Despite his creaking body and a slump in results in recent years, Lin had done exactly that in his bid to extend his career and compete at the Tokyo Olympics.

The Chinese Badminton Association said the postponement of the Games and the sport's shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic had not helped Lin's cause.

"After this year's All England Open, Lin continued to train with the Chinese national team in Sichuan province. However, the restart plans of global tournaments have changed repeatedly and his injury still lingers. Lin felt that it was more and more difficult to continue training, and eventually he made the decision to retire," the governing body said in a statement.

Zhang Jun, president of the Chinese Badminton Association, expressed his thanks to Lin for his contribution to the national team.

"Lin's performance in training and competition, and his achievements, have proved that he is an excellent athlete," said Zhang. "I hope that Lin's new life after retirement will go well, and I hope he will not stay away from badminton and continue to work hard to promote badminton in a new way."