Superstar Lin Dan claimed his third consecutive crown as he ­defeated Du Pengyu in the men's ­singles badminton final at the 12th Chinese ­National Games in Jinzhou, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, on Wednesday.

It was the fourth time Lin had reached the final of the National Games. He won three of the four finals except in the 2001 event in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, when the 18-year-old Lin was beaten by Luo Yigang of the Hunan team.

Lin, who represents the People's ­Liberation Army team, had encountered his national teammate Du, who represents the Beijing team, during the team event on Friday. Lin claimed the win with 21-11, 21-15.

Lin dominated the opening of the ­final with a 5-1 run but Du kept the margin close thanks to Lin's errors, and the two sides leveled at 12-12. When the scoreboard showed 16-15, Lin started a 4-1 run, reaching the first set point. The world championships bronze medal-winner mistakenly returned an out ball after he scored two points, putting Lin 1-0 up.

Lin gave no quarter on the court in the second set as he easily swept the ­Beijing player with 21-5.

Lin said, "I said I would ­consider winning the National Games as my goal ­after victory at the Worlds (in Guangzhou on August 11), now I have achieved it.

"I'm very lucky to reach the final four times in 16 years. Three consecutive wins in the finals made me proud, but I hope there will be successors who can break my record - only in this way will the sport be welcomed by more fans."

When asked whether he feels he lacks comparable opponents, the five-time world championships winner said, "At no time have I ever considered I had no comparable opponents, or I wouldn't train so hard. I respect every one of my opponents."

Lin also noted that players should not only be evaluated by gold medal ­victories, saying, "Du failed to win, but he made a step forward as he entered the final match after being No.3 at the world championships."

Global Times