Danish Axelsen breaks Asian dominance in men’s singles
TOKYO: Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen convincingly won Olympic badminton gold on Monday in Tokyo, becoming the first nonasian man to claim the singles title since 1996.
The world No. 2 beat China’s defending champion Chen Long 21-15, 21-12, taking control early and never loosening his grip in a relentless performance. “I still have to take this all in,” said Axelsen, 27, who didn’t lose a game in Tokyo. “This is the biggest achievement you can have as a badminton player and this means the world to me.”
He took a courtside phone call from Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik. “He just told me that it was amazing to see and he knows that I’ve worked really hard for this and big congrats,” said Axelsen. “Obviously it means a lot to me.”
Axelsen, who won bronze at the 2016 Rio Games, followed in the footsteps of compatriot Poul-erik Hoyer-larsen, the Atlanta Games champion and the last winner from outside Asia. Hoyer-larsen, now world badminton’s president, was in the arena to watch Axelsen match his achievement.
World No. 6 Chen Long was bidding to emulate legendary Chinese player Lin Dan in retaining his Olympic title. But Axelsen held his nerve with the prize in sight, then broke into disbelieving sobs when Chen Long hit the final shot long.
“When you win an Olympic final in straight games like this against Cheng Long, I think you can say that you’ve been at least really, really close to your best,” added Axelsen.
Chen Long admitted the five years since he won in Rio had been “very long” with many “self-doubts”, but he was satisfied with his overall performance. “I played every match according to my plan,” said the 32-year-old.
Indonesia’s Anthony Sinisuka Ginting took bronze, beating gutsy Guatemalan world No. 59 Kevin Cordon 21-11, 21-13.