Double Olympic badminton champion Viktor Axelsen announces retirement

COPENHAGEN: Denmark's double Olympic badminton champion Viktor Axelsen announced his retirement at 32 on Wednesday (Apr 15), 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 and making full use of his giant wingspan, Axelsen redefined what a player could do on the court.

He was also popular with fans around the world and spoke fluent Mandarin.

Axelsen 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 won Olympic gold at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games in 2021 without dropping a single game all tournament.

He beat China's Chen Long in the final, becoming the first non-Asian to claim the title since 1996.

He sobbed in disbelief after Chen hit his final shot long, then regained his composure to take a courtside phone call from Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik.

He followed that up by defending his title at the Paris Games, emulating his hero Lin Dan by winning back-to-back Olympic golds.

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