That loss was actually the most unexpected not because Ronald Susilo was the better player; in fact everything just went wrong with Lin Dan's game. Nothing seems follow his order. His reaction and attacks were not helping either. Had he won that match, i will say he would have reach the semifinal at least and end up with a medal of any colour (i wont say gold because he was only 20 that time) However, if he never lost that match, will he be the same as of today ? Taufik won the OG and WC but later he turned into a crappy player with no good results for the next 7 years. That's the huge difference.
Indeed,the Athens 2004 loss was a life-transforming experience for him, and he persevered,fought,strove and waited four years to redeem himself,in the process becoming the Lin Dan we know and love today. Straight from the horse's mouth:"I care less about winning and losing now.It's more about perseverance.I try not to let expectations affect me.What's important to me now is my family and my mom".
have watched the clip, pretty touchy one. hehe. i never think his childhood is like that. this year OG, his mom will be there support him. i hope he can show his best game to his mom. btw, where is his dad?
In the true spirit of badminton exhibition Watch how LD change court with Bao Chun Lai, while the game is going ON! at 16.44 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4th5FO9q1Js&feature=g-vrec Notice the use of forehand serves as well.
A staged,choreographed exhibition match that almost turn comical,what with the umpire's participation with his witty,teasing remarks, peculiar score-keeping and other diversions - to think the small starry-eyed crowd of spectators actually lapping it all up innocently. The two highlights of the skit are 1) the two players changing court sides towards the end, and 2) the final winning point is decided by the two players throwing away their respective racquets for the flattened shuttlecock tubes as "racquets" - as hilarious as any badminton exhibition match can get, very good fun indeed. In the same spirit but on a different note,let me offer something else to loosen everybody up more with the London Olympics just days away - let the games roll. Watch this racy pre-start warmup routine by Australia's Michelle Jenneke at the Junior World Championships in Barcelona 2012(she has become a viral video sensation) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tMgmYutL9W0
22 July 2012 | last updated at 01:47AM BADMINTON: The best ever By K.M. BOOPATHY | boopathy@nst.com.my 0 comments SIMPLY THE GREATEST: Lin Dan will earn that accolade if he triumphs again in London LIN Dan will rightfully earn the tag as the best men's singles player ever if he triumphs again in the Olympics as no player has won the accolade twice and national singles chief coach Rashid Sidek believes this will put tremendous pressure on the China ace in the London Games. The records show the men's singles as the toughest badminton event in the Olympics as no player has even reached the semi-final stage twice and it will be a feat if Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei do set up a final showdown again on Aug 5. Rashid, in a telephone interview from the University of Bath, said the statistics are very encouraging for Chong Wei as he will have a chance to upstage Lin Dan if he can go all the way to the final. According to Rashid, Lin Dan's extraordinary skills and mental strength make him a player capable of winning a second Olympic gold and etch his name in history as the greatest. "Men's singles is the toughest event in the Olympics. The records show how difficult it is to win a medal and winning a second gold will be the greatest achievement. Lin Dan has what it takes to do it but the pressure on him will be tremendous," said Rashid. "He has been showing his intent to win it twice and if China want gold in the men's singles, he is the person who will do it. Chen Long is inexperienced while Chen Jin is not playing well. "Due to these factors, it will be a test of character for Lin Dan. It depends on how much he wants a second gold and whether he is capable of handling the pressure. "This is the reason why is it not impossible for Chong Wei to overcome him. If Chong Wei can beat either Chen Jin or Chen Long in the semis, it will be a good opportunity." Rashid added that Chong Wei is not too concerned about the final at the moment as he is focused on quality training and being well prepared for a shot at a medal. "Chong Wei is not thinking about any milestones but on quality training to be as well prepared as possible for the Olympics. The draw will be held on Monday (tomorrow) when we will know who his potential opponents are and we will make some changes in training," added Rashid. "The bigger concern is the knockout stage where he needs to be well prepared. It will be slightly easier if he meets Chen Jin in the semis but he will be ready for Chen Long as well." Lin Dan's record in major events since 2007 is exceptional as he has won all but the 2010 World Championships where he lost in the quarter-finals. Besides the 2008 Olympic gold, Lin Dan captured the 2007, 2009 and 2011 world crowns and the 2010 Asian Games gold. But even the best have succumbed to pressure in the Olympics and this must motivate Chong Wei.
