Lin Dan of China won badminton men’s singles gold at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 17, 2008.

Lin Dan (simplified Chinese: 林丹; pinyin: Lin Dan) (born October 14, 1983) is a men’s singles badminton player from Fujian of Hakka ancestry, the People’s Republic of China. Lin is currently the most dominant singles player on the world stage. He has been ranked number one in the world almost continuously since 2004, winning many of the world’s top tournaments. In October 2006, Lin Dan regained his ranking as #1 in the world, after a short period of being ranked behind Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia.