Lin Dan Biography

Lin Dan Biography

Calvin Sy

May 28, 2009

Lin Dan was born on October 14, 1983 and is a well known Chinese badminton player. He is born of Hakka ancestry, from Fujian, in the people’s republic of China. Lin Dan is also the world’s top badminton player for men’s singles.

Lin Dan became one of the top men’s single badminton players because of 2002 and 2004 when he won nine top level badminton tournaments. During the Olympics in Athens he, surprisingly, he was kicked out after the first round when he lost his first men’s single game. Among the tournaments Lin Dan has won the All-England Open in 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2009, the BWF World Championships in 2006 and 2007, and Olympic Games in 2008. He has helped China win three consecutive Thomas Cup championships in 2004, 2006, and 2008 and has also been a major contributor to Chinese teams which won the Sudirman Cup in 2005 and 2007.

Lin is one of the more popular and controversial badminton players active today, due to his flashy personality both on and off the court. He is known as a temperamental player, occasionally disrupting matches to go against the line calls. He is currently in a relationship with fellow Chinese badminton player Xie Xing Fang. Lin was once an officer in the People's Liberation Army. He has been nicknamed "Super Dan" by his adoring mainland fans.

Lin Dan won the 2009 All-England men's singles, beating Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei 21-19, 21-12. The first set was a thriller and Lin Dan's unforced errors gave the then world no.1 Chong Wei a lead, although Lin Dan or "Super Dan" came back in style to take the set and then cruised in the second to win the match. A mere week later, however, he was beaten by Lee Chong Wei in the final of the Omega European Masters.

Lin Dan is a left handed player whose most defining characteristic is his ability to attack with fast smashes at steep angles. He combines quick movements around the court with the ability to maintain long aggressive rallies to win the majority of his matches. His well built physique helps him to produce powerful straight and cross court jump smashes. This and his fast penetrating footwork makes him one of the toughest elite badminton player currently playing in the open circuit.

In conclusion, I choose Lin Dan as my hero because he is good at badminton (a sport I play) and he is a friendly person that is very courteous when it comes to the game. He is honorable and is always honest. He works hard at what he does and always gives it his best shot, and when he loses, he trains more and harder so that he can beat the person he lost to the following year.