Who are the top badminton players in the world?: Badminton is one of the more under-represented sports on the world stage. Despite millions of fans and tens of countries playing the sport, it is often seen as Tennis’ little brother and the second-most popular racquet sport in the World.
But those who play and follow the game know that badminton is one of the most skillful and physically taxing games out there. Returning a shuttle smashed at over 400 km/h requires superhuman reflexes while reaching for a drop shot requires otherworldly agility and flexibility.
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While we can fawn over this game that we love for hours on end, today we will be looking at some of the most excellent practitioners of this craft. Who are the greatest badminton players of recent times? That is a difficult question to answer. What do we look at? Their accolades and accomplishments, their objective skills on the court, or their impact on the sport?
Who are the top badminton players in the world?
Who are the top badminton players in the world? Our approach to answering this question will be a simple one. We will look at the players who ruled the world of badminton purely based on the tournaments and championships they won.
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Taufik Hidayat
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Taufik Hidayat was the most sublime Badminton player of all time. A magician with a racquet, Hidayat’s game was simply mesmerizing to watch.
Despite not being the most accomplished player of his era, the Indonesian amassed a massive fan following purely based on his playing style.
Called the Roger-Federer of Badminton, the man represented the beauty of badminton up until this year, when he finally decided to retire at age 41.
Taufik Hidayat is a one-time Olympic Champion, winning the gold in the 2004 Athens Olympics. He also won the World Championship in 2005 and won a silver and two bronzes in the championships as well. He is also a three-time Asia Champion and has won three golds in the Asian Championships.
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Who are the top badminton players?
Zhang Ning
Having dominated a decade of Women’s Badminton (from the late 90s to late 2000s) Zhang Ning is considered by many as the greatest female Badminton player of all time.
Near unbeatable on most days, the Chinese legend has a staggering win-loss record of 385-97.
Zhang is a two-time Olympic Champion, winning gold in 2004, and on her home soil in 2008. She retired on top, with her last match being the 2008 Beijing Olympic finals.
Apart from that, Zhang Ning is a former World Champion, winning gold in 2003, silver in 2005 and 2006, and bronze in 2001 and 2007. She has also won three Asian Games gold medals, a gold, and two silvers at the Asian Championships.
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Viktor Axelsen
The current men’s World no.1 shuttler has had a very accomplished career. His dominance has seen the center of badminton power shifting slightly from East Asia to the rest of the World.
The Danish star is the current defending Olympic Champion, winning gold in 2020. He is also a two-time World Champion in 2017 and 2022. Axelsen has won three golds, two silvers, and a bronze at the European Championships and is a multi-time European Champion in the Men’s Team event.
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Gao Ling
Gao Ling might the the most accomplished female Badminton player of all time. An absolute legend of the sport, the Chinese shuttler was a two-time Olympic Champion in 2000 and 2004, She also won a silver and a bronze in the Women’s Doubles events.
She has a staggering nine World Championship medals, which include four golds, four silvers, and a bronze.
Her other accomplishments include four Asian Games golds five Uber Cup wins, and two golds and a silver at the Asian Championship.
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Who are the top badminton players?
Carolina Marin
It can be said that it is Carolina Marin’s success that made Europe another hotspot for the sport.
The Spanish shuttler won the gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, defeating India’s PV Sindhu in the final. She is also a staggering six-time European Champion, her streak running from 2014 to 2022
Carolina can still be considered to be on top of her powers. Currently ranked sixth in the World, she is the only female star on this list to still be active.
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Who are the top badminton players?
Lin Dan and Lei Chong Wei
As the careers of the two greatest Badminton stars of the modern era, it is only fitting that the two are discussed together. Malaysia’s Lei Chong Wei and China’s Lin Dan were not only the two best male Badminton players in the world but were also fierce rivals.
Lin Dan is the most successful Badminton player of all time. His 21 BWF Superseries wins and 28 Grand Prix wins are overshadowed by his two Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012 (for both he defeated Wei in the final), a whopping five World Championship golds and two silvers, five Asian Games golds, and fout Asian Championship golds.
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On the other hand, Lei Chong Wei has won 69 titles in his career and has finished second in 34. He finished second in three consecutive Olympic Men’s Singles events – in 2008, 2012, and 2016. He also finished runner-up in three consecutive World Championships in 2011, 2013, and 2015 (losing the first two to Lin Dan). Lei has won five Commonwealth golds and a silver, two Asian Championship golds and two bronzes, and a silver and three bronzes in the Asian Games. He also has the most BWF Super Series titles with 46.
The two’s legendary rivalry saw Lin Dan dominate for the most part. In their 40 meetings, Dan took 28 of them. These included two Olympic and two World Championship finals.
Check Out:
- Who are the top badminton players in the world?
- Who are the best female badminton players in the world?
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- Who is the first Indian para badminton player to appear in the Paralympics and win a medal for India?
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