History beckons as Gade heads for last Olympics

Great Rivalry

Gade has the unfortunate record of losing to the eventual winners of all three Olympics badminton tournaments he has played in.

He reached the semi-finals of the Sydney games in 2000, where he was beaten by China's Ji Xinpeng; In the quarterfinals of the Athens games in 2004, he lost to Indonesia's Taufik Hidyat; He was beaten in straight sets by China's Lin Dan in the quarterfinals in Beijing.

"The Chinese have been able to control the top of badminton for many, many years because they are very good, and it is a tough challenge to keep up with their pace," Gade said, recalling his past matches against Chinese shuttlers.

"I am 35 years old, and they have new players coming forward. They have Lin Dan, maybe the greatest player of all time," he added.

Gade has played Lin Dan, the current world number one and defending Olympic champion, 19 times since their first match in 2002, with the Dane winning only three of those encounters.

"I always enjoy playing against the Chinese. It is a big challenge but I enjoy it," Gade said. "I may lose to them a number of times, but on a good day, if everything goes my way, there is a chance of beating them. And I am going to go for that chance," he added.

Gade's contests with East Asian players have made him especially popular with Chinese fans and media, who admire his good sportsmanship and down-to-earth attitude.

Danes and Europeans cheer him for the same reasons, but also because he is the only non-Asian in the list of the world's top ten shuttlers, which is dominated by players from China, South Korea and Malaysia.

Bowing out

Gade topped the world men's rankings from 1998-2001, and his career includes an All-England title in 1999, five European Championship crowns, a silver and four bronze medals in World Cups, and 22 Super Series/Grand Prix titles.

Moreover, he was Danish National Champion 10 times between 2000 and 2011 and named IBF World Badminton Player of the Year 1998.