If ever there was evidence that badminton’s balance of power was shifting to a new generation it was this week’s Malaysian Open where China’s new hero Chen Long beat his countryman and idol Lin Dan in an epic final to continue on from his stunning 2014.
The indefinite suspension to Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei last November after he failed a drugs test opened the door for Chen to challenge for the number one ranking and he certainly capitalized by winning the Denmark Open then adding the World Super Series Finals in Dubai to his growing list of achievements. And while Lin continues to regain form in his quest for a third gold medal at next year’s Olympic Games in Brazil, it is Chen who now stands as the greatest obstacle in achieving that lofty goal.
When Chen took over the world number one ranking in December, he ended a six-year reign at the top by Lee – signalling a telling shift in badminton’s player power base. Time will tell whether Lee’s suspension is overturned when the Badminton World Federation finishes its investigation in the coming weeks, but should the suspension stand it will rule him out for the next two years and, at 32 years of age, basically end his career.
That opens the door for Chen to set about ensuring his own period of dominance at the top. The 25-year-old won three Super Series titles in 2014 including the season-ending event in Dubai – a record bettered only by Lee who won four titles in Malaysia, England, India and Japan. No other player won more than one.
It’s also worth noting that Chen was runner-up to Lee in two of Lee’s wins, so without the Malaysian’s presence Chen would have been celebrating five Super Series wins in 2014.
What does that mean for Chen in 2015? From what we can tell, the sky is the limit and if Chen continues to progress at his current rate we could well be talking about him alongside the all-time greats by the time the year is over.
