Birthplace of great Badminton icons, Asia continues its dominance in the sport. In August, two-time Olympic champion, Lin Dan, from China, became the first player in history to win five world titles, at the age of 29. The World Badminton Championships’ 19^th edition also marked the discovery of 18-year-old Ratchanok Inthanon, the new women’s world champion.

Super Dan, as he is known, defeated Malaysian Lee Chong Wei, his arch-rival, in the championships final. The decisive match was a re-edition of the last two Olympic finals. Both in Beijing 2008 and London 2012, Lin Dan defeated the same adversary and now he has 22 victories and nine defeats in matches played against the Malaysian.

“People doubted how far I could get having been out of competitive Badminton for almost a year. I have shown that what counts is one’s attitude and spirit and the sacrifice one is willing to make”, the player said. He has been married since 2010 to Xie Xingfang, two-time world champion and Beijing 2008 Games silver medallist.

In the women’s final, Thai Ratchanok Inthanon, defeated Chinese Li Xuerui, the current Olympic champion, and placed her name among the favourites to win the title in the Rio 2016 Games. The young star is already a celebrity in her home country, where she was received by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, takes part in the most popular talk shows and was “challenged” by Bangkok’s police chief, Lt. Gen. Kamronwit Toopkracha, 60, an avid Badminton fan.

“Being a world champion was my dream”, Ratchanok said. She is the first player from a country other than China to win the world title since 1999, when Danish Camilla Martin took the title.

“I want to be No. 1 in the world within one or two years and to win the Olympic gold medal in Rio de Janeiro”, she added.

Three doubles also became champions in the World Championships. Chinese Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang took the women’s title. In the men’s event, Muhammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan from Indonesia were the champions. And in the mixed doubles, the title went to Tontowi Ahmad and Lilyana Natsir from Indonesia.

Brazil national team trains hard in Campinas

No Brazilian player qualified to compete in the 2013 World Championships. The national team is still training hard in Campinas with Coach Marco Vasconcelos, from Portugal, who has been to three editions of the Olympic Games. In an interview to the rio2016.com website, Alex Yuwan Tjong, currently one of the best Brazilian players, said the sport is growing in Brazil.

“We are achieving better results. Until last year we had a very big deficit regarding training quality. This year, things have changed. Marco was hired and we are training with a permanent national team. I believe we are evolving, mainly because we have been facing the best players in the Americas and getting even with the Europeans”, Alex explained. He enjoys Super Dan’s performance and considers him to be the Pelé of international Badminton.

“Lin Dan’s style of play is quite offensive, and what sets him apart from the others is his ability to read the game. He anticipates not only one but two or three moves. Whenever you watch him play, everything seems easy, because even during a difficult situation, he manages to get the upper hand” the 22-year-old player praised. He represents Brazil since 2004, when he joined the national junior team.

Besides Alex Tjong, Alkimin Leonardo, Daniel Paiola, Hugo Arthuso and Luiz dos Santos are also part of Brazil’s permanent national team. The women’s national team is made of Ana Paula Campos, Fabiana Silva, Lohaynny Vicente, Paula Pereira and Yasmin Cury. They all aim to compete in the Rio 2016 Games.

“My dream, since I was young, is to be in the Olympic Games and, for years, I have been preparing myself for this. Like me, my teammates will also give it their all in order to qualify and represent Brazil”, Alex said.