesia Taufik Hidayat 16–21, 21–16, 21–3 1 Winner
2006 Chinese Taipei Open Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 21–18, 12–21, 21–11 1 Winner
2006 Macau Open Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 21–18, 18–21, 21–18 1 Winner
2006 Hong Kong Open Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 21–19, 8–21, 21–16 1 Winner
2007 German Open China Chen Yu Walkover 1 Winner
2008 Thailand Open Thailand Boonsak Ponsana 17–21, 21–15, 21–13 1 Winner
2011 German Open China Chen Jin 21–19, 21–11 1 Winner
2012 German Open Indonesia Simon Santoso 21–11, 21–11 1 Winner
2014 China Masters China Tian Houwei 21–14, 21–9 1 Winner
2014 Chinese Taipei Open China Wang Zhengming 21–19, 21–14 1 Winner
2015 Brasil Open Spain Pablo Abián 21–13, 21–17 1 Winner
2016 German Open Chinese Taipei Chou Tien-chen 15–21, 21–17, 21–17 1 Winner
2016 China Masters China Chen Long 21–17, 23–21 1 Winner
2017 Swiss Open China Shi Yuqi 21–12, 21–11 1 Winner
     BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament
     BWF & IBF Grand Prix tournament

Invitational tournament

Men's singles
Year Tournament Opponent Score Result
2012 Copenhagen Masters Denmark Peter Gade 22–20, 16–21, 14–21 2 Runner-up
Men's doubles
Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
2014 China International Challenge Malaysia Lee Chong Wei China Fu Haifeng
China Cai Yun
18–21, 19–21 2 Runner-up

Performance timeline

Key
W F SF QF #R RR Q# A G S B NH N/A
(W) Won; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze medal; (NH) not held; (N/A) not applicable.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Legend Tier
BWF World Tour Super 1000
BWF World Tour Super 750
BWF World Tour Super 500
BWF World Tour Super 300
BWF World Tour Super 100
BWF Super Series Premier
BWF Super Series
BWF Grand Prix Gold
BWF Grand Prix
BWF International Challenge
BWF International Series

Singles

This table is current through 2020 All England Open.

