'Super Dan' remains man to beat

TIANJIN - Chinese ace Lin Dan is looking to enhance his legendary status by fighting for a fourth consecutive men's singles gold medal at the National Games.

The badminton competition in Tianjin started on Wednesday, just three days after Lin's World Championships loss to Denmark's Viktor Axelsen.

Nicknamed 'Super Dan', the 33-year-old Lin, widely regarded as the greatest singles player of all time, had to settle for silver after losing 20-22, 16-21 to Axelsen in the Glasgow final. But the two-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion proved his enduring mettle by making his seventh World Championship final.