Viktor Axelsen finds winning formula with Dubai badminton camp
Olympic champ Axelsen's Dubai camp is all the buzz in badminton right now with Loh Kean Yew, Cheam June Wei and Lakshya Sen among those reaping the benefits.
Badminton
It's so far so good for Tokyo 2020 Olympic badminton champion Viktor Axelsen and his Dubai camp where it looks like he's found a formula as successful as it is simple.
His invitation to some of the best shuttlers on the planet to train and play together has seen some players break ranks with traditional national team setups and find new ways to prepare for tournaments.
It's hard to refuse an offer from the reigning world number one and Olympic champ.
"I feel so welcomed here. Everyone is so committed to helping each other out. It’s surely an eye-opening experience for me here. The facilities are top notch and the training atmosphere gives you positive vibes,” Malaysian Cheam June Wei told The Star in January 2022.
It's a glimpse into what happens at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex where Axelsen - who left the Denmark set-up weeks after winning gold in Tokyo - and his elite guests sharpen their skills with his team of coaches.
The camp has taken on a golden glow of success after Singapore's Loh Kean Yew spent a short training stint in Dubai before claiming his nation's first ever men's singles crown at the World Championships in Spain in December.
Loh told Olympics.com how training with the Olympic champ helped him:
"I try my best to learn whatever I can [from him] be it his focus, his consistency, his discipline, everything."
India's Lakshya Sen sprinkles a little stardust too
Loh continues, "I prepared myself – when he trains, he is very focused and he doesn't like to joke around that much. And I'm the joking kind, a lot, during training.
"So, I prepared myself that I should be very, very focused and try my best to keep up with him. As I'm training with him, I actually try my best to learn whatever I can, be it his focus, his consistency, his discipline, everything.
"How he does his things, how he treats every training [session], every shot, every thing – like how he sees it, his focus, the way he handles the changes [in] situations."
And Loh is not the only one to benefit from Axelsen's decision to trade Denmark for Dubai.
India's Lakshya Sen also went from the great Dane's training camp to the front pages when he won his maiden Super 500 title after beating Loh in January's India Open final.
The success of Axelsen's new venture in Dubai may encourage other players to set up similar independent camps around the world.