Lin Dan set to miss All England Championships

London: Chinese badminton superstar Lin Dan is almost sure to miss this year`s All England Badminton Championships due to a lack of training after retaining the Olympic gold in London.

Lin, dubbed "Super Dan" among his fans, has been on holiday after the Olympics and got married to his long-time girlfriend Xie Xingfang. He is expected to resume training with the Chinese team in February and bid for his sixth All England champion in Birmingham in early March. "We have consulted Lin Dan before submitting the participating players` list for All England, but he chose to withdraw citing a lack of training," said Li Weiguo, team manager of the Chinese national team. Lin won his fifth singles title at All England in 2011, but skipped all international Grand Prix events on the 2012 calendar in preparation for the London Olympics. But the 28-year-old southpaw said earlier that he will not retire from badminton. "I never thought about hanging up my racket after next year`s world championships," Lin said. "I need some time to think about the next four years. I will consult my family, friends and coaches so that I can get fully ready for all the possible challenges once I return to the court next year." IANS