KUALA LUMPUR: Denmark's Viktor Axelsen was in tears after reaching the men's singles semi-finals at the Paris Olympics on Friday.
The world No. 2 defeated Singapore's Loh Kean Yew 21-9, 21-17 to set up a semi-final clash with unseeded Lakshya Sen on Sunday.
Axelsen, who has battled injuries and lost his world No. 1 ranking this year due to these setbacks, is determined to join the ranks of China's Lin Dan by winning back-to-back Olympic titles in men's singles.
Understandably, Axelsen was emotional during Friday's post-match interview, reflecting on his struggles to prepare for the Olympics.
"I'm probably a man, right? A man like me has to show emotions because I'm very passionate about what I'm doing.
"If men cannot cry, what kind of world do we live in? I am very honest with myself, I am just Viktor."
"I'm a happy kid. I cry when I'm sad sometimes, and I definitely also cry when I'm happy, and I'm very happy right now," he added.
Meanwhile, Lakshya Sen is determined to continue his journey and hopes to bring glory to India by winning the gold medal in Paris.
Lakshya became the first Indian shuttler to reach the men's singles semi-finals after defeating Taiwan's world No. 11 Chou Tien Chen 19-21, 21-15, 21-12.
World No. 22 Lakshya said: "This is something I've never dreamt of. The real test starts here - it's now time to go back, recover and be ready for the next match."