Chinese badminton pin-up Lin Dan kept alive the faint hopes of millions of adoring female fans on Monday after revealing he has no intention of getting married in the near future.
The dashing Lin, whose girlfriend and former teammate Xie Xingfang has retired after winning a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has his personal life closely scrutinized by the Chinese press.
"I am still young, so getting married is not on my agenda yet," the 27-year-old said ahead of the men's team final.
"As an athlete, I need to focus on my training and competition," Lin, widely regarded as the best player of all time, was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.
Lin has won every major title going - except an Asian Games singles gold.
Xie, a Guangzhou native, is not competing here but is heavily involved in her role as the head of recruiting volunteers.
She said over the weekend that she was busy, but hoped to make time to watch her boyfriend play.
(China Daily 11/16/2010)
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