Badminton is an athletic game that has been around for many centuries. Today, it is one of the world’s most famous and competitive games. Badminton can be played as an individual or doubles game with two or more players per side. There are many skilled badminton players around. However, only a few are considered the best of all time. In this guide, we have compiled the list of the best 5 most famous badminton players ever!
History of Badminton
Badminton was invented in Siam, China, over 2,000 years ago. It was then introduced in England around 1870 and was played in a similar way to tennis. After its introduction in Canada, the sport was introduced to America and has been a huge hit since 1929. Bird speed has reached 100 mph since 1992 when the sport became an Olympic sport.
Without any interruption, let us have a look at Top Players in Badminton to Ever Exist.
- Lin Dan
Lin Dan is an ex-badminton participant from China. Among his many achievements, he was an Olympic champion twice, a World champion five times, and an All-England champion eight times. He also took home two bronze and 5 gold medals in the Thomas Cup, and 3 gold medals at the Asian Championships. Additionally, he was awarded three gold medals at the Asian Games.
Lin Dan became the only athlete in the history of badminton to win the Olympic gold medal twice in succession at Beijing in 2008 and Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics. CCTV Sports named him the top male athlete in the 2010 Olympics. His outstanding performances and best shots are available on YouTube and other streaming platforms. Before streaming, make sure to have a stable internet connection like Mediacom. Evaluate Mediacom Internet packages and sign up for one that meets your needs.
- Lee Chong Wei
Lee Chong Wei is a former badminton athlete from Malaysia. He was ranked as the first player worldwide for 349 weeks. This also includes a 199-week stretch that ran from 21st August 2008 to the 14th of June, 2012.
He played basketball as a child until his mother decided it was unsafe and banned him from playing for a long time. The player’s passion changed, and he became the top badminton player ever to exist. It is all more remarkable that Chong could make the seamless transition from badminton and establish himself as the 2nd greatest player to ever play. Chong is, without doubt, the top badminton player in Malaysia, breaking numerous records in the sport before his retirement in 2019.
He took home two silver medals at the Olympic Games, a gold medal at the 2006 Asian Championships, and three bronze and one silver in the World Championships.
- Gao Ling
Gao Ling is an ex-badminton player hailing from China. She is famous for her consistency and is considered to be the most prolific doubles player ever. Apart from her amazing talent, people also remember her for her smiling smile. Without a doubt, she is worthy of third place on our list of Top Badminton Players of All Time.
The world of badminton still thinks she’s the greatest doubles athlete of all time. She won two gold medals, a silver, an Olympic bronze medal in 2000, and the 2004 Olympic Games. Additionally, she earned four gold medals at the Badminton World Championship.
Furthermore, winning multiple gold medals at the Sudirman Cup and Uber Cup, Gao Ling won the 2006 Yiyang Badminton World Cup. Between 2001 and 2006, won six consecutive All-England Championships women’s doubles titles with Huang Sui.
- Taufik Hidayat
Taufik Hidayat is an ex-badminton athlete from Indonesia who is regarded as one of the top players ever. He has also won numerous medals at events like the Asian Championships, World Championships, Thomas Cup, and Asian Games.
Taufik Hidayat was a winner of 27 world titles before his retirement. Taufik Hidayat ranks 4 among our best 5 badminton players of all time.
He took home silver, gold, and two bronze medals in the World Championships. In addition, he won three silver and gold along with two bronze and gold medals during the Asian Games.
Taufik Hidayat won three medals, including two gold and a bronze award at Asian Championships and 2 silver, gold, and three bronze medals at the Thomas Cup. He also took home the title of singles in his participation in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
- Rudy Hartono
Rudy Hartono is an ex-Chinese Indonesian badminton player having an impressive history of winning the singles title for men during the All-England Championship eight times.
The former Indonesian legendary badminton star Rudy Hartono is regarded as one of the most outstanding badminton players of all time, in addition to being considered one of the best athletes ever. Despite his professional career that began a few decades ago, in the 1970s and 1960s, he is still considered one of the top sportsmen of the past, thanks in large part to his incredible speed, which enabled him to find shots that seemed completely beyond his reach.
Rudy Hartono won the title of the 2nd IBF World Championships in 1980 in Jakarta in just one attempt. He also won four gold and two silver medals at Thomas Cups. The 1972 Munich Summer Olympics were won by Rudy Hartono in the men’s singles. Interestingly, the Olympic committee incorporated badminton into their primary program for the first time in 1972.
Bottom Line
For badminton, you must be physically fit, have good stamina, be strong, flexible, and fast. As well as amazing physical coordination, it generally requires a lot of energy. As a whole, it is not hard to conclude that the athletes who have achieved great success in this sport are both talented and dedicated to the game.
