Badminton legends Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei have been one of the best players who have graced the game and have been inducted into the BWF Hall of Fame for 2023. Lee Chong Wei retired in 2019 while Lin Dan retired a year later. Both legends will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, May 26. The ceremony will be streamed live on the BWF.tv from 4:30 pm IST.
The duo joins the likes of David Guthrie, Bang Soo Hyun, and Chung So-young in the Hall of Fame and makes their legacy immortal. Malaysian legend Lee Chong Wei finished with 47 BWF World Tour titles and spent 349 weeks as World No.1 which is the most in the sport’s history. Lee is a triple silver medalist at the Olympic Games (Beijing, London, and Rio), and was the sixth Malaysian to win an Olympic medal. He retired after a nose-cancer diagnosis as he failed to gain full fitness with 713 wins and 135 losses.
Lin Dan has two Olympic gold medals, five World Championships gold medals, 11 Thomas Cups/Sudirman Cups, and every other major title under his belt, which is almost everything a player can achieve in his career. The former World No.1 has successfully completed the ‘Super Grand Slam’ as he has won nine major titles.
The duo has had a rivalry between them and they have given us some fantastic games over the years. They have faced each other frequently in the finals, including two Olympic and two World Championships finals, all won by Lin. Among their more memorable matches were the finals at the World Championships in 2011, the London Olympics in 2012, and the semifinals of the Rio Olympics in 2016. Lee and Lin have played a total of 40 times, with Lin having the upper hand in their rivalry with a final head-to-head record of 28–12. The two greats have been the foremost ambassadors for the game in their lifetime and deserve their spot in the BWF Hall Of Fame.
