A tribute to Lin Dan: the God of Badminton

Is Lin Dan on the decline or is it the start of something new?

Born in Fujiyan China, Lin Dan (or Super Dan as his fans appropriately call him), is considered as the greatest of all players to have ever played the game of badminton. With 2 Olympic Golds, 5 world championship golds and 2 Asian Championship Gold medals, he has almost everything that competitive Badminton has to offer, which sometimes make the fans to call him the “God of Badminton”.

He is probably the most successful player to have ever graced the badminton court. He displays a unique aura of champions, style so confident and game out of this world that it seems as if it’s not a sport that he is playing but an art form at display.

The shuttler showed immense potential after winning the 2000 World Junior Championships. A player with some very powerful smashes, deft touches and most of all explosive movement and footwork, he was bound to reach great heights. But the beginning to greatness was not a smooth one. After a shocking exit in the 2004 Olympics, Lin played what is arguably the best ever badminton anyone has played at the 2008 Olympics on home turf in Beijing.

He totally destroyed his opponent Lee Chong Wei (the spearhead of the Malaysian attack) in front of a vociferous home crowd. He went on to eventually win his first Olympic Gold and it also probably marked the beginning of a great rivalry on court between these two players for years to come.

Moving to train under Xia Xuanze who had a very strong influence on his game, he was moulded in to a more patient and complete player who was not just propelled by his aggression and speed. He started to employ a more tactical game, ingesting a sudden change of pace and keeping his opponents always guessing. In the epic battle in the finals of the 2011 World Championship, he came back after being a game down to win the title in a very closely fought match. Edging past in the final against the then World No: 1, Lin kept his record of World Championship titles abreast of any other player.

In a repeat of the 2008 Olympic final, Lin once again edged past Lee Chong Wei to win the Gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics again in a very tightly contested match. With so many titles and so many achievements, it’s always possible one loses their path in the basking of glory but not for Lin. He remained hungry for medals and carefully chose his battles.

At the 2013 World Championships after being offered a wild card entry, he went on to win the gold again. This was a comeback for the Chinese Superstar who was away from the international stage for some time. In all fairness, it’s not just his skills that have kept him at the top, but also his mental toughness. Time and again he has proved how good he is in the face of adversity.

Of late he has been seeing some rough patches in his otherwise glorious career. 2015 hasn’t been a smooth ride for the Chinese Ace, who won just one Super series title after having reached only two super series finals. He lost in the earlier stages of his game to various opponents like Kidambi Srikanth, HS Prannoy, Viktor Axelsen, Tommy Sugiarto, compatriot Chen Long and his old nemesis Lee Chong Wei. It would be unfair to say it’s the end of the another King from the Four Kings(Peter Gade, Taufik, Lin Dan, Lee Chong Wei) for his inconsistency is majorly due to lack of form than any other factor.

His movement has definitely become a bit sluggish and his choice of shots slightly predictable. In spite of all these Lin Dan, probably has a significant chance of making it to the Gold at the 2016 RIO Olympics. While nerves play a major role for most of the players like Chen and Lee, the defending Champion in his fourth Olympics should feel more at home. So despite all his poor form and performance Lin Dan remains a strong contender for a third Gold at the Olympics, a feat never before achieved.