Viktor Axelsen
Viktor Axelsen
Born/Date of Birthday: 4 January 1994
Place of Birth: Odense, Denmark
Residence: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Height: 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)
Handedness: Right
Siblings: Johanne Axelsen
Parents: Henrik Axelsen, Gitte Axelsen
Medal record
Men's badminton
Representing: Denmark
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo Men's singles
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Men's singles
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2017 Glasgow Men's singles
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Copenhagen Men's singles
Sudirman Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Kuala Lumpur Mixed team
Thomas Cup
Gold medal – first place 2016 Kunshan Men's team
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Wuhan Men's team
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Bangkok Men's team
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Aarhus Men's team
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2016 La Roche-sur-Yon Men's singles
Gold medal – first place 2018 Huelva Men's singles
Silver medal – second place 2021 Kyiv Men's singles
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Karlskrona Men's singles
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Kazan Men's singles
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Kolding Men's singles
European Mixed Team Championships
Gold medal – first place 2015 Leuven Mixed team
Gold medal – first place 2017 Lubin Mixed team
Gold medal – first place 2019 Copenhagen Mixed team
Gold medal – first place 2021 Vantaa Mixed team
Silver medal – second place 2013 Moscow Mixed team
European Men's Team Championships
Gold medal – first place 2012 Amsterdam Men's team
Gold medal – first place 2014 Basel Men's team
Gold medal – first place 2016 Kazan Men's team
Gold medal – first place 2018 Kazan Men's team
Gold medal – first place 2020 Liévin Men's team
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2010 Guadalajara Boys' singles
Silver medal – second place 2011 Taipei Boys' singles
European Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2011 Vantaa Boys' singles
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Vantaa Mixed team
Viktor Axelsen (born 4 January 1994) is a Danish badminton player. He is the 2017 World champion and the 2020 Olympic champion. He won the 2010 World Junior Championships, beating South Korea's Kang Ji-wook in the final to become the first ever European player to hold the title. Axelsen was crowned European men's singles champion in 2016 and 2018.
Early life
Axelsen was born in Odense, and at six years old, his father introduced him to badminton, playing the games at the Odense badminton club. He lived with his father after his parents divorced, then lived alone in Copenhagen at the age of 17 and joined the national team. His father Henrik Axelsen ran a small advertising agency for a number of years, but now works full time as a manager for his son, and his mother Gitte Lundager has a shop in central Odense with a hairdressing salon, cosmetics and fashion clothing. He was named as 2004 Player of the Year by Odense badminton club.
Career
2006–2011: Early career and World Junior title
Axelsen achievements begin when he won the National junior event in the boys' singles and doubles in his age group in 2006 and 2008. He later emerged victorious at the 2009 German Junior and also at the European U17 Championships. He made his debut in the senior international tournament at the 2009 Denmark Open played in the men's doubles event with Steffen Rasmussen.
In January 2010, Axelsen who played from the qualification round manage to reach the finals at the Swedish International tournament, and finished as the runner-up after lost to Indra Bagus Ade Chandra in straight games 15–21, 12–21. He competed at the World Junior Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico, claimed the boys' singles title by defeating the No.1 seed, China's Huang Yuxiang in the quarterfinals, India's B. Sai Praneeth in the semis and Kang Ji-wook of Korea in the final. In October, he claimed his first international senior title at the age of just sixteen, winning the Cyprus International. A few weeks later he entered his first Super Series event in singles, the Denmark Open 2010; making it through the qualifying stages before losing out to compatriot and eventual winner Jan Ø. Jørgensen in the second round.
In 2011, Axelsen secured gold at the European Junior Championships, defeating teammate Rasmus Fladberg 21–8, 17–21, 21–13 in the final. He took a silver medal at the 2011 BWF World Junior Championships, lost the title to Malaysia's Zulfadli Zulkiffli, coming in second place.
2012–2014: First Grand Prix title, European and World bronze
In early 2012, Axelsen moved to Valby, in Copenhagen, and started training at Brøndby elite center. Axelsen finished runner-up at the French Open in Paris, losing in the final to Daren Liew 18–21, 17–21. He also won a bronze medal at the 2012 European Championships losing the semi-final in three games to Sweden's Henri Hurskainen 21–18, 18–21, 17–21.
In 2014, Axelsen has won his first Grand Prix title at the Swiss Open, beating China's Tian Houwei in the final 21–7, 16–21, 25–23. Axelsen won a bronze medal at the 2014 BWF World Championships and also a bronze medal again at the 2014 European Championships.
