493 km/h
Fastest recorded smash
In a controlled Yonex speed test, the Malaysian doubles star's smash was clocked at 493 km/h (306 mph), the fastest shuttle speed ever measured off a racket.
Badminton's record book spans blistering speed, improbable longevity and national dynasties. The shuttlecock's violent deceleration makes it the fastest object in racquet sport off the racket, even as it dies within metres, and the records reflect both that raw pace and the extraordinary sustained excellence of the sport's greatest players and nations.
From individual dominance — Hartono's All England streak, Lee Chong Wei's reign at No. 1, Lin Dan's collection of every major title — to the team hegemonies of Indonesia and China in the Thomas, Uber and Sudirman Cups, these marks chart the outer limits of what the sport has produced.
Records
426 km/h
Fastest smash in competition
The Danish player's smash during a match set the Guinness World Record for the fastest badminton hit struck in actual competition rather than a lab test.
8 titles
Most All England singles titles
Hartono won the sport's oldest championship eight times, including seven in a row from 1968 to 1974, a run unmatched in any singles racquet sport.
349 weeks
Longest reign at world No. 1 (men)
The Malaysian held the top men's singles ranking for a cumulative 349 weeks, by far the longest tenure in the modern ranking era.
214 weeks
Longest reign at world No. 1 (women)
The Chinese Taipei star spent 214 weeks as world No. 1, the record for women's singles, despite never winning an Olympic or world title.
5 titles
Most World Championship singles titles
Lin won the men's singles world title five times (2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013), more than any other player in the discipline's history.
All 9 major titles
Only Super Grand Slam
Lin is the only player to have won all nine major titles in the sport — Olympics, World Championships, World Cup, Thomas Cup, Sudirman Cup, Super Series Masters Finals, All England, Asian Games and Asian Championships.
11 titles
Most titles in a season
Momota captured 11 titles across the 2019 calendar year, the most tournament wins by any player in a single season in the sport's history.
5 medals
Most World Championship medals (women's singles)
Sindhu won one gold, two silver and two bronze at the World Championships across seven years, the most medals by any woman in the singles event.
Age 18
Youngest women's singles World Champion
The Thai star won the world title at 18, becoming the youngest women's singles World Champion and heralding Southeast Asia's resurgence in the women's game.
14 titles
Most Thomas Cup titles (nation)
Indonesia has won the men's team championship a record 14 times, reflecting a national badminton culture with few rivals anywhere in the world.
15 titles
Most Uber Cup titles (nation)
China has dominated the women's team championship, winning the Uber Cup a record 15 times as of 2024, the product of its centralised academy system.
13 titles
Most Sudirman Cup titles (nation)
China has won the mixed national team championship 13 times since its 1989 inception, an unmatched record of all-round depth across all five disciplines.
47 titles
Most career Super Series titles
Lee won 47 Super Series titles over the circuit's lifespan, the most by any player and a testament to his week-to-week consistency across a decade.
Keep exploring
More in this category
🎾
Tennis
The loneliest duel in sport: no clock, no teammates, no place to hide until the last point is won.
🏓Table Tennis
The fastest ball sport on Earth, decided in the width of a fingernail and the spin no eye can fully read.
🎾Squash
Two players, four walls and nowhere to hide — the most physically brutal racket sport ever invented.