Chinese Badminton legend Lin Dan is widely considered as the greatest singles player in Badminton history.
One of the most popular racquet sports in the world is badminton. It is played between two individual players or two pairs of players. The opponents take position in the opposite halves of the rectangular court which is divided by a net. In order to honor the badminton stars, we are here with the list of Greatest Badminton Players.
Badminton demands high level of physical fitness, aerobic stamina, strength, agility, precision and speed. It also requires great motor coordination and sophisticated racquet movements.
Article Highlights:
- Han Aiping
- Peter Høeg Gade
- Li Lingwei
- Morten Frost Hansen
- Rudy Hartono
- Lee Chong Wei
- Tony Gunawan
- Gao Ling
- Taufik Hidayat
- Lin Dan
The sport became a part of the Olympic sport in the year 1992, and has five competitions/events in the Olympics. These five events include singles of men and women, doubles of men and women, and finally a mixed double. Let us take a look at the Top 10 Greatest Badminton Players of All Time:
10) Han Aiping:
Legendary Chinese female badminton player Han Aiping is widely considered as one of the greatest female badminton players of all time, and is inducted in the tenth place in our list of Top 10 Greatest Badminton Players of All Time.
She won three gold medals and three silver medals in World Championships, and also achieved the 1986 Seoul Asian Games title. She won two gold medals in World Grand Prix and also won the World Badminton Federation’s version of the World Championships in 1979. She was also named in the Badminton Hall of Fame in 1998.
9) Peter Høeg Gade:
Former Danish badminton star Peter Høeg Gade held the world no.1 spot from 1998 to 2001, and recaptured the position again on 22nd June 2006 where he stayed there for a brief period.
He is inducted in the ninth place in our list of Top 10 Greatest Badminton Players of All Time. Peter Høeg Gade was widely known for his trademark shot, the Double Action. He achieved four bronze in World Championships from 1999 Copenhagen World Championships till 2011 London World Championships.
He also achieved the title of European Championships five times and won three gold medals at the European Team Championships.
8) Li Lingwei:
Retired female Chinese badminton player Li Lingwei is widely considered as the greatest women’s single badminton player of all time, and is inducted in the eighth place in our list of Top 10 Greatest Badminton Players of All Time.
She achieved three gold medals and two silver medals in BWF World Championships in her active career and also grabbed the World Grand Prix singles title. Li Lingwei was also elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee in July 2012.
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7) Morten Frost Hansen:
Retired Danish badminton star Morten Frost Hansen spent twelve years in the top three spots of the world rankings, and is inducted in the seventh place in our list of Top 10 Greatest Badminton Players of All Time. He was nicknamed “Mr Badminton” by his fans.
He won the silver twice in World Championships in 1985 and 1987. He was quoted as “The World’s greatest badminton player may never be World Champion” by the popular medias. Morten Frost Hansen won the All England Open Badminton Championship title four times in 1982, 1984, 1986, and 1987.
6) Rudy Hartono:
Former Indonesian badminton legend Rudy Hartono is regarded as one of the greatest badminton players in history besides being regarded as one of the best athletes of all time.
He achieved the title of the prestigious All-England Championship’s men’s singles events eight times in his career, and is inducted in the sixth place in our list of Top 10 Greatest Badminton Players of All Time. Rudy Hartono won the title of 2nd IBF World Championships in 1980 in Jakarta in just a single attempt. He also achieved four gold medals and two silver medals in Thomas Cups.
5) Lee Chong Wei:
Malaysian-Chinese badminton star Lee Chong Wei is the only player from Malaysia to hold the world number one spot for more than a year. He maintained his position for a record 199 consecutive weeks thus becoming the third Malaysian player to achieve such a feat, and is inducted in the fifth place in our list of Top 10 Greatest Badminton Players of All Time.
He won 2 silver medals in Olympic Games, gold medal at 2006 Asian Championships and three silver and a bronze in World Championships. Lee Chong Wei also achieved four gold medals in Commonwealth Games, gold and a silver medal in Southeast Asian Games.
4) Tony Gunawan:
Indonesian badminton player Tony Gunawan is widely regarded as one of the greatest male doubles players in the badminton history, and is inducted in the fourth place in our list of Top 10 Greatest Badminton Players of All Time.
He also won the 2000 Sydney Olympic gold medal, the 2001 Seville World Championships and Anaheim 2005 World Championships with 3 different men’s doubles partners. Tony Gunawan also achieved the titles of US Open, Taipei Open, Puerto Rico Open and SCBA Classic in mixed doubles.
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3) Gao Ling:
Chinese female badminton legend Gao Ling is noted for her forecourt prowess, consistency and anticipation. Besides her immense talent, she is also famous for her ever smiling face, and is inducted in the third place in our list of Top 10 Greatest Badminton Players of All Time.
She achieved 2 gold, a silver and a bronze medal in 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games, and also achieved four gold medals in Badminton World Championship. Gao Ling achieved three gold medals in Sudirman Cup, five gold medals in Uber Cup and the title of 2006 Yiyang Badminton World Cup.
2) Taufik Hidayat:
Indonesian retired badminton star Taufik Hidayat achieved the Indonesian Open a record six times. He had a popular rivalry with Lin Dan to achieve the top place in badminton world.
He won a gold, a silver and two bronze medal in World Championships, and also won 3 gold, a silver and two bronze medal in Asian Games. Taufik Hidayat achieved 3 gold, two silver and a bronze medal in Asian Championships, and 2 gold, a silver and three bronze medal in Thomas Cup.
1) Lin Dan:
Chinese Badminton legend Lin Dan is widely considered as the greatest singles player in Badminton history. He is the only player to complete the “Super Grand Slam”, all nine major titles in the international badminton, by the age of 28. He was also named “Super Dan” by his fans.
Lin Dan achieved 5 gold and a silver in World Badminton Championships and 2 gold medal in badminton World Cup. He also won 5 gold and 2 bronze medals in Thomas Cup, 3 gold medals in Asian Championships and 3 gold medals in Asian Games. Lin Dan is the only player in badminton history to achieve the Olympic gold twice consecutively in 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics.
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