Congratz to Viktor Axelsen! Such a well played Olympics! In the early part of his career, he was prone to mental breakdowns and a loss of focus. It seems like in the last year, his mental game has improved and he can stay on focus, even when under a lot of pressure. His consistency was at a high at this Olympics. If he stays injury free, he will also be a contender in the next few WC. And if he also stays injury free and maintains his form and level of play, I think at 30 years old, he can be a contender at the 2024 Olympics.
Video of Viktor Axelsen returning to Denmark (Copenhagen International Airport) and being greeted by Denmark fans and his family: https://sport.tv2.dk/2021-08-06-her-er-billederne-fra-ol-stjernernes-hjemkomst The video is good but unfortunately, the attention is split between Viktor Axelsen and the other Danish Olympian who won gold for sailing. If somebody finds a video that focuses more on Viktor at the Copenhagen airport, please post it here. Thanks! Edit: Also this video from the article about Viktor Axelsen (https://sport.tv2.dk/badminton/2021...sWWvQDTwXSDTYmnE64-Pm3i4s0_pQo6VBgDCxC13M4-W8): https://tv2-dk-videos.secure.footprint.net/TV2flash/flex/af7e1c39-0ffe-4ef3-ba3a-15b7dcf188c2.mp4
And here is a video of Viktor's hometown, Odense, and his home badminton club in Odense, celebrating Viktor's gold medal win: and also this video from the article about Viktor Axelsen (https://sport.tv2.dk/badminton/2021...sWWvQDTwXSDTYmnE64-Pm3i4s0_pQo6VBgDCxC13M4-W8): https://tv2-dk-videos.secure.footprint.net/TV2flash/flex/bc685425-4a2d-4b82-8fe9-199dc142ecb8.mp4
https://360badminton.com/news/axels...rt-of-the-danish-national-team-in-copenhagen/ i only wish more players could afford to guide their own careers down their own path. bwf must abolish team control now! "...I know myself, I would be annoyed if I did not dare to take this leap and at least try.” axelsen's attitude alone makes him a legend in my book.
I approve of Axelsen taking the first steps to hopefully direct badminton into tennis hierarchies (ATP pros are all independent and do better as a result)
I’m not sure. Isn’t Denmark’s system part of the reason he is successful today? If so he probably should pay back (by helping next generation of players) before going solo.
for some nations it might be a step forward for the sport, particularly nation where players is limited by the nation association. But for nations like Denmark that is build on the prior generation, there is real chance, that a move like this can do irreversible damage to the set up. Yea, a part of why Denmark can keep being relevant, even with a size of 6 million people, is because every generation is being pushed by the generation before. He has learned from Peter Gade, Kenneth Jonassen, Jan Ø. Jørgensen and so on. and they have learned from Thomas Stuer Lauridsen, Poul Erik Høyer and more. 1 thing is how its going to affect the danish set up, and how players like Anders Antonsen is going to develop. Another thing (and really what the danish experts fear) is that it may set a precedent, and that could potential be the end of Denmark as a top nation, in just a few generations. I would say yes and no. when he retire he can become a coach, but that is not going to be the same as being part of the set up in his prime. When he is part of the national set up, as a player. He can push the other plays on the training court (both sparing and exercises), furthermore he can show the upcoming players what it takes to get to the top (how hard to train, how much and so on). with all the said, I understand why Viktor has done it, and I guess if I was in his place, I would do the same. But as a Dane, it just hurt a little, as the Danish setup potentially is going to get permanently damage. On the other hand, maybe there is no different in Denmark, and this just means Viktor reaches new heights. only time will tell.
i believe a true fan of any sport would want the athletes to have the power to make their own choices concerning every aspect of their career. in our sport of badminton bwf is the sole reason athletes do not have primary control of their careers, not the member assoc's. if bwf abolished the 'mandatory assoc. signature rule' to enter tournaments the athletes would be free to control their own career. go it alone, or sign a contract with any member association who wants you. it's pretty simple. bwf refuses to answer the following ?'s: why do you run an individual sport under a quasi nat'l team framework when 95% of the tournaments you regulate are not team scored events? who does this quasi team framework benefit more, the athletes? the assoc's? only the rich assoc's? bwf employees?
along the same lines how will viktor continue to develop? it's harder for the best player on any team to maintain growth. i am of the understanding viktor feels denmark lacks the nec'y resources in order for him to grow even more. it's not personal. it's business. not nec'ly. it shouldn't matter who trains them or where they train because if they continue at least the same level of success, or more, danish fans/citizens would still be proud of them. hell, the danish nat'l team would save money along the way (ha!) or develop more prospects. "it's your career on the line. you have to be selfish." --mathias boe
First of all, I really admire his courage to make such a move. Especially at a point in his carreer, from which it basically only can go downwards. Some things that I see might becom critical mid- and long term in terms of performance: 1) The level of sparring partners will be dropping significantly. At Copenhagen, there were a handful of world class players (hello, AA!) around all the time, this will surely be different in Dubai. I've seen him play a 2 vs. 1 match against two random dudes (no offense...) in an Instagram video, and even those two were not remotely capable to put him under any pressure. Also, being around other top athletes surely creates a certain atmosphere in which everybody gets pushed by all the others. 2) His previous (top class) coaching team has learned over many years now how to handle him to get out his absolute best. I don't know if he has taken some of his usual coaches now along with him, but I don't expect Kenneth Jonassen to leave the Danish Team. Although I don't have any information there, so might as well be wrong. Looking at money side of things, I'm sure he has made his homework and has made sure to come off better than before (let's not forget that he will have to pay at lot less in taxes in Dubai). He has expressed his frustration before with how price money etc. has to be shared with the Danish Federation, so it's great to see him walk the walk. We can leave aside that whole "being thankful to the team" etc., cause in the end it's all about performance and money. Time will have to tell if he can keep or even improve his level with this new setting. In the end, that is all that matters - you have to win the price/sponsorship money first before you can keep a bigger share of it.
Im surprised that Axelsen is moving to Dubai. Will he still play in Thomas cup? The lack of sparring partners will be a problem. Maybe he will not train hard enough in this new environment or maybe the high tech facilities will boost him?
I'm really impressed with Viktor's determination and commitment. First he learns and masters Mandarin, then he gets covid and gets to fly privately in an isolation chamber back to Denmark. Then he hires a private mental coach and shows what he has to win OG gold. And now he's going to Dubai to train privately for who knows how long? Does he have deep pockets or what kind of sponsorships does he have?! Sent from my SM-G988W using Tapatalk
he'll be 30 @ paris 2024. badminton is unforgiving on the body so you certainly don't want to over train. a 2nd og gold would put him in the tier of players right under the goat and undoubtedly the euro goat. maybe this is doing very well for him: https://www.va-collection.dk/uk/
Tennis is not very comparable. Most tennis players fly solo with their own supporting team. Many sports that have a development program have some rules that constrain when someone can become a “free agent”. You could certainly argue that by winning the Olympic gold, Axelson has earned the right to fly solo. It’s really a negotiation between him and his country.
perhaps VA supplements with mainland backers are paying off, or maybe dubai is make good compensations to hosts olympians to better its image as one of the least sustainable cities in the world. but a brave move indeed.
Very disappointed with VA decision to leave the country that made him one of the best MS players in the world and instead work for a brutal dictatorship. Does he really want his newborn daughter to grow up in a country where womens rights are basically non-existant? From an athletes perspective I can maybe understand his decision, but from a human standpoint, I am deeply disappointed
