Lin Dan. Photo: VCG

Messages from Chinese netizens flooded the Weibo of 37-year-old Chinese badminton superstar Lin Dan, who announced his retirement from the sport on Saturday.

"From 2000 to 2020, after 20 years, I have to say goodbye to the national team. It is very difficult for me to say it out loud," Lin posted on his Sina Weibo account.

The hashtag "Lin Dan retires" has quickly earned 180 million views on Weibo within hours, with many netizens expressing their unwillingness regarding the badminton superstar's decision.

"You will be our Super Dan forever! We will not forget what you contributed to Chinese badminton," one Chinese netizen posted on Weibo.

Lin has won 666 singles matches including two Olympic championships at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympic Games. No one has broken his title run of 20 world championships so far.

The Chinese Badminton Association later confirmed the decision by posting on Weibo that Lin submitted a formal retirement letter a few days ago.

"Taking into consideration Lin's personal preference and his current situation, the Chinese badminton national team agreed to his retirement," read the post.

"My physical capabilities and injuries won't let me fight with my teammates anymore," the iconic badminton figure wrote, indicating he will not be competing in the Olympics in Tokyo which was postponed to next July in 2021.

He expressed his thanks to his family and fans, and planned to spend more time with his family. His wife Xie Xingfang, a former world champion, shared his post as a show of support. 

Malaysian badminton player Lee Chong Wei who retired in June 2019 also made a response on his Weibo account that he is proud of his "greatest opponent."

Some netizens posted a photo of Lin, Lee, retired Danish professional badminton player Peter Gade and retired Indonesian badminton player Taufik Hidayat, with the words that "this is the end of an era, but their matches will become classics in world badminton history."

Following Lin's announcement, China's Netflix-like streaming platform Youku announced on Weibo that the documentary Super Dan, Until the end of World, which shows Lin's legendary career and is directed by Chinese-Canadian film director and Academy member Yung Chang, has officially commenced filming.

Global Times