COPENHAGEN: Denmark’s double Olympic badminton champion Viktor Axelsen announced his retirement at 32 on Wednesday, saying back problems meant he could no longer “compete and train at the highest level”.
Axelsen, who won gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and again in Paris in 2024, had back surgery in April last year and said he had not managed to overcome his physical issues.
“Accepting this situation has been incredibly difficult,” he said in a statement.
“But I have now reached a point where my body won’t allow me to continue.”
Axelsen retires as one of the most decorated players in history, having also won two world titles and a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
He spent more than 100 consecutive weeks at the top of the men’s singles world rankings, an achievement surpassed only by Malaysian great Lee Chong-wei.
Standing 194cm (six foot four inches) and making full use of his giant wingspan, Axelsen redefined what a player could do on the court.
He said he had “accomplished everything I once dreamed of, and more”.
“What makes it hardest to say goodbye is not the competition itself, but everything around it, the journey, the daily grind, the people,” he said.
Axelsen speaks Mandarin and is a popular figure in China.
He regularly posts about his professional and family life on online Chinese platforms.
Iran suffered major military and economic setbacks during the war. But the proposed peace deal…
SINGAPORE – The police are investigating an incident in which a parked motorcycle was allegedly…
Britain is expected to set out restrictions on how children under 16 use social media,…
A Sydney-based Japanese football fan, Hiroki Fujiwara, travelled to the United States for the FIFA…
Wang and Li have since flown back to China, according to Chinese media reports.“EXTREMELY CORRUPT”…
London [UK], June 15 (ANI): The United Kingdom has announced a ban on social media…