Viktor Axelsen Retires at 32, Ends Golden Era in Badminton
Denmark’s world-famous badminton star Viktor Axelsen has announced his retirement from professional badminton at the age of 32. The two-time Olympic and world champion announced his decision through social media.
Axelsen, who rose to the international stage after winning the Junior World Championship in 2010, has achieved many historic successes in his career. He won gold medals in two consecutive Olympics — Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 — along with a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. In addition, he won the World Championship in 2017 and 2022 and also claimed the BWF World Tour Finals title three times in a row from 2021 to 2023, continuing to showcase his brilliance.
As a three-time European champion, he also played a key role in Denmark’s Thomas Cup victory in 2016. Axelsen, who held the world No. 1 ranking in men’s badminton for a total of 183 weeks, is the third-longest-reigning player at the top spot in history. Only Lee Chong Wei (398 weeks) and Lin Dan (211 weeks) are ahead of him in this regard.
It is worth noting that he had been away from the court since the French Open held in March last year. With his retirement, a golden chapter in the badminton world has come to an end.
