April 15 (Reuters) - Double Olympic gold medallist Viktor Axelsen retired from professional badminton on Wednesday, saying he was no longer able to train and compete at the highest level following back surgery in April last year.
The Dane spent more than 100 consecutive weeks as world number one, a mark surpassed in total duration only by Lee Chong Wei, and won Olympic gold in Tokyo and Paris, as well as a bronze in Rio in 2016. He also won world championship titles in 2017 and 2022.
"Today is not an easy day for me. Due to my recurrent back issues, I am no longer able to compete and train at the highest level," he said in a statement on social media.
"Accepting this situation has been incredibly difficult. But I have now reached a point where my body won’t allow me to continue.
"Since the day I picked up a racket, I knew my dream was to become the best in the world," Axelsen added.
"I have given everything to this sport. It has never been just a career to me. It has been my life and I have left no stone unturned."
(Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
