There are only a few smaller games going on during the quiet week of international badminton, which gives me some time to think about it. Some players seem to reach their peak earlier, while the other is slower. This is an interesting topic, let’s discuss it.

In all professional sports, we often see young players full of potential. When we look at the technical details, it means that these young players seem to have all the skills they need to be a great player, but what has not been proven is their temperament and attitude. In team sports like football, sometimes the team can carry players with them, but in individual sports such as badminton, this is even more important.

In football, we see countless young players hailed as the next great player, but never reaching that level. When I followed Arsenal, I knew some British players were hyped to the stratosphere level, but never did. Some examples are Jack, while Jack, David Bentley and Jermaine Pennant. These 3 were once hailed as Arsenal’s next stars, but they never reached that level.

For badminton, we see many players with potential but never reach the level that bettors and coaches see in it. In Malaysia alone, we have a lot of stars at the youth level, but they always falter at the advanced stage. There are many reasons for doing this, even too many.

I’m a bit off topic because today’s focus is to be able to strengthen the players, but at different times. Then, some people seem to be there all the time. What to give?

Lee Chong Wei

Let’s take a look at the legendary Li Zhongwei. Lee Chong Wei started slowly in his career. He only won 2 games before he started showing his results in 2004. In 2005, he won two more games. In 2006, he won 4 games and in 2007 he won 3 games. In the 2008 Olympic Year, he won 2 games. In 2009, when he really reached level, we all knew he started winning seven games. In 2010, he won 10 games! Moreover, the victory continued until age caught up, and in the last two years of his outstanding career in 2017 and 2018, he only won 2 games in those years.

Lee Chong Wei started showing consistent results in 2004, he was 22 years old. While this is already a good level for most players, Lee Jong-wei managed to improve his level and truly reach the peak of 27 and stayed up to that level until he was 34 in 2016. This is extraordinary, there is only 1 player in the current era: Chou Tien Chen.

Effectively, Lee Chong Wei fully matured at the age of 27, although he ranked No. 1 in the world at the age of 24 in 2006. It can be said that Lee Chong Wei reached the peak of 2006 in 2006, reached the peak at the age of 24, and maintained the peak until 2016 until he turned 34.

Lin He

Lin Dan is a phenomenon. He won the Asian Junior Championship at the age of 17 in 2000. He earned his career at the age of 18 and won his first senior championship in 2002 in 19 games. He won three games in 2003 and then won six games at the age of 21 in 2004. He was only 20 years old in 2003, when he was the world’s number one.

Lin Dan reached its peak before Lee Chong Wei, 21 years old. Lin Dan managed to stay at this level until his break in 2013. Although he continues to win games, the winning rate is not his peak. Lin Dan’s winning streak was from 2003 to 2013.

Lin Dan reached its peak very early and maintained its level for ten years. At that time, the peak with Li Zhongwei overlapped for ten years. This gives us the most intense competition in the movement. It was a wonderful time.

Chen Chang

Chen Long won the Youth World Championship at the age of 18 in 2007. He won the mini-season in 2009 and won a super series in 2010, The China Open. In 2011, he won three Super Series games and one Grand Prix Gold Championship. He won five games in 2012 and five games in 2013. He won four games in 2014 and finished No. 1 in the same year.

Chen Long showed steady progress since 2011, but it did not really reach its peak until 2014. This is likely due to Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei dominating the scene. When Lin Dan evacuated in 2013, it opened the door for Chen to cheer for a long time. Chen Long took this opportunity to start challenging Lee Chong Wei’s dominance.

Chen Long lasted until the 2016 Olympics when he won the gold medal. His level has since dropped and although he still competes and wins some, he never reaches the same level. Chen Long has maintained its peak from 2011 to 2016. This is a relatively short 5 years compared to the two legendary figures in front of him.

Viktor Axelsen

Axelsen won the 16-year-old World Youth Championship in 2010 and the 17-year-old European Youth Championship in 2011. He won 2 international Challege Championships in 2013. He won a Grand Prix Golden Championship in 2014. He won 4 games in 2017 and 2 games in 2018. In 2019, he won 2 games. He won 2 tournaments. In 2020, a year of pandemic, he won 3 games. Axelsen started to peak in 2021 and won 6 games.

Despite an early start, Axelsen did peak at 27 in 2021. He initially won four games that year, but he didn’t manage to maintain that peak, largely due to Kento Momota. This put Axelsen on the dominance of the car accident when Kento Momota gradually disappeared in 2021.

Axelsen has always maintained its peak in 2023 and began to decline in 2024. Axelsen’s time at his peak was 2017-2023, but especially from 2021-2024, it’s a 4-year period.

Kento Momota

Momota won the World Youth Championship at the age of 18 in 2012. Momota won three lower championships in 19 games in 2013, won the Thomas Cup in 2014, and then won three higher tournaments in 2015 by 21. He won another higher tournament before being banned in 2016. When he pulled out of the ban in the second half of February 2017, he won five lower-level matches. In 2018, he won seven games at the age of 24. In 2019, he won 11 games, which is today’s record. In 2020, he won 1 game and was injured in a car accident. He won another championship at the age of 27 in 2021 and has not challenged the championship since then.

Momota is born with talent. He is not in a badminton game, so his chances and exposure levels are not as high as those of Malaysia, Indonesia and China, but he is one of the most talented players in the world. He showed potential at a young age and managed to win the World Youth Championship at the age of 18.

Momota started to peak at the age of 22 in 2016, but he was banned. He peaked in 2017 and maintained his level until a car accident in 2020. This is the unfortunate ending of his running. He reached its peak from 2017 to 2020 for a period of four years. If he hadn’t had that unfortunate car accident, he might have lasted at least 5 years at the peak, and maybe a little longer if he stayed healthy and healthy. But, now all of this is academic. But in a short time we saw Momota on his peak and he was breathtaking.

Shi Yuqi

Shi Yuqi won the Asian Youth Championship at the age of 18 in 2014. His next tournament win was won in 2016, winning 3 wins at 3 different levels at the age of 20. In 2018, he won three championships and then won one championship in 2019 and 2021. In 2020 and 2021, his travel restrictions restricted his participation in the match and his participation, and then his participation won the victory. In 2022, when China allowed players to travel, he won 2 games. 2023 saw a drought in which he had no personal game victory. He won five championships at the age of 28 in 2024, and by October 2025, he won five championships.

Shi Yuqi is the late flowering device of badminton. He only managed to reach the peak of 27 in 2024 and won the world No. 1 ranking. This is similar to what Viktor Axelsen really blossomed at the age of 27. If Shi Yuqi can maintain his health and fitness, then his peak period should be four to five years of running. This means we will be able to see more Shi Yuqi in his best situation.

in conclusion

A recent analysis of some men’s singles No. 1 World No. 1 shows that not everyone peaks at the same age. Some people are earlier than others. To reach this peak, players must have the right skills and fitness and when they finally gain enough experience to control the game, they can perform on the peak. Maintaining peaks is very difficult, depending on the player’s health and fitness and external factors that can be summed up as “luck.”

Of the 6 great men analyzed, each peaked at different ages and durations. Let’s put it in a simple table:

These statistics reveal some interesting points of discussion. The latest peak for these players is 27 years old, and the earliest one is 21. The longest winning streak is Lin Dan. The oldest who remains at his peak is 34-year-old Lee Chong Wei. Momota is the most tragic of these players, but his winning streak is as long as his opponent Axelsen.

That’s it.

Until the next entry, Eat well, get enough rest and keep badminton moving forwardWoolen cloth