Denmark's Viktor Axelsen expressed that he "felt like the king of the court" following his successful defense of his Olympic badminton championship in Paris on Monday, in the presence of Denmark's King Frederik X. Supported by an enthusiastic crowd at La Chapelle Arena, Axelsen swiftly defeated Thailand's world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn 21-11, 21-11 in just 52 minutes. This achievement makes him the first man to retain the Olympic men's singles title since the legendary Chinese player Lin Dan, who won in 2008 and 2012.
Axelsen noted that his victory in Paris held more significance than his initial gold in Tokyo, where the venue was largely empty due to Covid restrictions. "This feeling right now means extra to me because my wife and our two daughters were in the stands," the 30-year-old said. "I am so proud that I have performed in front of the king of Denmark. I'm just on the moon right now." He further added, "Today I felt like the king of the court."
Axelsen, who also won bronze at the 2016 Rio Games, now holds more Olympic medals than Lin Dan. Despite this, he humbly dismissed comparisons to Lin, referring to him as the greatest of all time. "For me he is the GOAT and I'm just very happy and proud to be, in Olympic terms, on the same level," Axelsen said of Lin, who was also present in the arena. "But in my eyes, he stands as the best ever."
Kunlavut's silver marked Thailand's inaugural Olympic medal in badminton and their first medal at the Paris Games. Kunlavut, seeded eighth compared to Axelsen's second, found Axelsen a formidable opponent. "Everything he does is very good, but for me it's OK," the 23-year-old said. "It's my first time at the Olympics and I got to the final, so I'm very happy." Kunlavut started well but Axelsen quickly found his stride, dominating the first game which he closed out in 24 minutes. In the second game, Axelsen was unstoppable, utilizing his 6ft 4in frame to deliver powerful smashes. After securing the title, he grabbed a Danish flag and ran around the arena.
"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 said. "I was so focused on being calm and playing the right shots." Meanwhile, Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia won bronze, defeating India's Lakshya Sen 13-21, 21-16, 21-11. China led the badminton medals table for the seventh consecutive Olympics, winning golds in the mixed and women's doubles. Taiwan secured the men's doubles and South Korea's An Se-young won gold in women's singles.
