- Middle East crisis top-of-mind at first EU-Gulf summit
- Israeli minister criticises Macron over France defence show ban
- Global stock markets diverge as markets focus on earmings
- Who said what on Tuchel's appointment as England manager
- Amazon bets on nuclear power to fuel AI ambitions
- Zelensky plan will be 'on table' at NATO talks this week: Rutte
- Harris steps into lion's den with Fox interview
- Macron riles Netanyahu with jab on Israel's creation
- Britain bounce back in America's Cup as New Zealand suffer
- Turkey shuts down radio station in Armenia genocide row
- Global stock markets diverge as tech fears linger
- Tuchel targets trophies as England manager
- War piles pressure on roads, services in crisis-hit Beirut
- Israeli booths, equipment barred from defence show in France
- Tuchel hopes to deliver 'missing trophies' to England
- England 239-6 in second Test after Sajid strikes for Pakistan
- Britain off the mark in America's Cup as New Zealand suffer
- Lufthansa fined 'record' $4 mn for barring Jewish passengers
- First migrants arrive in Albania under contested Italy deal
- Zelensky rules out ceding Ukrainian land in Victory Plan, urges NATO invite
- Global stock markets fall as tech fears weigh
- Musk's X escapes tough EU competition rules
- Thomas Tuchel: Abrasive but effective
- Root could break 16,000-run barrier, says England great Cook
- Indian airplane forced to divert after latest bomb hoax
- Tuchel 'has to' win World Cup for England, says Shearer
- Duckett half-century as England make brisk reply to Pakistan's 366
- Israel strikes Hezbollah strongholds after rejecting Lebanon ceasefire
- India issues flood warnings as rain pounds south
- Saudi crown prince in Brussels for first EU-Gulf summit
- Thomas Tuchel appointed England manager: Football Association
- 'Age of Electricity' coming as fossil fuels set to peak: IEA
- Markets struggle after Wall Street losses as tech fears weigh
- Myanmar and China have lowest internet freedom, says study
- UK inflation hits three-year low, fuelling rate-cut hopes
- Pakistan tail frustrates England to reach 358-8 at lunch
- Discovery of Shackleton's lost shipwreck brought to big screen
- Markets mixed after Wall Street losses as tech fears weigh
- World heading into 'the Age of Electricity': IEA
- Spiralling Sudan bloodshed sparks refugee surge into Chad
- Lee wary of Ko challenge at BMW Ladies in South Korea
- Kenya Senate begins debate on deputy president impeachment
- Italy's migration policy under far-right Meloni
- Israel strikes Beirut after rejecting ceasefire
- New assisted dying bill introduced in UK parliament
- China set to post slowest quarterly growth this year: analysts
- The Bishnoi gang: the notorious syndicate Canada says is India's proxy
- Fake AI history photos cloud the past
- First defeat for Pochettino as US beaten 2-0 in Mexico
- 'Mysterious black balls' close Sydney beaches
Viktor Axelsen, 'calm competitive dragon' of Danish badminton
Denmark's Viktor Axelsen lost his world number one ranking in June after 131 weeks at the top, but the reigning Olympic badminton champion is dead set on defending his gold medal in Paris.
The 30-year-old, a towering figure at 1.94m (6ft 4in), says he "is slowly but surely" working his way back into form despite an ankle injury he picked up at the Singapore Open in late May.
"You can't think about injuries if you want to prepare well. I have good people around me and right now, my physical condition is good," he told reporters recently.
Such resilience is typical of Axelsen, who was given the nickname An Sai Long -- 'calm competitive dragon' -- by his teacher while studying Mandarin, a language he speaks fluently.
In a sport dominated by players from Asia -- China's Shi Yuqi is the current number one -- Axelsen and his compatriot Anders Antonsen, ranked fourth, are outliers.
Axelsen's success is a testament to his longevity.
Aged 16, he won the world junior championships in Mexico, becoming the first European to do so.
He has racked up an impressive list of achievements in the decade-plus since. In 2022, his 39-match winning streak shattered the previous record of 31 held by double Olympic champion Lin Dan.
"We play all the time. I had the benefit of going far in loads of tournaments, I train hard and I'm 30 years old, so it's clear that my body doesn't recover as if I was still 16," he said.
Axelsen, the world champion in 2017 and 2022, believes such wear and tear is the cause of his ankle issues.
"It's true Viktor has had some physical problems, even more than in the build-up to the last Olympic Games," Danish badminton official Jens Meibom told newspaper Berlingske.
"That's created a kind of uncertainty, but at the same time, I would also say he's displayed a very high level this spring. He'll be able to come back.
"Viktor is training well at the moment and he's not had any setback, so we're staying positive until the opposite happens."
Axelsen, who won bronze at the 2016 Games in Rio, has repeatedly said he is not considering retirement, with the chance to claim another title in the French capital supplying ample motivation.
"It's that prospect that makes me impatient," he told French sports daily L'Equipe.
The Dane is also attuned to the power of social media and its ability to help grow badminton's popularity, with one million followers on Instagram and both Weibo and Tiktok accounts.
"I don't take lightly the visibility that social networks offers me. It's a good opportunity to introduce my sport and make a name for myself as well," he said.
H.E.Young--AMWN