Lin Dan says his preparations for the 2012 London Olympics will not delay his plans to marry former world champion Xie Xingfang

Lin Dan hints at getting married before 2012 Olympics

BEIJING: Chinese badminton superstar Lin Dan says his preparations for the 2012 London Olympics will not delay his plans to marry former world champion Xie Xingfang.

Lin Dan, viewed by many as the best badminton player ever, last month secured a long-coveted gold medal at the Asian Games to go with his world and Olympic titles.

His sporting legacy secured, the 27-year-old Lin Dan says he is ready to focus on other things, raising the possibility of a marriage before the London Summer Games.

“I have sacrificed so much to play badminton at the expense of my family, girlfriend and friends. Now, I feel my family and friends are just as important as the sport,” Lin Dan told the China Daily in comments published yesterday.

“I won’t postpone the marriage simply because of the London Olympics. I have experienced a lot and I know how to do everything,” he said.

“I am considering getting married before the London Games and I am making efforts towards that.”

Lin Dan’s romance with Xingfang, a silver medallist at the Beijing Olympics, has been an intense media topic in China with millions of adoring fans eager to know the couple’s every move.

Only last month, Lin Dan said he was too young to wed and that marriage “is not on my agenda”.

Lin Dan skipped this month’s China Open in Shanghai due to fatigue, after defeating Malaysia’s world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei for the title at the Asiad in Guangzhou. But he is competing this week at the Hong Kong Open. — AFP

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