With a reputation for temper tantrums, supreme confidence and badminton brilliance, Lin Dan is almost certain to steal a share of the limelight at the Beijing Olympics.
World No 1 for the last 20 months straight, Lin is regarded as the king of badminton and China's best chance of gold in an event the Red Army is determined to dominate in August.
Lin Dan of China returns the shuttlecock against Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia during their semifinal match at the Thomas Cup badminton tournament in Jakarta on May 16, 2008. [Agencies] |
Winning 13 major singles titles in the last two years, including back-to-back world championships, Lin, with a legion of fans behind him, exudes confidence.
His romance with teammate Xie Xingfang, the world's No 1 player on the women's side, has earned them the nickname of badminton's golden couple.
But the 24-year-old has a controversial side which at times has threatened to overshadow his masterful performances on court.
In the lead-up to the Games, Lin has been embroiled in two ugly incidents, the latest prompting calls from some irate fans for his dismissal from the Olympic team.
Lin has apologized for throwing a temper tantrum at a training session in April but denied striking his coach during the outburst.
At the Korean Open final in January, Lin also rushed at the Korean camp after a questionable line call and appeared poised to strike the coach with his racket before trainers and officials intervened.
Later explaining his actions, Lin said South Korea's former Chinese coach was "verbally attacking" him by shouting out offenses during the match.
The coach, for his part, called Lin an "ill-cultivated player ... the worst he had ever come across."
Lin shrugs off his reputation as one of the bad boys of badminton, insisting he is misunderstood, and that the media is partly to blame.
"Because it is an Olympic year, there have been some verbal attacks on me and the Chinese team, but that is normal," he told AFP on the sidelines on the recent Thomas Cup.
Sporting a T-shirt with a picture of himself on the front, Lin, said "I just try to downplay them and ignore them. I don't take it personally.
"A lot of it is the media playing it up," the left-hander said.
He added that being No 1 was tough because everybody wanted to beat him, and upped their game accordingly.
"Because I am world No 1, and have been for some time, other players have a bigger desire to beat me and so they often play better against me than against others.
"That will be my biggest problem at the Olympics in Beijing."
Beaten in the first round at the last Olympics in Athens, Lin, seeded No 1 this time, is determined to make amends on home soil.
Asked who he considered his main threats in Beijing, Lin singled out Malaysian star Lee Chong Wei, Denmark's Peter Gade, defending Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat and South Korean duo Park Sung-hwan and Lee Hyun-ll.
Lin and Indonesia's Hidayat, who has his own reputation for fiery outbursts, have a controversial history, and pundits will relish any showdown.
Hidayat, seeded seven for Beijing, branded Lin arrogant at the 2006 Asian Games, prompting Xie to defend her boyfriend with some choice words of her own about the Indonesian.
Hidayat, who has since insisted he has nothing against the Chinese star, has struggled for form in recent months. But second seed Lee has hit his stride, beating Lin at the Thomas Cup, one of the last major tune-ups for the Games.
Other players expected to threaten Lin include his own teammates, Bao Chunlai and Chen Jin, seeded three and four, respectively.
Lin, however, known for his ferocious attacking style, appears relaxed about his chances of clinching his first Olympic gold.
"I never feel I will definitely win the gold medal in Beijing because there are a lot of capable players to challenge me," he told AFP.
"But whoever I play, I will always try to perform to the best of my ability and beat them."
