Lin Dan shrugs off Chen's threat to his crown

"That goddamn guy is coming back," was how Lin Dan described his sensational victory over younger teammate Chen Long in an eye-catching world championships quarter-final clash yesterday.

Despite playing in only his second international event since capturing the London Olympic Games gold a year ago, the 30-year-old known as "Super Dan" showed he had lost none of his super touches in trouncing Chen, the world number two, in straight games 21-13, 22-10.

Chen, 24, widely regarded as Lin's successor, hit the ground with his racquet to release his frustration at the completion of the 62-minute match, knowing his chance of grabbing gold at the next Olympics now looks a lot more uncertain.

"I don't think my return will shock people, but someone must say from the bottom of their heart, 'That goddamn guy is coming back again!' " joked Lin post-match.

"We both played a good game today, but in the end there is only one champion and that's very cruel. You can't say because I won the match, Chen didn't do a good job. In fact, we both delivered.

"I first played badminton when I was five and over the past 13-year professional career, I have gained a lot on how to control the match on court. You need to be at a certain age before you can realise this."