30-year-old scalps Thai opponent to win second Olympic gold medal at 2024 Paris Games

DUBAI: Dubai Sports Council has hailed the unprecedented feat of badminton star and Dubai resident Viktor Axelsen following the Dane's successful defence of his Olympic title at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

The 30-year-old Axelsen, who won his second Olympic gold with an easy 21-11, 21-11 win against Thailand's Kunlavut Viditsarn, has been in training in Dubai since the past four years. This is the second time that the Danish player has clinched the singles gold medal in men's following his fine triumph three years back at the Tokyo Olympics.

Axelsen now also hold the record of becoming the only non-Asian player in history to win two badminton gold medals at the Olympics. The Danish star had previously won the bronze medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.

As of August 2024, Axelsen has also held the No.1 BWF World Ranking in men's singles for a total of 183 weeks even though he is the current world no. 2.

He previously won the World Championship in 2017 and 2022, thus becoming the only non-Asian male player following BWF general secretary Thomas Lund, who also won the title twice.

The Dubai Sports Council has hailed the achievement of the Danish champion, who has been residing in Dubai since 2020 while holding a Golden residency in the country. He has confirmed his status as the world's best due to the world-class training facilities existing in Dubai.

During the build-up to the Paris Games, Axelsen shifted his base to Dubai ten months back and pursued a rigorous schedule at the state-of-the-art Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex. Following his first gold medal win three years back in Tokyo, Axelsen came to the Dubai Sports Council headquarters at the Dubai Design District and celebrated with the medal.

The quality of life and the quality of the stadiums in Dubai also motivated him to continue living and training there as per a precise training programme so that he could chase his second Olympic gold medal.

The Danish champion thanked Dubai and expressed his happiness to move and live there with his family, as he found appreciation in the city that is constantly supporting sports and contributing in creating champions.

Dubai has so much to offer including a prime quality of life and sports facilities, most notably the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex, which allowed a world-class player like him to live a wonderful life to train and achieve his personal and sports goals.

Axelsen also thanked the Dubai Sports Council for its efforts in spreading the practice of sports and attracting and selecting talents in various sports, most notably badminton, through the Badminton Time in Dubai programme.