Who is Lin Dan?
‘Super Dan’ as his fans call him, or Lin Dan by birth (born October 14th 1983- ) is a Chinese badminton player. He is known the world over for having completed the ‘Super Grand Slam’ in badminton. This is when a player completes all nine major titles in competitive badminton.
Where did he grow up?
Lin was born in Longyan in the Fujiyan district of China. While his parents wanted him to learn to play the piano, Lin’s athletic side took over and he chose to take up badminton instead. When he turned 13, he became part of the sports troop of the People’s Liberation Army. After training heavily and bettering his game, Lin placed onto the China’s international badminton team at age 18.
What are some of his achievements?
From then Lin Dan’s game record has been phenomenal. He has won over 20 gold medals in international championships and multiple awards from the various organisations around the world that host international badminton tournaments. Some of them include Most Valuable Player, Sports Personality of the Year and Best Male Athlete. He took gold right home in Beijing in 2008, and hopes to do the same at London 2012.
- 5 time Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Champion.
- 2 gold medals at 2008 Olympics held in Beijing.
- 2 gold medals at 2012 Olympics held in London.
- 6 time All England Champion
Has completed the “Super Grand Slam”, having won all nine major titles in the badminton world.
Badminton Super Grand Slam:
- Olympic Games
- World Championships
- World Cup
- Thomas Cup
- Sudirman Cup
- Super Series Masters Finals
- All England Open
- Asian Games
- Asia Championships
Project
Can you find out how many other people (both male and female competitors) have ever completed a Super Grand Slam in badminton?
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