At 23, Anders Antonsen is climbing up the badminton hierarchy at a tempo that has most shuttlers on the skilled circuit in admiration and envy hoping to cease and emulate him on the identical time.
If the younger Dane, who lately clinched the Denmark Open on the expense of nationwide compatriot Rasmus Gemke, maintains this relentless tempo, he may simply distance himself from the chasing pack in a extremely aggressive males’s singles sphere.
Coming from a household that devotes itself to the sport, it’s no shock to see the world quantity three the place he’s.
At 16, he had made an enormous sacrifice in pursuit of success, prioritising his non-existent profession over his training.
“I went to highschool and I used to be there for 3 days. Then I left and walked right down to the membership the place my father was [working there], and I advised him I’m not going again to high school for yet another day.
“That isn’t the life and dream I’m chasing,” Antonsen told Tokyo2020 recently.
The selection was made and Antonsen began to work his manner from the underside of the meals chain.
He conquered Europe first, profitable a number of titles to be topped European Younger Participant of the 12 months in 2015.
5 years later, he performed a few of the largest names together with Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan, whom he beat of their solely assembly in 2019.
He additionally secured a silver medal on the World Championships final yr, a run that made him comfy in his talents to win a gold medal in Tokyo subsequent yr.
“Who doesn’t need to win an Olympic gold? That’s the greatest you may obtain in perhaps all of sports activities.
“I do know that I’m not going into the event because the favorite, so I’ve to ship a hell of a efficiency throughout that Olympics,” he added.
