Dan Lin

A four-time world champion and the reigning Olympic singles gold-medalist, Lin is considered possibly the greatest shuttler of all-time as the only athlete to capture the ‘Super Grand Slam’ by winning all nine major titles. Dubbed ‘Super Dan’ in his native land, Lin is also known as a bit of a hothead. That reputation was cemented in 2008 when he reportedly punched his coach, Ji Xinpeng. Lin has confirmed that a confrontation took place but denies the punch. Despite his on-court accolades, he had a poor Olympic debut in Athens in 2004, when he was upset in the first round as the No. 1 seed. Success soon followed, however, with a silver medal at the 2005 world championships before he went on to capture the 2006, '07, '09 and '11 titles, winning last year in London at the same venue as the Olympics. Lin finally tasted Olympic success on his home soil in Beijing four years ago, storming through the competition without dropping a set. Two years later, his marriage to former world champion and countrywoman Xie Xingfang created a stir in China, with the volatile Lin upset at Chinese media for leaking photos of the couple applying for their marriage registration.