Lin Dan’s third successive title at the World Championships, following his 21-18 21-16 demolition of Chen Jin in the final, is unprecedented in badminton history. The gold medal will be the latest addition to a staggering collection of titles, but more than the number, it is the sheer authority with which he has dominated badminton that he qualifies to be among the greatest of all time.
The inevitable question arises: how does he compare across eras?
Apart from those from the pre-Chinese era (Dave Freeman, Wong Peng Soon, Erland Kops, Rudy Hartono), two evoke comparisons with Lin Dan. Those are his compatriots — Zhao Jianhua and Yang Yang — both left-handers like him. Any talk of Lin Dan inevitably brings up comparisons with them. But neither Zhao, nor Yang Yang, have a trophy cabinet that resembles anything like the current champion’s. Lin Dan has four, out of six successive final appearances. Yang Yang won two world championships, Zhao one. Lin Dan has three, and looks good enough for more. Neither Yang Yang nor Zhao, unlike Lin, has an Olympic title.
With the emergence of Lin Dan, it was no more a battle between equals — there was him, and there was everyone else. “He has no weakness,” shrugged Peter Gade. He says it is a no-contest. “I’ve worked with Zhao, and I’ve seen Yang Yang. Zhao had his weaknesses, but Lin Dan doesn’t have any. He’s one of the greatest, ever. No doubt about that.”
What makes Lin so devastating is his ability on all counts. “He ‘hangs’ in the air,” said Dutchman Dicky Palyama, who beat Chinese No.3 Bao Chunlai before falling to Lin in the third round. “Bao actually hits the shuttle harder than Lin, but I could defend it. But with Lin, it’s not that you cannot take the smash, it’s that you cannot control it.”
Veteran watchers of the game are divided. While some think Zhao and Yang Yang rank higher, others, like former top-ten player Kenneth Jonassen, believe the comparison across eras is flawed. “The game is faster now,” he said. “But one thing’s sure — you cannot get a better athlete, in any sport than Lin Dan.”
Asked what he thought of the greats of his time, like Michael Schumacher, Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong, Lin said: “I have no illusions I’m there with them. They’re all great.” That is polite talk, for Lin Dan sits at the pinnacle of his game, and he has no equal.
