BEIJING, August 19 (Xinhua) On August 19, local time, the highly anticipated "Lin-Li War" will be staged again in the men’s singles semi-final of the Olympic badminton in Rio.
As the old rivals of international badminton, China’s "Super Dan" and Malaysian "First Brother" Li Zongwei’s "grudges" have long been a constant attraction of various badminton events in recent ten years. According to the official records of the World Badminton Federation, since the first encounter in the Thomas Cup Asian qualifiers in 2004, Lin Dan and Li Zongwei have staged 36 confrontations, and Lin Dan has won 25 matches, occupying an advantage.
Now the two meet again in their last Olympic Games, whether Lin Dan continues to attack the Olympic singles "three consecutive championships" or Li Zongwei "avenge the past" is worthy of attention.
Win the championship easily and achieve "Super Dan"
Time: August 17th, 2008
Event: Beijing Olympic badminton men’s singles final
The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games was the first time that Lin Dan and Li Zongwei met in the finals of an important competition. Previously, Lin Dan lost to Li Zongwei 0-2 in the Thomas Cup in 2008, which made fans not optimistic about his Beijing Olympic prospects before the start of the competition.
However, Lin Dan resisted the heavy pressure, and his passion broke out. In the final, he took the violent aesthetics of "killing in the backcourt and pouncing in front of the net" to the extreme, sweeping Li Zongwei with a disparity score of 21:12 and 21:8, and winning the men’s singles gold medal in badminton in Beijing Olympic Games. This is the second time that the China badminton team won the Olympic men’s singles championship after eight years, and it also broke the "curse" that the world’s number one men’s singles player has never won the Olympic champion since badminton entered the Olympic Games in 1992.
After winning the last point and giving a signature military salute to the audience, Lin Dan threw all his rackets, shoes and towels to the audience who cheered for him enthusiastically. "Lin Dan’s performance was impeccable, and it was the most classic game in his life," Li Yongbo, the head coach, commented on his disciples’ game.
Lin Dan became the first person in badminton "slam"
Time: November 21, 2010
Event: Guangzhou Asian Games badminton men’s singles final
Just like the Beijing Olympic Games two years ago, in the men’s singles final of the Guangzhou Asian Games, Lin Dan, who was in surprisingly good condition, beat Li Zongwei 2-1, becoming the first person in all world competitions to "slam".
Although the disparity of 21:10 in the third game made this "Lin-Li War" somewhat anticlimactic, Lin Dan was still excited by the victory. He had been waiting for this Asian Games gold medal for a long time.
At the moment of victory, Lin Dan threw away his racket and roared to the sky. He was so excited that he took off his coat, showing his muscles with perfect lines and shouting with his arms, which made countless fans crazy. On the podium, he kissed the gold medal affectionately and gave a beautiful military salute again, just like after winning the championship in Beijing Olympic Games.
After this campaign, Lin Dan became the first badminton player to win the team and singles gold medals in Thomas Cup, Sudirman Cup, World Cup, World Championships, Olympic Games, All England Championship and Asian Games.
Save the magical reversal of Lin Dan at two match points
Time: August 14th, 2011
Events: Men’s Singles Final of 2011 Badminton World Championships
This men’s singles final is one of the most classic events in the "Lin Li War". Li Zongwei had been leading the score from the beginning, and Lin Dan was tied to 20 under the unfavorable situation that the other side held four innings, but Li Zongwei finally took the lead at 22:20. In the second game, Lin Dan still fell behind in the start, but finally pulled back a point at 21:14. In the deciding game, the two sides fought for a stalemate. Li Zongwei got the match point at 20:19, and after Lin Dan tied for 20, the other side got the match point again. Lin Dan stood up to the danger and scored two points in a row, winning at 23:21.
Li Zongwei was defeated by a total score of 2:1. Lin Dan not only achieved four world championships, but also shattered Li Zongwei’s dream of winning the first world championship. Lin Dan was extremely excited after the game, so he took off his coat and made his "signature move" to win the championship — — A military salute.
In Lin Dan’s view, the happiest thing is not to win the gold medal, but to play his best game against Li Zongwei. As for Li Zongwei, although he missed the world champion once again, it is different from the rout in the Beijing Olympics. This time, he just lost, and he is fully capable of challenging Lin Dan.
On August 5th, local time, Lin Dan defeated Li Zongwei in the men’s singles final of the 2012 London Olympic Games. Reporter Sheng Jiapeng photo
Lin Dan won the Olympic champion again and made history.
Time: August 5, 2012
Event: London Olympic badminton men’s singles final
After four years of hard work, Li Zongwei met Lin Dan again in the men’s singles final of London Olympic badminton. Before the game, some analysts thought that Li Zongwei’s injury would put him at a disadvantage, but from the course of the game, the injury did not have much impact on him.
