Copenhagen: In a notable shift for Danish badminton, Olympic gold medalist Viktor Axelsen is refining his coaching setup as Henrik ‘PK’ Rohde steps away from his daily training duties to return as head coach of Danish league club Skovshoved.
Axelsen and Rohde have enjoyed a highly successful partnership since 2018, further intensified after Axelsen left Denmark’s national training program in 2021 to establish his own base in Dubai. The player-coach duo, who are also family—Rohde is Axelsen’s father-in-law—have trained together on courts across the globe, with Dubai and Skovshoved serving as primary locations.
However, as Rohde resumes his leadership role at Skovshoved—a position he held for over a decade until 2020—daily training and global travel with Axelsen are no longer feasible.
Taking on a more prominent role moving forward will be Peter Gade, a Danish badminton legend and former world No. 1, whom Axelsen brought on board in November 2024.
“For now, that’s how things will be,” Axelsen told Danish Media. “Whether I’ll need additional support remains to be seen, but there’s no new coach on the way at this moment.”
Despite reducing his official involvement, PK Rohde will still be available to assist Axelsen when needed. The Danish ace, currently recovering from back surgery, remains hopeful of returning to competition in time for the 2025 BWF World Championships in Paris this August.
This coaching transition reflects Axelsen’s continued strategic evolution as he aims to reclaim dominance on the global stage, while balancing high-performance training with long-term career sustainability.
