Tokyo 2020 ‘wide open’: Badminton star Viktor Axelsen predicts end to Chinese domination at Olympic Games
- China’s dominance of the discipline is unlikely with new generation of players coming up
- World No 1 Kento Momota has a strong year, but no one knows what will happen in two years
China has dominated the discipline over the last three Games, twice through Lin Dan in 2008 and 2012 with Chen Long reigning in 2016, but it could be wide open this time, said Viktor Axelsen of Denmark.
The Dane is in town for a badminton promotion activity with HSBC Life along with two-time Olympic men’s doubles champion Fu Haifeng of China and South Korea’s Lee Yong-dae, the doubles expert who won the mixed gold at the 2008 Beijing Games.
World No 1 Kento Momota of Japan, champion at the Fuzhou China Masters on Sunday, is having a strong year with a number of titles under his belt including the world championships and three more wins at tournaments above 750 level.
“It’s hard to say right now,” said Axelsen, the bronze medal winner in Rio. “This is an exciting time as many of the new generation of players are coming up and doing very well. Momota will be tough on the home soil but you never know what will happen during the next two years.
