Who's the best badminton player?

K DATTA

Lin Dan Malaysian badminton legend Lee Chong Wei has gone on record that he regards China's Lin Dan as the greatest badminton player ever. Thus starting an interesting debate. Many students of the game believe the rivalry Chong Wei and Lin Dan shared as the greatest in men's singles history.
"He's a legend. His titles speak for themselves. We have to salute him," Lee explained.
Lin possesses a better head-to-head record with 28 wins from 40 duels, including two victories in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic finals and two in the World Championship title matches (2011 and 2013).
Lee admitted his "obsession" of wanting to be better than the two-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion kept him on his toes.
"Lin Dan was constantly in my head when I got back to training after every loss. I knew if I wanted to win important tournaments, I had to beat him. I couldn't relax," the 37-yearold Lee, who announced his retirement last June due to health reasons, also confirmed that he had made a full recovery and was in good health now.
But before Chong Wei and Lin came on world badminton scene there was a man called Rudy Hartono. Many would regard this man as the greatest.
Now 70, Hartono won the All England title eight times, seven of these in a row from 1968 to 74. Before the advent of the world championships and Olympic Games, the All England was held by badminton fans as a global event. The winner at the All England was regarded as the world champion. Hartono's reign at the All England was ended by Svend Pri of Denmark in 1975.
Hartono won the All England title for the eighth time in 1976, defeating fellow Indonesian Liem Swei King.
India's Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand have carved their names on the coveted once each. However much we may celebrate their successes at England, they cannot be compared to Hartono. said.

The Wisden honour

Ben Stokes Pivotal roles in the World Cup and the 2019 Ashes helped New Zealand-born English cricketer Ben Stokes become the 2020 Wisden Cricketer of the Year, while Australian Ellyse Perry was adjudged the leading woman cricketer for her role in the women's Ashes contest.
Except for Jamaican Andre Russell, adjudged the leading T20 cricketer, English and Australian names hogged the Wisden limelight.
The Ashes-biased approach was criticised by former India batsman VVS Laxman, who insisted that cricket's premier institution needed to look beyond England and Australia.
Laxman was shocked that Rohit Sharma's 648 runs in 9 World Cup matches at an average of 81 didn't earn him a place among the five best cricketers. Could Wisden have done better?

Uneasy times

Thankfully, Japan and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have postponed the 2020 Tokyo Olympics albeit with a heavy heart. With the number of people infected by the Corona virus increasing and dying exponentially, there was absolutely no way for the extravaganza to go ahead. Everyone is paying a price, directly or indirectly.
Athletes may lose up to a year. Those who had planned retirement (such as Mary Kom) or pursue alternate careers are forced to put their plans on hold. Organisers may ask athletes to qualify again. A year is a long time in sports; many who have already qualified may not be at their best in 2021, while others may catch up. Availability of practice facilities could remain an issue. Not an easy time for anybody.



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