Chinese superstar Lin Dan has retired from badminton after claiming two Olympic titles over a career spanning two decades.
The Beijing 2008 and London 2012 men’s singles champion, who is also known as “Super Dan”, announced the not-unexpected decision on China’s popular Weibo social network on Saturday.
“From 2000 to 2020, it has been 20 years and I have to say goodbye to the national team. It’s quite hard to say when the words come from your mouth,” said Lin.
“In 2000, I became a member of the national team. I was so proud and excited … over the years, I went through a lot of ups and downs with my family, teammates, coaches and fans.
“Even after competing in four Olympic Games, I have never thought of leaving the court. But now at 36 [he will be 37 in October], my body condition and injuries will not allow me to play along with my teammates … in future, I want to have more time to spend with my family members and find my new ‘battle field’,” he said.
Lin has been one of China’s most flamboyant sports stars over the past 15 years, rivalled only by
controversial three-time Olympic-winning swimmer Sun Yang.
After beating Lee Chong Wei in the 2008 Olympic final in Beijing, Lin threw his shoe into the crowd in celebration. The shoe and the person who caught it was then the subject of intense online speculation by Chinese users, with offers of up to US$500,000 for the footwear.
He was also one of the few Chinese athletes who fuelled tabloid-like headlines when social media revealed a tryst with Chinese model Zhao Yaqi in 2016. The star was chastised by Chinese fans but his wife, former badminton player Xie Xingfang, said she had forgiven him while Zhao also issued an apology.
Lin competed in his first Olympics at Athens in 2004, losing surprisingly in the first round to Ronald Susilo of Singapore in two games. He was still going for a record fifth appearance at Tokyo 2020 before the qualifiers were suspended in March due to the coronavirus outbreak.
In May, badminton’s governing body announced an extended Olympic qualification period which will be introduced from week 1-17 in 2021, and will include the select number of tournaments that were postponed, cancelled or suspended because of Covid-19.
However, with a ranking outside the top 20 and far behind compatriots Chen Long, the 2016 Rio champion, and up-and-coming Shi Yuqi, Lin is virtually out of the race. Only two players in the top 16 from one country can qualify for Tokyo.
During his career, Lin won all the major titles, including five world championship singles and six All England championships. His last tour title came in the 2019 Malaysia Open, beating Chen in the final.
His battle with retired Malaysian ace Lee Chong Wei is widely considered as the greatest rivalry in the history of the game.
He defeated Lee in two Olympic finals – in Beijing and London – but the Malaysian took his revenge at the Rio Olympics when winning in three games in the semi-finals. But again Lee could not break his Olympic duck, losing in the final to Chen.
Their last meeting was at the 2018 All England Open, with Lin winning in the quarter-finals, before Lee announced his retirement after being diagnosed with nose cancer in 2019.
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