Tokyo badminton gold medallist Viktor Axelsen is not hitting the gym too hard ahead of next month’s Paris Olympics but at 30 years of age, the Dane admits he has to be extra cautious.
Badminton has long been a strong suit for Denmark: with nine Olympic medals, the country is among the top nations in world badminton. Of this, two are gold – one won by Axelsen in men’s singles three years ago.
People also underestimate the sport playing it casually but that’s simply because they don’t know how physically intense badminton can be, Axelsen told Reuters and was keen to have a bit more balance in his training ahead of Paris.
“Definitely more of a challenge this time to make sure that I was peaking at the right time and not training too much,” said Axelsen, who stands almost 2 metres (6 feet 7) high over his competitors.
Before the Tokyo Olympics, I could push in training and recover a bit quicker than what I’m doing right now.
JL: “I turned 30 now and I think that makes a huge difference for me. When you’re in your 30s, you really have to do everything to recovery.
