The Summer Olympics held every four years are the pinnacle of the sport. Many top athletes vie to get a podium finish and return with medals.
Badminton is also one of the sports played in the Olympics, which is equivalent to the BWF World Championships. Several renowned shuttlers qualify for the event with the aim of clinching the gold medal.
But the experienced players face challenges from their younger counterparts, who give them a run for their money to get the top honour.
In the history of the Olympics, we have seen badminton players making their mark and winning the gold medal at a young age. And here are the top five youngest badminton gold medallists in the Summer Olympics.
5. Gao Ling (China): 21 Years & 6 Months
Gao Ling is the most successful badminton player in the Summer Olympics history. She is the only shuttler to win four medals in the event.
Of the four medals, two were golds, with the first coming in her maiden appearance in the 2000 Olympics. Ling clinched the gold in the mixed doubles category with her partner Zhang Jun.
The Chinese shuttler was just 21 years, six months, and seven days old on the final day, making her the fifth youngest badminton player to bag an Olympic gold.
4. Susi Susanti (Indonesia): 21 Years & 5 Months
Susi Susanti is the youngest singles shuttler (men’s or women’s) to win a gold medal in the Olympics. The former Indonesian badminton player achieved the feat in the women’s singles category in the 1992 games.
She defeated South Korea’s Bang Soon Hyun by a 2-1 margin after losing the first game in the final match. Susanti was 21 years, five months, and 24 days old when she won the gold medal match.
3. Kim Dong Moon (South Korea): 20 Years & 10 Months
The third youngest badminton player on the list is South Korea’s Kim Dong Moon. He is one of the nine shuttlers with three or more medals in the Olympics history.
Kim grabbed the gold twice, with the first coming at the age of 20 years, 10 months, and 10 days. He won the mixed doubles gold medal match with his partner Gil Young-ah in the 1996 Olympics.
2. Ge Fei (China): 20 Years & 9 Months
Another Chinese shuttler on the list, Ge Fei, is the second youngest badminton gold medallist in the Olympics. In fact, she attained the podium finish a day before Kim Dong Moon in the same year.
Fei won two gold medals, with her first coming in the women’s doubles disciplines with her partner Gu Jun. The Chinese duo beat the South Korean pair of Gil Young-ah and Jang Hyeock by 2-0 (15-5, 15-5).
Fei stepped on the podium with the gold in her hand at the age of 20 years, nine months, and 21 days.
1. Lee Yong Dae (South Korea): 19 Years & 11 Months
Lee Yong Dae holds the record for being the youngest badminton player to win a gold medal in the Summer Olympics. He clinched the gold before turning 20 in the 2008 Olympics.
The South Korean displayed his mastery in the mixed double category with his partner Lee Hyo Jung. The pair defeated the Indonesian duo of Nova Widianto and Liliyana Nastir by 21-11, 21-17 in the final.
Lee got his hands on the glittery gold medal at the age of 19 years, 11 months, and six days, ending his teens on high.
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