British, Indian or Chinese, the origin of badminton is uncertain. It doesn’t matter for Viktor Axelsen: the 30-year-old Dane, world number 1, has been trying since the beginning to seduce the Middle Kingdom, where the best steering wheel specialists come from. At each tournament he wins, which is to say often, the giant thanks his fans, in Danish or English but most often in Mandarin. A tongue “quite fun” discovered ten years ago during his half-dozen annual trips to Asia. “I got into it because I know how important our sport is in China, he told Olympics.com. And when I start something, I dedicate myself to it 100%. » He therefore hired a ” very good “ teacher and worked an hour a day to learn the alphabet and pronunciation. A bit as if Teddy Riner had taken up Japanese to interact with his community of fans there.
Axelsen doesn’t believe he’s become a better player yet. On the other hand, the direct exchanges he had with his competitors allowed him to learn about their practice and to ensure that he was working correctly.
Rugby: the legend of the “Tuilagix”
His bronze medal won in Rio in 2016 at the expense of “ Super » Lin Dan confirmed that he was on the right path. His post-match interview, in fluent Mandarin, went viral. Since then, there have been many more, as his victories captured the attention of the media and followers of the second most populous country in the world. In 2017, he won his first world title, topped the rankings and saw his popularity take off. After months of confinement cramming the language, Axelsen beat another Chinese, Chen Long, in the final of the Tokyo Olympics, becoming the second non-Asian Olympic badminton champion.
Dragon and intestinal flora
Since leaving Odense for Copenhagen at the age of 15, Viktor Axelsen has been polished by a Chinese coach, Zhang Lianying, who speaks the same three languages but provides “more precise explanations” in Mandarin to his student, now based in Dubai (United Arab Emirates), where he is raising two children and reducing the distance with Asia. In December, the badminton emperor beat his great rival, world number 2 Shi Yu Qi, in the final in Hangzhou. The latter took his revenge a month later at the Malaysian Open – only his third victory in twelve confrontations with Axelsen. The latter specifies that he knows enough swear words in three languages to complain about the days of defeat, which are certainly rare. A good one could take place in the final of the French Open, which begins Tuesday at the Adidas Arena, the dress rehearsal for the Olympic tournament, which will take place under the same roof.
Very active online, Viktor Axelsen has more subscribers on the Chinese social network Weibo than on Twitter, TikTok and YouTube combined. He has added a Japanese sponsor (Yonex) to his half-dozen European partners and, with his manager father, is eyeing new opportunities in China. In 2021, he launched a range of products for the protection of intestinal flora, VA Health, before rolling it out in his native country. A way for the calm and competitive dragon », translation of his nickname (An Sai Long), to relieve the bitterness of a country that he continues to torture on the ground.
2024-03-03 04:18:41
#Dane #chews #Chinese
