News He is modest when asked about it, but Lin Dan has brought a generous dose of stardust to the Rio 2016 badminton test event this week “He’s the man,” said Brazilian player Ygor Coelho, ranked 72 in the world, who was visibly emotional after meeting the Chinese superstar “He’s everything that a Chinese man wants to be,” said fan Alex Yin, who took time off from his job with a Chinese company in Rio to attend the YONEX Brasil Open 2015 at Riocentro Pavilion 4, which will host the Olympic tournament next year Go badminton crazy with our interactive infographicLin, considered by many the great badminton player of all time, cruised to victory on the first day, beating Brazil’s Igor Ibrahim 21-12, 21-5 in just 22 minutes However, the player ranked 921st in the world was far from crestfallen “It was a dream come true” said Ibrahim after losing to the two-time Olympic and five-time world champion “I’m pleased because I managed to play my game without getting nervous and even managed to score a few points ”‘He shook my hand I don’t think I’ll wash it ever again ’Ygor Coelho, Brazilian badminton player after meeting Lin Dan Time for business: Lin cruised past Igor Ibrahim in his first agme on Tuesday (Photo: Rio 2016/Paulo Múmia) So what does the man himself think about all this adulation, about his celebrity status? “To tell the truth, I do not feel different to other people,” said the current world no 3 “My coach is very demanding and I have a family too, so I am always very busy ”Lin Dan, the David Beckham of badminton, set to light up Rio 2016 Olympic test eventAccording to Qiao Jianzen, director of the Confuncius Institute at PUC-Rio, one of Brazil’s leading universities, Lin has all the qualities most valued by the Chinese “He is very dedicated and professional I admit, my heart raced when I got close to him,” said the academic, adding: “Badminton is very popular in China, everybody plays since childhood ” Chinese fans Alex Yin and Qi Long Xie, who said Lin Dan is the ‘ideal Chinese’  (Photo: Rio 2016) Lin, however, is not on top form this season He arrived in Rio direct from the Hong Kong Open, where he was knocked out in the second round He hopes his presence at the test event will give him an advantage over his closest rivals (world no 1 Chen Long and no 2 Jan O Jorgensen are not here) when he tries for a third consecutive Olympic gold next year “It’s a very special trip because I have never played here before and it’s important to get to know the place ”Lin Dan determined to return to top of podium at Rio 2016The 32-year-old has however visited for Rio before, for the 2013 Laureus Awards, and it is a city he is very fond of “The beaches are beautiful and the locals love to practise sports, which makes it a great city to visit People even go to the beach at night here ”Lin Dan takes on Slovakia’s Matej Hlinican, ranked 168 in the world, on Wednesday at the badminton test event, which continues until Sunday (29 November) Ever style-conscious Lin Dan, uses different coloured trainers (Photo: Rio 2016/Paulo Múmia)