In the first game, both sides played very hard, and the scores took the lead alternately. In the end, Li Zongwei won the first game with 21:15. Lin Dan, who quickly adjusted his state, overwhelmed his opponent from the momentum, constantly expanded his lead and equalized the big score with 21:10. In the deciding game, the score of the two men was tied, and no one could open the gap. Lin Dan, who had a more stable psychological state, won the game with the help of his opponent’s two mistakes and became the first player to defend the men’s singles champion in the history of Olympic badminton.
After winning, Lin Dan threw away his racket, roared and ran around to celebrate, and threw his jersey into the audience. Li Zongwei, on the other hand, sat on the ground in regret and refused to get up for a long time, as if he couldn’t believe what was happening in front of him.
On August 11th, 2013, in the men’s singles final contest of the 2013 Badminton World Championships, Malaysian Li Zongwei retired due to injury, and China’s Lin Dan finally won the men’s singles championship. The picture shows Lin Dan crossing the net to greet Li Zongwei. China News Agency issued Long Yuyang photo
Retirement at match point Li Zongwei is full of sadness.
Time: August 11th, 2013
Events: 2013 Guangzhou Badminton World Championships Final
Lin Dan, who had not participated in international competitions for about a year and whose world ranking had dropped to 286, played as a wild card player, and finally reached the men’s singles final of the 2013 World Badminton Championships, meeting Li Zongwei for the 33rd time. Finally, Lin Dan defeated his old rival 2-1 and was crowned the men’s singles champion of the World Badminton Championships for the fifth time.
In the deciding game, Li Zongwei requested medical suspension due to leg cramp, and gave up the game due to injury when Lin Dan won the match point. Lin Dan, who won the victory, did not forget to care about his good friend’s injury. He went off to help the doctor carry Li Zongwei to the stretcher.
Li Zongwei ended the "Battle of the Peak" in an extremely tragic way, but still failed to achieve the breakthrough of defeating the "Super Dan" in the Olympic Games, World Championships and Asian Games.
Lin Dan achieved the second "Grand Slam"
Time: September 28th, 2014
Event: Men’s Badminton Singles Semifinal of Incheon Asian Games
In the 34th "Lin-Li War", Lin Dan beat Li Zongwei 2-1 to advance to the men’s singles final of Incheon Asian Games, and rewrote the record of 34 fights with opponents to 25 wins and 9 losses.
Before the game, both said, "There is nothing to lose." However, Li Zongwei "lost most of the games" before, while Lin Dan "won most of the games".
In the first game, although he once fell behind at 17:20, Li Zongwei’s "habitual softness" at the crucial moment made Lin Dan, who was in a stable state of mind, score five points in a row and staged a reversal at 22:20. Although the opponent pulled back a game by 21:12, Lin Dan led the way in the deciding game without giving his opponent any chance. It took only 20 minutes to seal the victory with a disparity of 21:9.
Before the war, the two men had not played against each other for a year, and they reunited with their old rivals at the stadium, which made Lin Dan cherish. "Every time I play against him, I hope I can play my best." After winning this gold medal in the Asian Games, Lin Dan completed the Grand Slam tour for the second time, which gathered the Olympic Games, World Championships and other champions. Li Zongwei once again lost the chance to win a championship, but he seems to have no mind about it: "Up to now, the championship is not very important to me. In the next two years, I will enjoy badminton."
Who can laugh at the end of the 37th meeting?
Time: August 19, 2016
Event: Men’s singles semifinal of badminton in Rio Olympic Games
As the "lifelong enemy" of Lin Dan, Li Zongwei ranked first in the world for 199 consecutive weeks. Despite his amazing talent and hard work, he has never been able to win the World Championships and the Olympic Games. Born in the same era as Lin Dan, Li Zongwei became an out-and-out "tragic figure". But this is also a rare fate. It is precisely because they have become rivals that these two "badminton kings" have a more dazzling career.
2 Olympic gold medals, 5 men’s singles champions in the World Championships, 5 Thomas Cups and 5 Sudirman Cups … … From Athens to Rio, Lin Dan accompanied China badminton for 12 years under the bright light. Today, at the age of 33, he no longer has the dominance of the two Olympic Games in Beijing and London, and he also lost to his old rivals in the recent two "Lin-Li Wars" in the Asian Championships and the China Open. On the contrary, as the top seed of the men’s singles in Rio Olympic Games, Li Zongwei’s rising status should not be underestimated. This time, Rio will fight again. I wonder who will have the last laugh? (End)
