He was under fire for his lack of fire and his Olympic future looked uncertain, but China's top shuttler Lin Dan is "Super Dan" once more following his return to winning ways.

Lin swept Wong Choong Hann of Malaysia 21-19, 21-9 to win the China Masters Cup in Chengdu on Sunday and says he now feels back to his very best.

World No 1 Lin Dan of China celebrates after beating Malaysian veteran Wong Choong Han in the men's singles final in the China Masters Cup in Chengdu, Sichuan Province last Sunday. [Xinhua]

"I've regained the feeling that I had in my early career, and I feel the desire inside me," Lin told Sina.com. "I couldn't sleep after coming back from the Surdiman Cup. I didn't want to see myself losing the desire. I know I have to be 100 percent focused at all tournaments, big or small. I want to feel the pressure of the Beijing Olympics.

"I was overwhelmed after the Masters Cup because I found myself."

The most talented single's player in the national team, Lin was the subject of severe criticism from head coach Li Yongbo for his lackluster performances at last month's Sudirman Cup in Glasgow, Scotland when he lost to Asian champion Lee Chong Wei in a preliminary stage tie against Malaysia. It was the first time that China failed to win all rubbers in a Sudirman Cup tie since the 2003 final.

Li blamed him for losing passion and being "a mere mortal who can be dropped from the team at any time".

But Lin looked determined and refreshed as he put on his usual display of speed and acrobatics to muscle past Lee in the semifinal before smashing his way to the title.

The world No 1 proved he will be the main focus of the team's Olympics bid and he also recaptured coach's trust.

"The biggest benefit this time is the return of Lin," said Li. "He has lost a lot of games since March, and he played very badly at the Sudirman Cup in Scotland. I'd say he didn't live up to expectations this year.

"But over the past few days, I have seen him recover and he is on his way to returning to what he was. I am sure he learned a lot from recent setbacks and wins. The experience makes him understand that a great athlete has to keep his form at a very high level throughout his career. I was very happy to see Lin come back in Chengdu."

Lin will have to defend his title at the world championships next month to shake off the impression that he is not able to take the pressure in major tournaments.

The world No 1 suffered a first round exit in the 2004 Athens Olympics followed by a defeat to Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat in the final of the world championships in 2005. He also lost to Hidayat in the final of the Doha Asian Games in December last year.

New threat

Despite Lin's return to form and the team winning four gold medals, the Masters Cup was not perfect for coach Li. The women's doubles team, hot favorites for a win whenever they play, was beaten by Indonesia in the final.

Lilyana Natsir and Vita Marissa came back against fifth seeds Zhao Tingting and Yang wei to win the title.

"The loss is a very good lesson for us and lets us know we should never take success for granted," said Li. "Women's doubles should be our safest event as there are so many all-Chinese finals in major events, including the Olympic Games. Taking four golds out of five is already a very good result for everybody, but we should have taken all of them. We have swept the tournament a number of times before.

"There was a lot of wind during the final. I am not complaining about the facility, but I think the players' ability to adjust was not good enough."

Olive branch

Li held out an olive branch to retired player Chen Hong, who competed in the Masters Cup as an unattached player

The world No 2, who quit the national team after being omitted from last December's Asian Games, came out of retirement in April but has not competed for China since.

Aware of the possibility that Chen might switch his allegiance to another team, Li held out an olive branch to Chen saying the resurgent player could still make the Olympic team.

"If he can maintain this level, and earn enough Olympic qualifying points, then he still has a chance to represent the national team at next year's Olympics," he said of Chen, who last week won the Thailand Open in Bangkok. "The Chinese sports system is different from the rest of the world," said the coach. "Chen is the first badminton free agent from China."

But Chen has no intention of coming back.

"Life has been better since I resigned from the national team in February," said Chen, who has played badminton since the age of 9 and had been on the national team for 10 years.

"I can still play the sport I love and I can also enjoy my life."