Viktor Axelsen

Viktor Axelsen
Personal information
Country	Denmark
Born	(1994-01-04) January 4, 1994 Odense, Denmark
Height	1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)
Years active	since 2009
Handedness	Right
Men's singles
Career record	216 wins, 90 losses
Career title(s)	9
Highest ranking	4 (April 28, 2016)
Current ranking	4 (July 28, 2016[1])
Medal record Men's badminton Representing  Denmark Olympic Games 2016 Rio de Janeiro Men's singles World Championships 2014 Copenhagen Men's singles Thomas Cup 2016 Kunshan Men's team 2012 Wuhan Men's team European Championships 2016 La Roche-sur-Yon Men's singles 2014 Kazan Men's singles 2012 Karlskrona Men's singles European Men's Team Championships 2016 Kazan Men's team 2014 Basel Men's team 2012 Amsterdam Men's team European Mixed Team Championships 2015 Leuven Mixed team 2013 Ramenskoye Mixed team World Junior Championships 2010 Guadalajara Boys' singles 2011 Taipei Boys' singles European Junior Championships 2011 Vantaa Boys' singles 2011 Vantaa Mixed team European U17 Championships 2009 Medvode Boys' singles 2009 Medvode Mixed team
BWF profile
Updated on 20 Aug 2016.

Viktor Axelsen ([ˈʋiktəɐ̯ aksəlsən]; born January 4, 1994) is a badminton player from Denmark. He earned his first European crown in May 2016 beating compatriot and defending champion Jan Ø. Jørgensen with 21–11, 21–16 in the final. He was the 2010 World Junior Champion, beating Korea's Kang Ji-wook in the final to become the first ever European player to hold the title. In 2011, he lost the world junior title to Malaysia's Zulfadli Zulkiffli, coming in second place.

Career

Junior career

Axelsen was born in Odense. In October 2010 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. He won the 2010 BWF World Junior Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico.

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.

2012

Viktor 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 Badminton Championships losing the semi-final in three games to Sweden's Henri Hurskainen 21–18, 18–21, 17–21.

2014

Axelsen has won the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold in early month of 2014 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 Badminton Championships.

2016

Axelsen finished runner-up at the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold losing in the final to India's Srikanth Kidambi 15–21, 21–12, 14–21.

Axelsen finished runner-up at the Australian Open Super Series losing to Chen Long of China in the final 12–21, 21–14, 18–21.

Axelsen finished runner-up at the Japan Open Super Series losing to Lin Dan of China in the final 19–21, 21–16, 19–21.

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. Viktor Axelsen 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, Viktor won the bronze medal by beating Lin Dan from China 21–15, 12–21, 21–17. Misbun Sidek was his personal trainer 6 month before the Olympics in Rio.

Achievements

Individual titles

Year	Tournament	Opponent in final	Score
2016	European Championships	Jan Ø. Jørgensen	21–11, 21–16
2015	Copenhagen Masters	Anders Antonsen	21–10, 21–15
2014	Copenhagen Masters	Jan Ø. Jørgensen	22–20, 21–9
2014	Swiss Open	Tian Houwei	21–7, 16–21, 25–23
2013	Copenhagen Masters	Lee Hyun-il	21–13, 21–16
2013	Denmark International	Ville Lång	21–17, 21–8
2013	Dutch International	Eric Pang	24–22, 21–12
2011	Spanish Open	Pablo Abián	21–11, 7–21, 21–9
2010	Cyprus International	Simon Maunoury	21–10, 21–11
Junior Tournaments
2011	European Junior Championships	Rasmus Fladberg	21–8, 17–21, 21–13
2010	World Junior Championships	Kang Ji-wook	21–19, 21–10
2009	European U17 Championships	Kim Bruun	21–19, 17–21, 21–17

Runners-up

Year	Tournament	Opponent in final	Score
2016	India Open	Kento Momota	15–21, 18–21
2015	BWF World Superseries Finals	Kento Momota	15–21, 12–21
2015	Japan Open	Lin Dan	19–21, 21–16, 19–21
2015	Australian Open	Chen Long	12–21, 21–14, 18–21
2015	India Open	Srikanth Kidambi	21–18, 13–21, 12–21
2015	Swiss Open	Srikanth Kidambi	15–21, 21–12, 14–21
2012	French Open	Daren Liew	18–21, 17–21
2011	Swedish International Stockholm	Pablo Abián	19–21, 6–21
2010	Swedish International Stockholm	Indra Bagus Ade Chandra	15–21, 12–21
Junior Tournament
2011	World Junior Championships	Zulfadli Zulkiffli	18–21, 21–9, 19–21

Key

Personal life

In addition to his native Danish, Axelson is also a fluent speaker of Mandarin.^[2]

References

External links

• Viktor AXELSEN at BWF.tournamentsoftware.com
• Viktor AXELSEN at BWFbadminton.com
• Official website (in English)
• Profile at BadmintonEurope.com