Olympic Athlete Viktor Axelsen’s Path to Mastering Chinese

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Danish badminton star Viktor Axelsen, currently the top-ranked badminton player in the world, secured a 2-0 victory over his Irish opponent in the third men’s singles group stage match on July 31 at 2:30 PM Beijing time. This win placed him at the top of his group, advancing him to the round of 16.

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Viktor, whose Chinese name is An Sailong (安赛龙), often gives interviews in fluent Chinese. His Douyin (Chinese TikTok) account features numerous videos of him reciting Chinese poetry and singing Chinese songs. The reason he started learning Chinese was due to the sport’s immense popularity in China. After competing there and gaining a growing fanbase, he realized he couldn’t communicate with his Chinese fans, which motivated him to learn the language.

When he first told his family about his decision to learn Chinese, they were incredulous. However, his unwavering determination kept him going. As he says, learning Chinese requires the same level of seriousness as playing badminton.

Viktor began learning Chinese in 2014 at the age of 19. He took one-on-one lessons with his Chinese teacher, studying two hours a day and doing homework regularly, laying a solid foundation for his language skills.

He also made use of his spare time, such as cooking, waiting in lines, or commuting, to listen to Chinese podcasts and reinforce his learning. Even when traveling for matches, his Chinese teacher would continue lessons online. He enjoys interacting with his Chinese fans on social media, saying it helps him practice the language. Through consistent effort, his Chinese has reached an impressive level.

Moreover, he has given his 10-month-old daughter a Chinese name and has started early Chinese education with her. Viktor hopes she will begin conversing in Chinese by the age of two or three.

Viktor Axelsen’s experience shows that the quickest way to learn Chinese is through one-on-one lessons with a professional teacher and with relentless determination. eChineseLearning has over 18 years of experience teaching Chinese online to kids on a one-on-one basis and can tailor lessons to suit each child’s individual needs.

If you are interested in having your kid learn Chinese, sign up for a free trial class via the form on this page, and we will be happy to help.

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