Tournament 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 SR W–L Win %
National representation – Individual
Summer Olympic Games N/A A N/A 1R
0–1
N/A G
5–0
N/A G
5–0
N/A 4th
4–2
N/A 2 / 4 14–3 82%
Asian Games N/A A N/A S
3–1
N/A G
4–0
N/A G
5–0
N/A A N/A 2 / 3 12–1 92%
East Asian Games N/A NH N/A NH N/A S
2–1
N/A A N/A 0 / 1 2–1 67%
National representation – Team
Thomas Cup N/A A N/A SF-B
3–0
N/A G
5–0
N/A G
5–0
N/A G
4–1
N/A G
5–0
N/A G
5–0
N/A SF-B
2–0
N/A QF
3–0
N/A G
2–0
N/A 6 / 9 34–1 97%
Sudirman Cup A N/A A N/A A N/A G
5–0
N/A G
3–1
N/A G
5–0
N/A G
5–0
N/A A N/A G
3–0
N/A S
2–0
N/A A N/A 5 / 6 23–1 96%
Asian Games N/A SF-B
0–1
N/A G
3–1
N/A G
3–0
N/A S
3–0
N/A G
0–0
N/A 3 / 5 9–2 82%
East Asian Games N/A G
2–0
N/A A N/A 1 / 1 2–0 100%
Continental championships
World Championships A N/A A N/A 3R
2–1
N/A S
4–1
G
5–0
G
5–0
N/A G
6–0
QF
3–1
G
6–0
N/A G
6–0
A QF
3–1
N/A S
5–1
3R
2–1
2R
1–1
N/A 5 / 12 48–7 87%
World Cup not held G
4–0
G
4–0
not held 2 / 2 8–0 100%
Asia Championships absent S
5–1
absent SF-B
4–1
A G
6–0
G
6–0
SF-B*
4–0
QF*
3–0
G
5–0
G
5–0
SF-B
3–1
S
4–1
1R
0–1
2R
1–1
N/A 4 / 12 46–6 88%
Year-end championships
BWF Super Series Finals not held absent W
5–0
absent 1 / 1 5–0 100%
BWF tournaments
England
All England Open absent SF
4–1
2R
1–1
W
6–0
F
5–1
W
6–0
W
5–0
F
4–1
W
5–0
QF
2–1
F
4–1
W
5–0
absent SF
3–1
W
5–0
SF
3–1
F
4–1
1R
0–1
2R
1–1
6 / 17 63–11 85%
Indonesia
Indonesia Open absent 1R
0–1
3R
2–1
SF
4–1
absent QF
2–1
A 2R
1–1
absent 1R
0–1
2R
1–1
1R
0–1
1R
0–1
2R
1–1
N/A 0 / 10 11–10 52%
China
China Open 3R
2–1
NH QF
2–1
2R
1–1
W
5–0
W
5–0
2R
2–1
A 1R
0–1
W
5–0
W
5–0
QF*
2–0
W
5–0
absent F
4–1
SF
3–1
A 1R
0–1
1R
0–1
1R
0–1
N/A 5 / 16 41–10 80%
Malaysia
Malaysia Open absent QF
5–1
QF
3–1
2R
1–1
QF
3–1
F
4–1
F
5–1
2R
1–1
absent QF*
2–0
2R
1–1
absent F
4–1
QF
2–1
W
5–0
2R
1–1
W
5–0
N/A 2 / 14 42–11 79%
Japan
Japan Open absent 3R
1–1
F
5–1
SF
3–1
W
5–0
W
5–0
SF
3–1
absent F
4–1
SF*
3–0
absent QF
4–1
W
5–0
A QF
2–1
QF
2–1
1R
0–1
N/A 3 / 13 42–9 82%
Denmark
Denmark Open absent F
5–1
2R
1–1
W
6–0
W
6–0
absent W
5–0
absent 2R
1–1
absent 2R*
1–0
QF
2–1
absent 2R
1–1
1R
0–1
absent 3 / 10 28–6 82%
France
French Open absent NH SF
3–1
A W
5–0
A SF
3–1
absent 1R
0–1
absent 1R
0–1
2R
1–1
N/A 1 / 6 12–5 71%
China
China Masters not held W
5–0
SF
2–1
W
5–0
1R*
0–0
W
5–0
W
5–0
SF
3–1
absent W
5–0
A W
6–0
SF
3–1
1R
0–1
1R
0–1
N/A 6 / 12 39–5 89%
Malaysia
