Famous Olympic Badminton Players

Badminton is a sport that originated in 19th-century British India and has been an Olympic summer sport since the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Badminton is similar to other racket and net sports, though it uses a shuttlecock instead of a ball. The sport had only exhibition status at the Olympics until 1992 and has since been gaining popularity throughout the world. Though still not as mainstream as other Olympic sports, there are several famous, world-class Olympic badminton players, recognized for their talent and Olympic achievement.

  1. Zhang Ning

    • Zhang Ning is one of the most successful female badminton players of all time. She represented the People's Republic of China during the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and won the gold medal each time. Ning is also the only player (male or female) to have won two consecutive Olympic gold medals for badminton. Ning retired from the sport after the 2008 Olympic games, where she had been the flag bearer for China during the opening ceremonies.

    Susi Susanti Haditono

    • Representing Indonesia, Susi Susanti Haditono won the first women's singles Olympic gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona games. Though she retired from competitive badminton in 1996, she is known as one of the greatest badminton players of all time. She was inducted into the Badminton Hall of Fame in 2004 and runs a badminton club with her husband, fellow badminton legend, Alan Budikusuma.

    Alan Budikusuma

    • Alan Budikusuma was one of the most successful men's singles badminton players of the 1990s. In 1992, he won the first Olympic gold medal at the Barcelona games, representing Indonesia. In addition to the Olympic medal, Budikusuma won many other international championships for the sport.

    Lin Dan

    • Though still early in his career, Lin Dan has become one of the most dominant male badminton players in the world. Representing The People's Republic of China, Dan won the Olympic gold metal in Beijing in 2008. Dan is also the only badminton player in the history of the game to win three consecutive badminton world championships, which he did in 2006, 2007 and 2009.