Badminton. A 13.4 x 6.1 metre court, where lightning-quick, explosive shots and soft, careful stroke play combine to create the fastest and most-exciting racket sport in the world.
It’s a popular and competitive sport played by amateurs and professional athletes worldwide, and we’ll look – here – at four of the best professional players.
PV Sindhu
Early Life
Pusaria Venkata Sindhu is a badminton player from India, born on the 5th of July 1996. She was brought up in Hyderabad by two parents who played volleyball at the national level.
Sindhu got her education at Auxilium High School and St. Ann’s College for Women. Like her parents, she grew up to be a formidable sportswoman, but she opted to focus on badminton because she was inspired by Pullela Gopichand’s exploits at the 2001 All England Open Badminton Championship.
Sindhu began playing badminton at eight years old under the tutelage of Mehboob Ali, and later joined Pullela Gopichand’s academy.
Accomplishments
Sindhu entered the international circuit when she was just 14(!) and began by winning a bronze medal at the 2009 Sub-Junior Asian Badminton Championships. She won several other medals in the junior team before winning her first women’s medal during the bronze medal at the Guangzhou world championships in 2013.
Her transition into the women’s category at a tender age blossomed as she won a bronze medal at the Copenhagen World Championships and silver medals at the Glasgow and Nanjing World Championships. She finally won a gold medal at the 2019 Basel World Championships. At the Commonwealth Games, she also got two gold medals in quick succession in the 2018 and 2022 games.
She has also participated in the Olympic games and won a silver medal in Rio de Janeiro and a bronze in Tokyo. Sindhu has participated in other tournaments where she has dominated over the years. These tournaments include the BWF Superseries, where she has three titles and four runners-up medals; BWF Grandprix, with six titles and three runners-up medals; and the BWF International Challenge, where she has four titles and one runner-up prize.
Lee Zii Jia
Early Life
Lee Zii Jia is a Malaysian international born on March 29th, 1998, in Alor Setar, Kedah. His parents were Chinese Malaysians who were both teachers and former basketball internationals. He was introduced to badminton at six years old and schooled at Keat Hwa H Primary School. After success in the under-12 competitions, he went on to further his training at Bukit Jalil Sports School.
Accomplishments
His Perak and Selangor Badminton Open performances earned Lee Zii Jia a slot in the Badminton Association of Malaysia. He won a bronze medal on his first attempt at the World Junior Championships in Bilbao, and also earned a silver medal in the same tournament in the mixed team category.
He graduated into the senior category and won silver medals at the Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur and the Philippines while playing in the men’s team. His other achievements with the men’s team include a gold medal at the Selangor Asia team championships, silver at the 2020 Manila edition, and bronze at the 2018 Alor Setar event.
Lee won his first gold medal in the men’s singles in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. He also won a gold medal at the 2022 Asian Championships.
Viktor Axelsen
Early Life
Viktor is a Danish badminton player born on the 4th of January 1994. He was born in Odense and began playing badminton when he was six. Since his parents divorced, he lived with his father, who owned a marketing agency, but who has since reverted to being Viktor’s full-time manager.
Accomplishments
Viktor is the reigning world and Olympic champion, winning both Tokyo competitions held in 2022 and 2020, respectively. Before becoming the world champion, he had some wonderful junior-level achievements.
Viktor first won the National Junior event in the singles and doubles events in his age group. He went on to win the European U17 Championships, a feat that sparked his growth in the sport. He has won a raft of gold medals in singles competitions, establishing himself as the best player in Europe. In the Men’s European Championships, he won gold in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020. As an individual, he won three bronze medals, one silver, and three gold medals. He has won five gold medals and one silver medal in the mixed-team category.
Viktor has also participated in the Thomas cup and has garnered five podium finishes, with four bronze medals and one gold medal.
Lin Dan
Early life
Lin Dan is a former Chinese badminton player born on the 14th of October 1983. He was born and raised in Fujian Province, where he first learned piano before deciding to play badminton. He started training at the age of five and won his first major trophy at the age of twelve. He finally joined the Chinese National Badminton team at the age of eighteen.
Accomplishments
Lin Dan is one of the most decorated badminton players in the sport, with numerous gold medals across multiple events. His biggest accomplishment came early in his career when he was ranked the best player in the world in February 2004. At the Asian Championships, he has racked up four gold, two silver, and three bronze medals. At the Asian games, he has five gold medals, two silver medals, and a solitary bronze.
Lin Dan has participated in the Thomas cup and won six gold and two bronze medals in the men’s team. He has racked up five gold and one silver medal at the mixed team events.
Lin’s greatest achievements came when he won five World Championships and was runner-up in two World Championships. Lin Dan won back-to-back Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012 when he was at the top of his game. He finally retired at 37, as age and injuries began to slow down his game.
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All photos courtesy of Shi Tang, from the book The Winning Edge in Badminton: Momentum, Match Flow, and the Art of Competing
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