Badminton great Axelsen retires

Badminton great Axelsen retiresImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Viktor Axelsen won his second Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Games in ParisByElla GibbsBBC Sport journalistPublished25 minutes agoCommentsTwo-time Olympic and world champion Viktor Axelsen has retired at the age of 32 because of a back injury.The Dane won Olympic gold medals at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 and bronze at Rio 2016.Axelsen is one of the most decorated men's singles players in badminton history, with four European titles in addition to his World Championship crowns in 2017 and 2022."Today is not an easy day for me. Due to my recurrent back issues, I am no longer able to compete and train at the highest level," he wrote on Instagram."Accepting this situation has been incredibly difficult. But I have now reached a point where my body won't allow me to continue."Since the day I picked up a racket, I knew my dream was to become the best in the world."Axelsen spent more than 100 consecutive weeks as world number one, a mark surpassed only by Malaysian great Lee Chong Wei, who held the rank for 349 weeks.He won the season-ending World Tour Finals five times and claimed 10 Super 1000 tournaments."I have accomplished everything I once dreamed of, and more," Axelsen said."What makes it hardest to say goodbye is not the competition itself, but everything around it. The journey, the daily grind, the people."I have given everything to this sport. It has never been just a career to me. It has been my life and I have left no stone unturned."Related topicsBadminton