Chinese badminton superstar Lin Dan has shocked fans by admitting to an affair while his wife was pregnant. Intimate photos and gifs of Lin and a woman were posted on Weibo yesterday, reports said. One gif showed them hugging in a hotel room.
The photos were posted by Detective Zhao, a popular Weibo author for celebrity gossip, who claimed they were taken in October. Lin’s wife Xie Xingfang, a former badminton star, gave birth to a boy in Beijing on Nov 5. Lin, 33, and Xie, 35, wed in 2012.
The woman in the photos was identified as Zhao Yaqi, a model and actress. The photos quickly attracted the attention of Chinese netizens and drew tens of thousands of comments. Lin quickly apologised on Weibo with a brief message in Chinese: “As a man, I do not make any excuses for myself, but my actions have hurt my family. I apologise to them here.”
The five-time world champion has dominated the sport for a decade. Lin, nicknamed Super Dan, has two Olympic gold medals but left the 2016 Rio Olympics empty-handed. Formerly the world No. 1, he is now ranked third after Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei and compatriot Chen Long.
chuimin@sph.com.sg
Get MyPaper for more stories.
