Portrait of Lin Dan

Birthday profile

Lin Dan

Lin Dan, Chinese badminton player

Born
October 14, 1983
Age in 2026
43
Zodiac sign
Libra
Birth year
1983

About Lin Dan

Lin Dan (Chinese: 林丹; born 14 October 1983) is a Chinese former professional badminton player. He is a two-time Olympic gold medallist, five-time World Championships gold medalist, two-time World Cup champion, two-time Asian Games gold medalist, four-time Asian Champion, as well as a six-time All England champion. He led China to victory 5 times at the Sudirman Cup, 6 times at the Thomas Cup, and 3 times at the Asian Games men's team event. Widely regarded as the greatest badminton player of all time, by the age of 28 Lin had completed the "Super Grand Slam", having won the full set of all nine major titles in the badminton world of his time: Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cup, Thomas Cup, Sudirman Cup, Year-end Finals, Asian Games, and Asian Championships, becoming the third player to achieve this feat after Ge Fei and Gu Jun, and the only male player to ever achieve this feat. Of the 9 major events, he had won at least 2 of each events except the Year-end Finals where he won once in his only time participating in that event. He also became the first men's singles player to retain the Olympic gold medal by winning in 2008 and successfully defending his title in 2012. Lin was dubbed "Super Dan" by opponent Peter Gade after winning the 2004 All England Open final, and the nickname has since been widely used by his fans as well as the media to refer to him, in recognition of his achievements. He was inducted to BWF Badminton Hall of Fame on 26 May 2023. In his first final, at the Asian Championships, he was thrashed by compatriot Xia Xuanze. He then entered his first final in the IBF Grand Prix event at the Denmark Open, losing to Bao Chunlai.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

The world when Lin Dan was born

Lin Dan was born in 1983. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1983

  • #1 song"Every Breath You Take" – The Police
  • Top movieTerms of Endearment
  • Top TV showDallas
  • Best-selling bookThe Bonfire of the Vanities – Tom Wolfe

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentNC State's miraculous NCAA Championship win over Houston
  • Top headlineU.S. invades Grenada
  • Technology milestoneInternet's TCP/IP protocol adopted
  • Defining fadCabbage Patch Kids — parents fighting in stores
  • Notable inventionNintendo Entertainment System (Japan)
  • World population4.69 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderRonald Reagan
  • Sports championBaltimore Orioles (World Series)
  • Also wonPhiladelphia 76ers (NBA)
  • U.S. population233.8M

1983 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Lin Dan's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19832026
Gas$1.16$3.45/gal
Average home$70,300$435,000
Average income$24,580$67,500
Minimum wage$3.35$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$3.15$11.95
Postage stamp$0.20$0.73
Population233.8M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, International Olympic Committee, Olympedia. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.