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As Lin Dan assisted his friend and rival onto a stretcher last week in Guangzhou, a sense of wonderment filled the heart before racing through to the end of the spinal column.
Moments ago, as Lee Chong Wei collapsed to the floor in agony, Dan had soared to his fifth World Championship title. Winning isn’t anything new for the Chinese star, but the fact that he was coming off nearly a year on the sidelines meant that we were witnessing a truly poignant victory.
But it wasn’t the match as much as it was the brief passage towards the end that encapsulated within it the genius of Super Dan as an athlete and the gentle human being that resided inside that steely exterior, that truly captivated the mind. The treasured experience of witnessing a truly beautiful moment, of Lin consoling Lee, captured some of the most compelling theatre of life on a sporting arena this year. That it was offered at the end of a prized contest between two fierce opponents made it even more meaningful.
Assisting his friend and rival, Lee Chong Wei in the final of the World Championships
Ranked 286th, Dan came into the tournament courtesy a wild card from the organisers. The most prolific of badminton players went on to make a mockery of the rankings, as he forced his way through to the finals of the biggest tournament in the sport. Dan made it an immensely memorable final, with a stirring comeback over his arch rival to underline his impressive reign as the uncrowned king of the sport.
The quest for divinity often carries us into distant dreams scripted on the pristine altars of faraway temples. Riding on the wings of excellence, they arrive sailing into our souls, bathing us in an ocean of athletic brilliance. It is an experience that is often an impossible combination of aesthetic grace and superhuman skills. It is these athletes that we so adore, even worship at times.
Pele’s wondrous 56th minute goal in the final of the 1958 World Cup; Ayrton Senna’s rain dance in Donington on a wickedly wet day in 1993; Michael Jordan‘s dramatic performance in the 5th game of the 1997 NBA Finals, even as he was suffering from a debilitating stomach virus – these are just a few examples of definitive moments in sporting history that have been celebrated with great passion around the world.
The protagonists in each of those weighty moments are considered true icons in not just their sport, but as athletes who transcended their vocation through the magic of their genius and the power of their will to embellish themselves as global icons of the sport. Unfortunately though, the gigantic effort of Lin Dan was lost on much of the throbbing community that swears by the religion of sport.
How big is Lin Dan’s achievement?
If seismologists were to measure the impact of Dan’s incredible triumph on Sunday, it wouldn’t even register on some of the most sensitive equipment at their disposal. A stunning effort from a man in sabbatical went almost unnoticed in a world used to hyperbole and exaggeration at every step of the way.
Imagine the racket that might have ensued had Roger Federer retired to a chalet in Switzerland immediately after Wimbledon one year, only to come back a year later and defeat Rafael Nadal to take his second French Open title. That is exactly the scale of Lin Dan’s achievement inside the Tianhe Sports Center in Guangzhou last week, and yet it barely collected any ink.
But let there be no mistake about the magnitude of the accomplishment, even if the only people bowing in prayer are Asians fanatically in love with badminton. The two-time Olympic Champion, five-time All England winner and now a five-time World Champion has won everything there is to win in badminton. The World Cup, Thomas Cup, Sudirman Cup, Super Series Masters Finals, Asian Games and the Asia Championships have all gone home with the incredibly talented man from Fujian.
Lin Dan – two time Olympic Champion, five time All England winner and now a five time World Champion
In a performance that mirrored his effort at the Olympics last year, the former world No. 1 Dan lost the first game before bouncing back with renewed energy in the second. Eager to make up for a clumsy first game, Dan dominated proceedings to take the next game. The decisive final game was an even debate until Chong Wei collapsed under a bout of cramps with Lin at match point, 20-17.
It was a cruel twist to a satiating final, but it was even more hurtful to realise that barely anyone cared to celebrate the incredible genius of Lin Dan. As you read this, the affable Dan might be walking the isles of a supermarket somewhere without so much as evoking a glance from fellow shoppers.
But there he is, right in front of our bewildered eyes, creating insanely brilliant poetry in a game that demands the speed of a formula one car, the nimble footwork of a ballet maestro and the raw power of a boxing champion.
A huge roar after winning the final of the World Championships
Dan orchestrates the flight of a light feathery bird that obeys his every command with unquestioning faith as it traces the curves and angles created by its masterful craftsman. Even as his opponents scramble around the court like mad rabbits, Lin Dan finds enough time to stroll across like a man surveying his backyard garden.
With leisurely grace, Dan flicks, tosses and teases his opponent with unimaginable skill before leaping into the air. Floating in the air, Dan smashes a venomous winner that evokes fear and despondency in the shrivelling heart of his opponent. As the opponent realises his state of helplessness, those twin emotions are replaced with a sense of reverence towards the divine maestro across the net.
A deity on the courts of badminton
Inside the temples of badminton, Lin Dan is a deity that needs no introduction. Unfortunately, for much of the global audience fed on a staple by the monetised media, the magical brilliance of badminton and the artistic genius of Dan is lost in a thick sheath of ignorance.
One can only empathise with those who squalor in poverty, soaking themselves in the frothy waves of slickly marketed events without ever surfing the heavenly tide of a majestic Lin Dan rally.