2015–2016: European champion, Olympic bronze, and Superseries title
In 2015, Axelsen finished runners-up at the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold, three Super Series events India Open, Australian Open, and Japan Open. He qualified to compete at the Super Series Finals held in Dubai, and again finished as the runner-up. Axelsen featured in Denmark winning team at the European Mixed Team Championships in Leuven, Belgium. At the Sudirman Cup, the team finished in the quarter finals lost 2–3 to Japanese team, where he played in the second matches. He ended the 2015 season ranked as world number 6.
In 2016, Axelsen earned his first European crown in May 2016 beating compatriot and defending champion Jan Ø. Jørgensen with 21–11, 21–16 in the final of the 25th edition of the European Championships, the first in France at La Roche-sur-Yon. He was also part of the historic Danish team winning the first ever Thomas Cup title in 2016. Axelsen won five of his six played singles matches in the team tournament, also against Indonesia's experienced player Tommy Sugiarto in the final (21–17, 21–18) setting up a dramatic and historic 3–2 victory for Denmark over Indonesia. In the 2016 Rio Olympics, he won the bronze medal by beating Lin Dan from China 21–15, 12–21, 21–17.
2017: World champion, second Superseries Finals title, World number 1
In 2017, Axelsen won the World Championship in Glasgow in two sets against Lin Dan (22–20, 21–16) and became the third Danish player to ever become a world champion (Peter Rasmussen 1997 in Glasgow & Flemming Delfs 1977 in Sweden). Axelsen, with a record of 4–3, is the only top twenty player to hold a winning record against Lin Dan, head-to-head.
Axelsen followed up his victory in Glasgow by winning the finals of the Japan Open tournament in Tokyo over Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia in three sets on 23 September, propelling him to the top of the BWF World Rankings.
2018–2019: Second European Championships title
In 2018, Axelsen participated in the European Men's and Women's Team Badminton Championships and got a gold after suffered from a foot injury. He represented Denmark in the 2018 Thomas & Uber Cup. In the group stage, he defeated Vladimir Malkov from Russia and from Algeria. In the group stage match against Lee Chong Wei, he lost by two straight games 9–21, 19–21. In the quarter finals match against South Korea, he defeated Son Wan-ho, but he lost to the favorite and former world no. 2, Kento Momota in semi finals. Denmark was then eliminated in semi finals but not the defending champion of 2016 Thomas & Uber Cup. In August, Axelsen was unable to defend his world title where he was defeated by two-time World Champion and reigning Olympic Champion Chen Long in the quarter finals.
2020: All England Open title
Axelsen started the season by competing in Indonesia Masters. He finished as the semi-finalists after lost to home player the seventh seed Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in two straight games. In February, he managed to defend his title in Barcelona Spain Masters after beating the Thai youngster Kunlavut Vitidsarn in straight games 21–16, 21–13. In March, he won the All England Open, making history as the first European and Dane to lift the men's singles trophy since 1999.
2021: Olympic gold and first Denmark Open title
Axelsen participated at the European Mixed Team Championships in Finland, and helped the team win the gold medal. In March, Axelsen entered the All England Open as the defending champion. He reached the final, but lost to 6th seed Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia in a grueling 3 set match (29-30, 22-20, 9-21). He then took part at the Kyiv European Championships, advanced to the final, but the organizers decided to cancel the finals, since Axelsen tested positive for COVID-19. Consequently, he was barred from playing the final match with his compatriot Anders Antonsen and was awarded with a silver medal. He won the gold medal in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, beating Chen Long in straight games in the final and without dropping a single game in the entire tournament.
In October, he won the Denmark Open title, defeating the top seed and world no.1 Kento Momota in a thrilling final match in three games. The match lasted 93 minutes. This was Axelsen's only second ever victory over Momota in their sixteen encounters. He then won his second super 1000 title of the year at the Indonesian Open by beating Singapore's Loh Kean Yew. For his achievements, Axelsen regain the number 1 spot at the BWF World ranking and have been named the 2020/2021 BWF Male Player of the Year. He then won the season ending of the 2021 BWF World Tour Finals, beating the current Eddy Chong Most Promising Player, Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the final in straight games, adding another victory to his undeniably successful year.
2022
Axelsen started the 2022 season as the world number one on the BWF World Ranking. He gained the world's number one spot in November 30, 2021. He reached the semi final of the German Open 2022 which he narrowly lost in three games (13-21, 21-12, 20-22) to Indian player Lakshya Sen.
Personal life
In addition to his native Danish, Axelsen is also a fluent speaker of English and Mandarin.
Axelsen's girlfriend, Natalia Koch Rohde, gave birth to a baby girl named Vega Rohde Axelsen on 15 October 2020.
