Bad-boy Lin in spotlight again after 'fist fight' with coach
World number one Lin Dan has been caught in a publicity storm after allegedly being involved in a fist fight with one of the top national team coaches.
Lin, an Olympic gold medal hopeful, came to blows with Ji Xinpeng, the 2000 Olympic men's singles champion, mainland media reported. The punches flew over a petty argument during a training drill on Tuesday in Jinjiang, Fujian province, according to sport.cn, a website affiliated to the General State Sports Administration. The national badminton squad have been stationed in the coastal province for their final preparations for the Olympic Games.
The outburst reportedly erupted after Lin's group suffered a defeat in a practice drill. Lin, affectionately known as Super Dan, complained to Ji he had been unfairly placed in a weaker group. Ji did not take kindly to the criticism and their verbal exchange spiralled into a fist fight, which was stopped quickly by fellow players and coaches.
It was the second fracas this year involving the 25-year-old reigning world champion. In January, he engaged in a war of words with South Korea national team coach Li Mao, who is Chinese, over a flurry of allegedly biased line calls in the Korean Open final against Lee Hyun-il. Lin threatened to attack Li with his racquet, only to be restrained by tournament staff. Lin eventually lost the match 2-1.
The Korean team filed a complaint to the International Badminton Federation, which later ruled Lin's argument as legitimate after identifying errors in the judges' calls. Lin was exempted from disciplinary measures by the international governing body and mainland sports authorities, who usually come down hard on athletes who disgrace themselves on the international scene.
On Lin's web blog yesterday he said he had an altercation with Ji, but said some aspects of the reporting were not true. Head coach Li Yongbo could not be reached for comment.
