AXELSEN Viktor

General
EYES ON TOKYO
He won bronze in men's singles at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, which was his Olympic debut, and says he is aiming to improve on that performance at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. "I want to do even better in Tokyo. I try to improve every day, and I think that's the right way to do it. Going onto a court with the Olympic rings under the net was, for me, a really surreal experience. It's really hard to describe and I think everyone should try to experience it for themselves, whether as athletes or as fans, just so you can understand and acknowledge that there's nothing else like the Olympic Games. Having been to Tokyo a few times already and seen how they do things, how the set-up has been at the Japan Open, I know that Tokyo will be ready." (olympic.org, 21 Dec 2018)

LEARNING MANDARIN
In 2014 he began learning Mandarin due to badminton's popularity in Asia. He hoped learning the language would improve his chances of securing sponsorship deals and potential coaching opportunities after his retirement from competition. "I started to take [Mandarin] up at the start of 2014. Coming into the year I had a talk with my former coach and he thought it was a good idea to begin learning it. I wanted to start something new and ever since it has been a one-way street." (reuters.com, 05 Mar 2015)