Viktor Axelsen: ‘What a life’

Under the gaze of King Frederick X of Denmark – who described Axelsen as a “a major asset” and “a fantastic ambassador” – he never let Vitidsarn in the match pretty much for the entirety of the 52-minute contest.

Vitidsarn was never up by more than one in both games – very early, too – while the defending champion led by 11 in the first and had an insurmountable 16-3 advantage in the second.

At that point, the countdown to Axelsen’s celebration was already beginning.

“King Frederick is definitely the King of Denmark and he’s much better than me at that,” said Axelsen, now a three-time Olympic medallist and joined the GOAT Lin Dan in the sport’s pantheon as the only male singles players to win gold back-to-back.

“But today I felt like the king of the court and it was an absolute pleasure to perform in front of his royalty and I’m so happy.

“I’m so, so happy right now. Winning one gold medal is a dream come true. When I won in Tokyo I didn’t even dare to dream I could win another time. But now I’m standing with my second Olympic gold.

“This is crazy. What a life.”

Speaking of celebrations, Axelsen was all smiles after winning the last point, running around the court with the Danish flag and fully engaging with the fans. It was a stark contrast to three years ago, when he broke down uncontrollably in front of empty seats amid Tokyo’s Covid bubble.

Either way, Axelsen will take it.

“To be honest I didn’t even know how I would like to celebrate when I won because I was so focused on winning. I was so focused on just being calm and playing the right shots,” said the 30-year-old, who diplomatically shot down questions regarding LA 2028, saying it was too far down the road for him to think about.

“This feeling right now, it means extra to me because my family, my wife, our two daughters were in the stands. The King of Denmark was here. I’m so proud that I performed in front of the King of Denmark.

“I’m just on the moon right now. I don’t know what to say.”