AI-generated image Legends: twelve players who shaped the game
Not a ranking, and not the only possible list. These are the players whose results, or whose style, changed what people thought badminton could be.
The greats, era by era
Ordered roughly by when they peaked.
- INAMen’s singles
Rudy Hartono
1960s–70s8All England titlesSeven in a row from 1968 to 1974, then an eighth in 1976. Nobody has won more men’s singles titles there. World champion in 1980.12
- INAWomen’s singles
Susi Susanti
1990s1992Olympic championWon Indonesia’s first Olympic gold in any sport in Barcelona, then the world title a year later. She also won the All England four times.34
- KORMen’s and mixed doubles
Kim Dong-moon
1990s–2000s2Olympic golds, two eventsMixed doubles gold in 1996 and men’s doubles gold in 2004. The only Korean to win Olympic gold in both.54
- CHNMixed and women’s doubles
Gao Ling
2000s4Olympic medalsMixed doubles gold in 2000 and 2004 with Zhang Jun, plus a women’s doubles silver and bronze. Olympics.com counts four as the most by any badminton player.64
- CHNWomen’s singles
Zhang Ning
2000s2Olympic goldsWon in Athens and again in Beijing at 33, the first player to defend an Olympic singles title.74
- DENMen’s singles
Peter Gade
1990s–2000s1999All England championWorld No. 1 at the turn of the century and five times European champion. The deception and flair that a generation of club players tried to copy.89
- CHNMen’s singles
Lin Dan
2000s–2010s2 + 5Olympic and world titlesOlympic champion in 2008 and 2012, world champion five times, six All England titles. Widely called the greatest of all time.1011212
- MASMen’s singles
Lee Chong Wei
2000s–2010s3Olympic silversThree straight Olympic finals, all silver, and close to 350 weeks as world No. 1, including 199 in a row.1314
- ESPWomen’s singles
Carolina Marín
2010s–2020s2016Olympic championRio gold made her the first player from outside Asia to win Olympic women’s singles. Three world titles, in 2014, 2015 and 2018.154
- TPEWomen’s singles
Tai Tzu-ying
2010s–2020s214Weeks at world No. 1The longest reign in women’s singles history, built on wrist deception nobody could read. Olympic silver in Tokyo.1617
- DENMen’s singles
Viktor Axelsen
2010s–2020s2Olympic goldsChampion in Tokyo and Paris, world champion in 2017 and 2022. The first European to win back-to-back Olympic singles titles.184
- KORWomen’s singles
An Se-young
2020s2024Olympic championParis gold at 22, after becoming Korea’s first women’s singles world champion in 2023. The player everyone is chasing now.194
Today’s world No. 1s
BWF World Ranking of 27 October 2026. Their profiles cover how they play and what they have won.
- Men’s singlesChristo PopovFrance
- Women’s singlesAn Se-youngKorea
- Men’s doublesKim Won-ho & Seo Seung-jaeKorea
- Women’s doublesLiu Shengshu & Tan NingChina
- Mixed doublesFeng Yanzhe & Huang DongpingChina
Sources
19 sources for this page, checked 2 November 2026
- Wikipedia: Rudy Hartono
- Olympics.com: All England Open badminton winners, champions list
- Wikipedia: Susi Susanti
- Olympics.com: Badminton Olympics winners, the full history
- Wikipedia: Kim Dong-moon
- Wikipedia: Gao Ling
- Wikipedia: Zhang Ning
- Wikipedia: Peter Gade
- BWF: French Open Day 4, 'Peter the Great' leaves badminton's stage (2012)
- Wikipedia: Lin Dan
- BWF: Lin Dan calls it a day (July 2020)
- ESPN: Lin Dan was the GOAT. Is there another one soon? (2020)
- Wikipedia: Lee Chong Wei
- Badminton Association of Malaysia: Career milestones, Datuk Lee Chong Wei
- Wikipedia: Carolina Marín
- Wikipedia: Tai Tzu-ying
- World Journal: Tai Tzu-ying retires after 214 weeks as world No. 1 (November 2025, in Chinese)
- Wikipedia: Viktor Axelsen
- Wikipedia: An Se-young