Behind-the-scene help: Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen says (from left) Lee Chong Wei, Lin Dan and Chen Long all had a hand in charting out his career as a star player.
Legends like Lin Dan, Chen Long and Chong Wei moulded Dane Axelsen into the player he is today
PETALING JAYA: Viktor Axelsen has attributed his meteoric rise to the top of world badminton to legends Lin Dan and Chen Long from China as well Datuk Lee Chong Wei from Malaysia.
Axelsen believes that getting to compete against these world-class players when he was younger had played an important role in shaping him into becoming the world No. 1.
“I’ve been really fortunate to come up at a time where there were so many legendary players ... Competing against amazing athletes like Lin Dan, Chong Wei and Chen Long gave me a lot of great experience,” said the Dane, who turned 30 on Jan 4.
“I’m really proud to be in a position where I have a realistic chance of doing well in my third Olympics as being at the top for so long is really not easy.”
Axelsen had famously beaten Lin Dan to win bronze in his debut at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
He followed this up with a gold-medal winning performance against Chen Long at the Tokyo Games in 2021. To top it all, he also has two World Championships titles to his name.
Tears of joy: Viktor Axelsen reacts after beating Chen Long to win the men’s singles title at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. — AFP
However, Axelsen believes that the men’s singles competition remains open leading up to the Paris Olympics in July.
“Many players can do really well in the men’s singles now,” said Axelsen.
“It’s very hard to pick the four players who will definitely grab a medal in the Olympics.
“For me, I will stay focused on my journey and if I am in top shape, I have a realistic chance of doing well.”
For now, Axelsen’s focus is on defending the Malaysian Open title with the tournament kicking off tomorrow at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
The Dane has a tough opening match against Singapore’s 2021 world champion Loh Kean Yew.
