Denmark’s double Olympic badminton champion Viktor Axelsen, long a rival of Taiwan’s former world No. 2 Chou Tien-chen, yesterday announced his retirement at age 32, 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 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.”
Photo: Reuters
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 joins a list of high-profile shuttlers to step down in the past few years, including Taiwan’s former world No. 1 Tai Tzu-ying.
Tai and Axelsen were named BWF Female and Male Player of the Year respectively in 2021.
Axelsen 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.
Photo: AP
Standing 194cm tall 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.
World No. 6 Chou, 36, has faced Axelsen many times over his career, including in high-profile finals, such as the 2017 India Open, the 2020 All England Open and the 2022 Indonesia Masters. They most recently competed against each other at last year’s French Open.
After defending his title at the Paris Games, Axelsen began to struggle with injuries and spent prolonged periods off the court.
“I have given everything to this sport,” he said. “It has never been just a career to me. It has been my life and I have left no stone unturned.”
Axelsen retires as only the second non-Asian player after countryman Thomas Lund to win the world title twice, which he achieved in 2017 and 2022.
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