PARIS (AP) — Viktor Axelsen is once again Olympic badminton champion.
The 30-year-old from Denmark defended his men’s singles title Monday by beating Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand for the gold medal. Axelsen defeated Vitidsarn 21-11, 21-11 in the final in just 52 minutes.
Axelsen celebrated by running around the court and waving the red-and-white Danish flag over his head. Fans in the stands chanted, “Viktor! Viktor!”
Axelsen went over to a young fan and handed over his racket while receiving a constant standing ovation from the crowd.
“This is an amazing achievement for him, the second time in a row as Olympic champion,” said Denmark King Frederik X. “It’s unbelievable. The way he mastered the match, this is something that makes us proud in Denmark, on behalf of badminton in Denmark — but also the entire country.”
Axelsen became the first European to win back-to-back badminton singles gold at the Olympics. Like in Tokyo three years ago, his medal in Paris is the only one earned by a European in the sport.
China won five badminton medals; two silvers and three bronze. South Korea, Japan and Malaysia had two apiece.
Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia beat Lakshya Sen of India for bronze in the men’s competition. An Se-young of South Korea had a 21-13, 21-16 win over He Bingjiao of China for the women’s singles title.
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This story has been corrected from a previous version that had An Se-young beating He Bing Jiao for bronze. An Se-young defeated He Bingjiao for the women’s singles gold medal.
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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
