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The Olympic Games has seen many star shuttlers returning to the podium over and over again. Winning a medal on this platform spells the greatest victory in the lifetime of any athlete and certain players have made it their habit to bag multiple medals at this prestigious event.
Badminton, which has been a part of the Olympic Games since 1992, has produced seasoned champions who have made their nation proud on this grand stage.
With two months to go before the qualification period for the Tokyo Olympics closes on June 15, here's a look at the most successful men's singles performers in the history of the Games.
#1 Lin Dan: 2-time Olympic gold medalist
Arguably the greatest shuttler in history, China's Lin Dan is a legend of the sport. When it comes to Lin Dan, the records and titles to his name are endless. Being the only player to have won a Super Slam and 5 World Championships crowns, the southpaw also has two Olympic gold medals on his illustrious resume. Lin Dan stands unparalleled as the only shuttler to have won the gold medal in the men's singles category in back-to-back editions of the Olympics.
Dan's road to his very first Olympic gold in 2008 was rather smooth. Overcoming challenges posed by Ng Wei, Park Sung-hwan and Peter Gade, Lin Dan made the most of playing on home soil in Beijing.
After beating countryman Chen Jin in the semis, Super Dan set up a mouth-watering clash with Lee Chong Wei. Dan proved to be too powerful for Wei in the final as he raced to win his first Olympic gold with a 21–12, 21–8 scoreline.
Following the 2008 win, Lin Dan went on to successfully defend his Olympic title at the 2012 London Olympics. Unlike 2008, Dan's road to the final in 2012 had obstacles in the form of Taufik Hidayat, Sho Sasaki, and Lee Hyun-il.
In a classic rematch of the 2008 Olympic final, Lee aspired to cause an upset by bagging the first game against Dan in the London Games summit clash. However, history repeated itself as Dan produced a resilient display which saw the Chinese walk away with a 15-21, 21-10, 21-19 win.
#2 Lee Chong Wei: 3-time Olympic silver medalist
Despite his dominance in the sport, Lee Chong Wei has always fallen short of clinching the gold at the most prestigious events - the Olympics and the World Championships.
Chong Wei picked up the silver medal on three occasions - the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2012 London Olympics and lastly, the 2016 Rio Olympics. With this, he has become the most successful Malaysian in the history of the Olympic Games.
Chong Wei's 2008 outing in Beijing was impressive until he clashed with his nemesis, Lin Dan, in the final. Chong Wei failed to produce much resistance and ended up losing to Dan in straight games, 12–21, 8–21.
However, Lee Chong Wei put up a stiff fight in their next Olympic face-off in 2012. Chong Wei needed just two points to seal the match in the deciding third game, when Lin Dan switched to the next gear. Once again, Chong Wei had to settle for the silver, losing the epic encounter, 15-21, 21-10, 21-19.
Chong Wei finally defeated Lin Dan in the 2016 Rio Olympic semi-finals, but failed to get past Chen Long in the final. Lee fell to Long 21-18, 21-18 after an intense 74 minutes of play.
#3 Chen Long: 2-time Olympic medalist
Chen Long, the reigning Olympic champion, is still very much a force to reckon with on the BWF circuit. A 2-time Olympic medalist, Long has also been a 2-time world champion, in addition to winning the prestigious All England Open title twice.
In Chen Long's first Olympic outing in 2012, the Chinese succumbed to a defeat at the hands of Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei in the semi-finals. Despite the loss, Long proved to be too good for Lee Hyun-il in the bronze medal match, winning against him comprehensively.
In 2016, the determined Long entered the Rio Olympics with a steely focus and set up a clash with Lee Chong Wei in the final. It was Long who had the last word, winning his second Olympic medal and his first gold medal on this platform.