Strange and unjustifiable that Rashid Sidek should lay down the condition that Lin Dan must win a second Olympic gold to deserve the accolade of Simply The Greatest. To me,he is already The Greatest even if he wins nothing else from now onwards until such time in the future somebody surpasses him by achieving a better record. Unquestionably, the Olympics is the most coveted,sought after and prestigious event that every athlete,the more so every nation,will want to win a medal,most of all gold. But this once-in-four-year event isn't the strongest of all and,as I've said before,do we have to wait every four years to find out who is the best? What's the world championships and other major titles,notably Superseries,for? In that case,Ji Xinpeng who won Sydney 2000 gold and nothing else equivalent should be regarded as a great player at least on par with Peter Gade and Lee CW both of whom never won Olympic gold - but I believe many will dispute that and rightly so. I mean it's not rocket science to understand that a considerable part of the reason why it's so difficult to win double Olympic gold is the four-year interval as well as all the hype, tension of expectation and pressure. Even the annual world championship isn't necessarily that much easier to win twice in a row, what more a 1-in-4-yr event. And if you take into account how many badminton players' career last longer than 10 years on average which translates into two or three shots at the Olympics at the very most,it becomes even more precarious,isn't it? Furthermore, badminton was only introduced as an Olympic event in Barcelona 1992, is it fair to all the past greats before then? Admittedly,the OG is one of the major events on the same level as the WC and SS/SSP in terms of overall strength, inarguably speaking,which means winning the Olympic gold alone is simply not enough to qualify for greatness;otherwise,going by Rashid's logic,it will be almost impossible for Lee CW to be a great player,let alone one of the greatest which I personally believe he already is (but this is beside the point here). Moreover,I didnt even want to bring up unforeseen circumstances(eg injury) or extraneous factors (such as personal or family problems,political boycott) that could derail an athlete's participation or cause him to be not at his best in the Olympics - immediately,Lee CW's case comes to mind here. IMHO,a more appropriate benchmark to measure a player's greatness is how many major titles he has won,who he has beaten, objectively speaking,and,subjectively speaking ,how he played or the manner in which he won his matches or suchlike. I stand by what I said. As an aside,ask any professional tennis players what he/she prefers to win: more Grand Slam titles or the Olympic gold ? - at the very most, quite a few might say both, hardly any would answer it's the Olympics that is the most important. Possibly,this last assertion of mine might elicit some arguments but I'm confident the rest of what I've presented above should hold water.
To add,Zhang Ning was the first and only female player to win two Olympic gold medals,so shouldn't she deserve the accolade of Simply The Greatest Women Singles Player? - going by Rashid's reasoning.
. I think Rashid is just trying put more pressure on Lin Dan. But whether Lin Dan is affected by Rashid's comment, I would think not. .
Well Rashid did make a valid point in some angle. This is Lin Dan's third appearance and if he wins he will silence all critics from anti-Chinese fans that he is a player beyond comparison. If he fails to win it, then yes people can still challenge the fact that he is the greatest of all time.
The preceding word "arguably" or "widely" in Lin Dan's description as The Greatest Player Of All Time will be completely removed or replaced as "definitely". Only if he wins the OG gold.
Come across this article (in Mandarin) titled:- Special comment - Why Lin Dan doesn't listen to officialese(officials' words), Only plays for those who understand him. http://sports.qq.com/a/20120722/000544.htm (Sorry,too taxing for me to attempt a translation, maybe somebody more bi-linguistically capable may want to help). The main point is that Lin Dan has been selected as one of the "11 London Olympics Superstars" - the only Chinese to do so - to attend the award ceremony to be presented by the British Prime Minister David Cameron who expressed his desire to seek Super Dan's advice in badminton technique. BWF President Dr Kang Young Joong wished that Lin Dan is in no hurry to retire for he still shoulders the heavy responsibility of promoting world badminton as Lin Dan's megastar status has exceeded his personal impact on the sport. (This is in para.1)
The biggest honour for a badminton player and Lin Dan has it. Even David Cameron asked/seek his advice...
@justin: 11 London Olympics Superstars? how can they decide 11 superstars when the OG hasn't started yet? and what award will they receive? @ctjcad: i prefer his hair black than golden. hehe
That's what the article says for those who can read Mandarin - Lin Dan is selected as one of the 11 awardees. I guess it's a special recognition award in acknowledgement of their contributions to sports, no mention of prize money. This should be clear based on the expressed wish of BWF President Dr Kang for Lin Dan not to retire too soon. Me too,I prefer Lin Dan's jet-black locks to golden brown.
