Viktor Axelsen, Man Who Beat Lakshya Sen, Wins Second Badminton Olympics Gold
NDTV
Axelsen won the badminton men's singles final 21-11, 21-11 to clinch gold at Paris Olympics 2024.
Denmark's Viktor Axelsen retained his Olympic badminton title on Monday by demolishing Thailand's world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn in less than an hour in the men's singles final in Paris. Backed by a vocal crowd of Danish fans at La Chapelle Arena, the second-seeded Axelsen surged past his eighth-seeded opponent 21-11, 21-11 in 52 minutes. The lanky Dane became the first man to retain his Olympic men's singles title since Chinese legend Lin Dan, who won in 2008 and 2012.
After clinching the title, the 30-year-old grabbed a Danish flag and tore 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," said Axelsen.
"I was so focused on being calm and playing the right shots."
Kunlavut's silver was Thailand's first-ever Olympic medal in badminton.
