Men's singles badminton players to hold Olympics, World Championships, Continental Games and Championships at same time

Lin Dan was recently added into the BWF Hall of Fame.

In recent years, Badminton has been experiencing a significant rise in popularity and is now a worldwide sport. Asia, in particular, has a strong badminton presence, and the sport is an integral part of countries like China, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, and South Korea. These countries frequently produce world champions besides having significant grassroots participation. 

In Europe, Badminton's popularity is also on the rise. Denmark, England, and Spain are making significant investments in infrastructure, coaching, and player development. Since 1992, the sport's involvement in the Olympics has substantially increased its appeal on a global scale. The Badminton World Federation (BWF)'s globalization initiatives, such as the HSBC BWF World Tour and grassroots development programs, have played an important role in popularizing the game and identifying new talent around the world.

The sport has seen some greatest players, including Han Aiping, Peter Hoeg Gade, Morten Frost Hansen, Tony Gunawan, Li Lingwei, Rudy Hartono, Taufik Hidayat,  Gao Ling, Lee Chong Wei, Lin Dan, Viktor Axelsen, Carolina Marin, Tai Tzu-Ying, Akane Yamaguchi, and the list continues.

However, only a few of the legendary athletes have managed to win the Olympics, World Championships, Continental Games, and Championships, all at the same time. So, let’s take a look at the shuttlers who hold the record in the men’s singles event.

Viktor Axelsen

After clinching the title of the European Games 2023, Viktor Axelsen claimed the men’s singles title held at the Arena Jaskolka in Tarnow, Poland this Sunday (July 2nd). He got the better of Christo Popov of France, with a margin of 21-16, 16-21, and 21-11. With this, he became the second singles player to hold the Olympics, World Championships, Continental Games, and Continental Championships titles simultaneously. 

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Axelsen achieved a monumental feat by clinching his inaugural Olympic gold medal, prevailing with a comprehensive win 21-15, 21-12 over Chen Long from China, the 2016 Olympic champion. In fact, Viktor didn’t lose a single set in the 2020 Olympics, thus showing his dominance throughout the mega event.

Axelsen carved his name in the history of the Olympics by becoming the second player hailing from outside Asia, and notably from Denmark, to grab the Olympic badminton men's singles crown. The legendary Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen, who is the current president of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) had accomplished the same in 1996.

The athlete from Denmark then participated in the European Badminton Championships 2022. There, he defeated fellow Danish shuttler Anders Antonsen by 21-17, 21-15 to lift his third European title. He matched the feat of Flemming Delfs, Poul-Erik Hyer, and Peter Gade of winning the men's singles title on three occasions and became the fourth Danish shuttler to accomplish this feat in the history of the championships.

His next big stop was at the BWF World Championships 2022, which also was held in Tokyo, Japan. The world no. 1 captured his second World title after defeating three-time junior world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand by 21-5, 21-16 in the final. This was Axelsen’s second World Championships title as he had claimed it back in 2017, defeating the renowned Lin Dan in straight sets by 22-20, 21-16.

Lin Dan

Lin Dan is the first singles player in history to have achieved the Olympics, World Championships, Continental Games, and Continental Championships titles simultaneously. The incredible thing about this achievement is that Lin accomplished this feat twice. The first time was when he claimed the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2009 World Championships in Hyderabad, the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, and the 2010 New Delhi Asian Championships.

At the Beijing Olympics, Lin Dan got past his prime rival, Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei to claim his first Olympics title as he secured a comprehensive win by 21-12, 21-8. At the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad, which was the first-ever World Championships in India, Lin claimed his third World Championships crown, by defeating compatriot Chen Jin by 21-18, 21-16. 

Lin got possession of the Asian Championships title in 2010, defeating compatriot Wang Zhengming to secure his first win at the continental championships. Later in the year at the Asian Games 2010 held in Guangzhou, Lin impressed the home crowd by grabbing his first-ever men’s singles title at the prestigious continental games. The final showcased fierce competition between Lin and his primary competitor Lee, which eventually went in favor of Lin, winning by 21-13, 15-21, and 21-10. 

The second time when Lin Dan captured the men’s singles title in the 2012 London Olympics, the 2013 BWF World Championships in Guangzhou, the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, and the 2014 Gimcheon Asian Championships, he held this unique accomplishment once again during his career.

In contrast to the 2008 Olympic showdown, the Summer Olympics 2012 final in London was a challenging one for Lin Dan in which he faced Lee Chong Wei once again. Lin stumbled in the initial game, succumbing 15-21, but bounced back to dominate the second game by 21-10. The deciding set was a nail-biter, with Lin managing to narrow deficits to eventually emerge victorious with a 21-19 score. With this, Lin became the first men's singles shuttler to successfully defend the Olympic gold. 

In 2013, Lin received an extraordinary wild card entry to the World Championships in Guangzhou. He grabbed this opportunity to secure his fifth title when an unfortunate event forced Lee Chong Wei to withdraw due to severe cramps, while he was trailing at 17-20 in the final set. He then collected continental titles by winning the Asian Championships and later the Asian Games in 2014 to own the unique record.