China's two-time Olympic badminton champion Lin Dan has announced his retirement in a social media post on Saturday.
The announcement means that Lin will not be competing in the next Olympics in Tokyo. The 37-year-old, who won the Olympics singles titles in Beijing in 2008 and the 2012 London Games, has won all the sport's major titles, including five world championships' gold medals.
“I've dedicated everything to the sport I love. My family, coaches, team mates and fans have accompanied me through many happy times and difficult moments,” Chinese media quoted Lin Dan as saying in the retirement announcement.
“Now I'm 37 years old, and my physical fitness and pain no longer allow me to fight side by side with my team mates,” Lin added.
All-time classic
Lin Dan's victory in the 2012 Olympics men's singles final has gone down in the annals as an all-time classic. Lin beat Lee Chong Wei 15-21, 21-10, 21-19 to clinch the title. The same two shuttlers had contested the 2008 Beijing Olympics final. Top seed Lin had it easy against Lee in a 21-12, 21-8 victory back then.
However, in 2012, Lee was World No. 1 by a big margin and he took that confidence into the summit clash at the Wembley Arena, sealing the first game 21-15. The Chinese southpaw, being a game down, shifted gears and quickly claimed the second 21-10.
In the decider, with scores reading 19-20 against Lee, the Malaysian hit one long to gift his adversary the title. Lin became the first men’s singles Badminton player to retain an Olympic gold after winning the 79-minute encounter.
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