5 iconic sporting pairs who are always discussed together

Lin Dan – Lee Chong Wei

The former No. 1s have met twice at Olympic finals

It should come as no surprise that two of the greatest men’s singles players in badminton history have a rivalry just as iconic. Sharing what is dubbed the ‘Lee-Lin’ rivalry, the two have a rivalry that finds constant comparison with tennis greats Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Interestingly, the pairs also share a near-identical head-to-head record; Lee and Lin share a 37-match rivalry, with the Chinese shuttler the ‘Nadal’ of the pair, leading their head-to-head record at 25-12.

Lin once called Lee his “fiercest ever opponent,” and the two are also the only shuttlers to have played each other in two Olympic finals, the 2008 Beijing Games and the 2012 Olympics in Great Britain, with Lin Dan winning on both occasions.

Not only have they brought out each other’s best game, the two have also helped improve political relations between Malaysia and China, and rarely is one player discussed without the other coming up.