Lin Dan (林丹)

Sport: Badminton

Age: 30

2012 earnings: 26 million yuan (US$4.49 million)

2011 ranking: 4

Born in October of 1983 in Fujian Province, Lin Dan is the most successful badminton player in China. Called "Super Dan" by his fans, Lin has completed the "Super Grand Slam" at the age of 27, having won all nine major titles in the badminton world, including the Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cup, Thomas Cup, Sudirman Cup, Super Series Masters Finals, All England Open, Asian Games and Asia Championships, making him the first and only player ever to do so..

The year 2012 could be considered a major milestone in Lin's life. In this year, he became the first man to win back-to-back Olympic singles gold medals, following his previous success during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He also became the first man in 33 years to win the All England Open five times, in addition to winning his fifth German Open. On September 23, Lin married his former teammate Xie Xingfang, in a wedding ceremony held at the Beijing University of Technology.