Malaysia Masters not held absent 1R
0–1
A 1R
0–1
0 / 2 0–2 0%
Indonesia
Indonesia Masters not held absent NH 1R
0–1
1R
0–1
1R
0–1
0 / 3 0–3 0%
India
India Open not held absent QF
2–1
2R
1–1
absent N/A 0 / 2 3–2 60%
Singapore
Singapore Open A NH 2R
1–1
1R
0–1
SF
4–1
A SF
4–1
A QF
2–1
absent F*
4–0
absent SF
3–1
absent 1R
0–1
N/A 0 / 8 18–7 72%
Thailand
Thailand Open absent NH absent W
6–0
A NH A SF
4–1
A NH absent 2R
1–1
N/A 1 / 3 11–2 85%
South Korea
Korea Open absent W
5–0
absent W
5–0
F
4–1
absent W
5–0
F
4–1
absent 2R
1–1
absent 2R
1–1
1R
0–1
N/A 3 / 8 25–5 83%
Hong Kong
Hong Kong Open A NH A NH W
6–0
NH W
5–0
W
6–0
W
5–0
F
4–1
A QF*
2–0
W
5–0
absent 2R
1–1
A QF
2–1
1R
0–1
2R
1–1
N/A 5 / 10 36–4 90%
Thailand
Thailand Masters not held absent F
4–1
1R
0–1
0 / 2 4–2 67%
Spain
Spain Masters not held absent W/D 0 / 0 0–0 0%
Germany
German Open absent F
5–1
W
5–0
W
6–0
SF
4–1
W
5–0
absent W
6–0
W
6–0
absent W
6–0
3R
2–1
QF
2–1
2R
1–1
N/A 6 / 11 48–5 91%
Switzerland
Swiss Open absent W
5–0
absent SF
3–1
W
5–0
F
4–1
QF
2–1
absent W
6–0
A QF
2–1
N/A 3 / 7 27–4 87%
New Zealand
New Zealand Open absent NH A NH absent W
5–0
SF
3–1
N/A 1 / 2 8–1 89%
Australia
Australian Open A NH absent W
5–0
1R
0–1
A QF
2–1
A QF
2–1
N/A 1 / 4 9–3 75%
United States
US Open absent 1R
0–1
A N/A 0 / 1 0–1 0%
Brazil
Brazil Open not held A W
6–0
A not held 1 / 1 6–0 100%
Chinese Taipei
Chinese Taipei Open absent NH absent W
5–0
absent W
6–0
SF
4–1
absent N/A 2 / 3 15–1 94%
Macau
Macau Open not held W
6–0
absent N/A 1 / 1 6–0 100%
South Korea
Korea Masters not held absent F
4–1
N/A 0 / 1 4–1 80%
Netherlands
Dutch Open absent QF
2–1
absent N/A 0 / 1 2–1 67%
Germany
SaarLorLux Open absent 3R
1–1
A A 0 / 1 1–1 50%
Asia Satellite absent 2R
1–1
absent not held 0 / 1 1–1 50%
Tournament 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 R W–L Win %
Career Statistics
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Total
Tournaments played 1 0 7 10 10 10 11 13 14 10 10 11 16 8 2 10 16 10 13 20 21 4 226
Titles 0 0 0 1 3 6 6 9 8 5 7 5 8 4 1 5 4 3 2 3 1 0 81
Finals Reached 0 0 2 1 5 6 9 11 8 8 9 6 10 5 1 7 5 3 5 4 3 0 108
Overall win–loss 2–1 0–0 21–7 18–8 37–7 42–4 49–5 59–5 50–7 41–5 41–3 38–4 64–5 34–3 9–0 40–2 42–12 34–7 35–10 21–17 27—20 1—4 705–136
Win Percentage 67% 0% 75% 69% 84% 91% 91% 92% 88% 89% 93% 90% 93% 92% 100% 95% 78% 83% 88% 55% 57% 20% 83.83%
Year End Ranking 1 1 1 1 2 2 6 2 4 101 6 4 6 6 13 17 19

