Badminton has some top-level international tournaments where shuttlers from around the world participate to showcase their talent. Among these tournaments, there are some Grade 1 tournaments that see top-ranked players compete for glory.
These Grade 1 tournaments are badminton games in the Olympics, World Championships, Continental Games, and Continental Championships. Many legendary badminton players have had the privilege to emerge victorious in some of these tournaments.
But there are a few players who managed to hold titles in all these tournaments at the same time, which is no mean feat.
So here is a list of the badminton players/pairs who achieved this incredible feat over the years.
1. Ge Fei and Gu Jun (China): Women’s Doubles
Ge Fei and Gu Jun became the first pair to hold titles in the Olympics, World Championships, Continental Games, and Championships at the same time.
The Chinese women’s pair started with the gold medal in the 1996 Olympics. Fei and Jun overcame the South Korean duo of Gil Young-ah and Jang Hyeock in straight sets by 15-5, 15-5. What’s interesting was that Fei was 20 years and nine months old at that time, making her the second youngest to win an Olympic gold medal.
Then the duo landed their World Championship title in 1997, beating their fellow pair of Qin Yiyuan and Tang Yongshu. The next year, Fei and Jun struck gold twice in the Asian Championships and Asian Games.
In September 1998, the pair defeated Yiyuan and Tang Hetian to claim the Asian Championships title. They wrapped up the year with Asian Games gold, thrashing Indonesia’s Eliza Nathanael and Deyana Lomban in the final.
2. Kim Dong Moon (South Korea): Mixed Doubles
Kim Dong Moon followed in after the Chinese pair, winning the mixed doubles gold medal in the 1996 Olympics. He won the final with his partner Gil Young-ah, beating their fellow South Korean pair of Park Joo-bong and Ra Kyung-min.
Two years later, Kim bagged the Asian Championships title along with Ra Kyung-min before claiming the Asian Games gold as well. In the 1999 World Championships, the mixed doubles pair emerged victorious to complete the quartet.
3. Lin Dan (China): Men’s Singles
Considered among the best men’s badminton players, Lin Dan held the four titles not once but twice in his career. He is the only shuttler to achieve the feat twice in badminton’s history.
The Super Dan started with an Olympic gold medal in 2008, defeating his Malaysian rival Lee Chong Wei in straight sets by 21-12, 21-8. The Chinese shuttler topped it with the World Championships title next year as he defeated his fellow countryman Chen Jin in the final.
2010 was a remarkable year for Dan as he added the Asian Championships title, followed by the Asian Games. He repeated the feat between 2012 and 2014, winning the Olympic (2012), World Championships (2013), Asian Games, and Asian Championships (both 2014).
4. Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei (China): Mixed Doubles
Another Chinese pair on the list, the mixed doubles duo of Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei, achieved the feat in 2016. They started their run with gold in the 2012 Olympics, beating their fellow pair of Xu Chen and Ma Jin by 21-11, 21-17.
Two years later, Nan and Yunlei went on to win the World Championships and Asian Games in August and September 2014, respectively. They overcame Chen and Jin in a fiercely contested World Championships final and defeated Indonesia’s Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir in the Asian Games.
In 2016, the pair clinched the Asian Championships to round up the accomplishment by again beating Ahmad and Natsir in the final. The duo has also won three Olympic medals each.
5. Viktor Axelsen (Denmark): Men’s Singles
The only non-Asian shuttler on this list, Viktor Axelsen, is the latest to hold the four titles concurrently. The Danish player has been making waves in badminton, emerging as a modern-day great.
Axelsen set off with the podium finish in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021) with a final win over Chen Long. He handed the Chinese shuttler a loss by 21-15, 21-12.
The next year, the Danish shuttler rejoiced with his third European Championships title in Madrid. He regained the title after four years, beating his fellow countryman Anders Antonsen.
In August 2022, Axelsen doubled the joy with the World Championships trophy. He defeated Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the final. A year later, the Danish player bagged his maiden gold medal in the European Games, beating France’s Christo Popov.
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