Lovebirds of a feather ready to roost together

Lin Dan has nothing to prove on the court - but he does off it.

After upsetting archrival Lee Chong Wei in a close contest at the London Olympic finals on Sunday, Lin became the first man to retain the singles Olympic championship and measurably the greatest shuttler in all time, with a record six Olympic and world titles.

But he said he still has regrets.

"The only thing bothering me now is that I owe my wife a wedding," Lin said at the post-match news conference.

Since marrying former women's world No 1 Xie Xingfang two years ago, Lin hasn't held a formal ceremony, which traditionally means a lot to Chinese couples, because of his loaded national squad competition schedule.

The 28-year-old plans to retire after the London Games and vows to make it up to his wife with a late-coming surprise.

"I hope I can give her a special wedding, a ceremony featuring our own style," he said. "I'd love to invite all my opponent friends, such as Chong Wei, Taufik (Hidayat) and Peter (Gade).

"You don't need to bring too many gifts. Just remember to prepare a big packet (of cash)," Lin said, directing the joke to Lee.

Since publicly revealing their romance in 2003, Lin and Xie have been the most famous lovebirds among China's athlete couples, both on and off the court.

Both hit rough streaks at the 2004 Athens Olympics - Xie was disqualified, and Lin bowed out in the opening round. The couple supported and encouraged each other to keep working hard through the tough times.

Both claimed their first world championship singles titles in 2006. It was the beginning of their dominance of men's and women's badminton.

After retiring in 2009, Xie, who is two years and nine months older than Lin, entered Peking University to further her education, while following Lin on event tours on holidays.

"She always supports me continuing my career on the court, while taking care of everything in life," Lin said. "She's the reason I have been able to play at such a high level for so long."

During the final's breath-taking third set, Xie gripped her hands together while fiercely cheering for Lin's every shot. She could barely watch the last several rallies for fear of seeing her husband lose.

When Lee's final shot landed long, Lin sprinted around the Wembley Arena, until he was tackled by head coach Li Yongbo.

He didn't rip off his shirt, as he did in Beijing, but did throw it to the crowd before saluting Xie.

"The second gold was the bonus of another four-year effort," Lin said. "After winning in Beijing, I knew I had to push myself harder because more people would make me their target. Now, everything has paid off again. I want to appreciate everyone, especially (Xie)."

Although China achieved an epic gold clean sweep - a feat it didn't accomplish at home in 2008 - the lingering match-fixing scandal spoils the cheerful mood.

As the sport's icon, however, Lin shrugged it off, saying that what's most important now is to popularize badminton worldwide.

"I regret that, but the players involved have already received penalties," he said. "Actually, they just tried to realize their dreams. It's unfair for them to take all the blame. I don't want to comment more on what happened before.

"I don't want to see badminton thrive only in Asia. I hope it can grow around the world. Maybe a badminton player could one day win the Laureus Award (sports' top award)."

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 08/07/2012 page10)