Axelsen won the badminton men’s singles final 21-11, 21-11 to clinch gold at Paris Olympics 2024.
In the men’s singles final in Paris on Monday, Viktor Axelsen of Denmark won back his Olympic badminton championship by easily defeating Kunlavut Vitidsarn, the world champion from Thailand, in less than an hour. In front of an enthusiastic Danish audience at La Chapelle Arena, second-seeded Axelsen easily defeated eighth-seeded opponent in 52 minutes, winning 21-11, 21-11. Since 2008 and 2012, when Chinese great Lin Dan won the men’s singles Olympic championship, the lanky Dane became the first person to do so.
The 30-year-old tore around the arena with a Danish flag after winning the championship.
“To be honest I didn’t even know how I would like to celebrate when I won because I was so focused on winning,” Axelsen stated.
“I was so focused on being calm and playing the right shots.”
With her silver, Kunlavut earned Thailand’s first-ever badminton medal at the Olympics.
The Thai player got off to a strong start, but Axelsen quickly found his groove and took the first game by storm.
In just 24 minutes, he finished the match by waving his hand in repentance after winning with a shot that smacked against the net tape and fell out of the air.
In the second game, Axelsen was unbeatable once more, using his 6′ 4in (1m94) physique to its maximum potential and launching smashes after the opposition.
Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia won bronze after defeating Lakshya Sen of India 13-21, 21-16, 21-11.
With gold in the mixed and women’s doubles, China topped the badminton medal standings for the eighth consecutive Olympics.
South Korean An Se-young won the gold in the women’s singles, while Taiwan won the men’s doubles.
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