* : Means Lin Dan gave a walkover at his last round of this tournament (Lost the match and didn't count into the number of loss)

Notes

  • BWF Super Series Finals was held from 2008 to 2017, when BWF World Tour Finals replaced it.

Longest winning streak

34 match winning streak

In 2006, Lin created a record by winning 34 matches in a row.

# Tournament Category Start date Rd Opponent Score
Malaysia Open Grand Prix 18 June 2006 F Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 18–21, 21–18, 21–23
1 Chinese Taipei Open Grand Prix 21 June 2006 1R Thailand Poompat Sapkulchananart 21–12, 21–11
2 22 June 2006 2R Malaysia Muhammad Roslin Hashim 21–16, 21–11
3 23 June 2006 QF England Rajiv Ouseph 21–14, 21–13
4 24 June 2006 SF China Chen Jin 21–13, 21–17
5 25 June 2006 F Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 21–18, 12–21, 21–11
6 Macau Open Grand Prix 19 July 2006 1R Macau Chan Io Chong 21–5, 21–15
7 19 July 2006 2R South Korea Shon Seung-mo 21–14, 20–22, 21–10
8 20 July 2006 3R Japan Shōji Satō 22–20, 21–9
9 21 July 2006 QF Malaysia Muhammad Hafiz Hashim 19–21, 21–18, 21–15
10 22 July 2006 SF South Korea Lee Hyun-il 21–10, 21–17
11 23 July 2006 F Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 21–18, 18–21, 21–18
12 Hong Kong Open Grand Prix 29 August 2006 1R Hong Kong Agus Hariyanto 21–19, 19–21, 21–12
13 30 August 2006 2R Thailand Poompat Sapkulchananart 21–11, 21–15
14 31 August 2006 3R Malaysia Yeoh Kay Bin 21–18, 22–20
15 1 September 2006 QF Indonesia Taufik Hidayat 4–1r
16 2 September 2006 SF Denmark Kenneth Jonassen 16–21, 23–21, 21–16
17 3 September 2006 F Malaysia Lee Chong Wei 21–19, 8–21, 21–16
18 World Championships 20 September 2006 1R Canada Bobby Milroy 21–16, 21–17
19 21 September 2006 2R South Korea Park Sung-hwan 21–16, 21–12
20 22 September 2006 QF Malaysia Muhammad Hafiz Hashim 21–10, 21–9
21 23 September 2006 SF China Chen Hong 15–21, 21–19, 21–14
22 24 September 2006 F China Bao Chunlai 18–21, 21–17, 21–12
23 Japan Open Grand Prix 10 October 2006 1R Japan Yusuke Arita 21–11, 21–17
24 11 October 2006 2R Denmark Joachim Persson 21–12, 21–10
25 12 October 2006 QF Malaysia Muhammad Hafiz Hashim 21–19, 21–14
26 13 October 2006 SF Denmark Peter Gade 21–12, 21–14
27 14 October 2006 F Indonesia Taufik Hidayat 16–21, 21–16, 21–3
28 World Cup 24 October 2006 RR New Zealand John Moody 21–9, 21–14
29 27 October 2006 RR Malaysia Kuan Beng Hong 21–12, 21–8
30 28 October 2006 SF Indonesia Taufik Hidayat Walkover
31 29 October 2006 F China Chen Yu 21–19, 19–21, 21–17
32 Asian Games Team Event 30 November 2006 RR India Anup Sridhar 21–19, 21–11
33 2 December 2006 RR Indonesia Taufik Hidayat 17–21, 21–17, 16–21
34 4 December 2006 SF Indonesia Taufik Hidayat 22–20, 13–21, 21–12
5 December 2006 F South Korea Lee Hyun-il 20–22, 21–11, 13–21

Record against selected opponents

Record against Year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists.

Records

Time span Records Players matched
Thomas Cup
2004–18 6 gold medals Stands alone
Summer Olympic Games
2008–12 2 gold medals in men's singles (consecutive) Stands alone
World Championships
2005–17 7 finals in men's singles Stands alone
2006–13 5 gold medals in men's singles
Asian Games
2006–14 3 finals in men's singles Stands alone
2010–14 2 gold medals in men's singles Zhao Jianhua
Taufik Hidayat
2006–18 3 gold medals in men's team Stands alone
World Cup
2005–06 2 gold medals in men's singles Liem Swie King
Han Jian
Icuk Sugiarto
Yang Yang
Joko Suprianto
Asia Championships
2001–17 4 gold medals in men's singles Stands alone
6 finals in men's singles
All England Open Badminton Championships
2004–18 10 finals in men's singles Rudy Hartono
China Open
2003–11 5 titles in men's singles Stands alone
Fuzhou China Open
2005–16 6 titles in men's singles Stands alone
Hong Kong Open
2003–11 5 titles in men's singles Lee Chong Wei
Swiss Open
2004–17 3 titles in men's singles Chen Jin
German Open
2004–16 6 titles in men's singles Erland Kops
Brasil Open
2015 1 title in men's singles Scott Evans
Zulfadli Zulkiffli

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Lin Dan para niños

kids search engine
Lin Dan Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.