Danish badminton superstar Viktor Axelsen is aiming for gold at the Paris Olympics, with expectations soaring as he prepares to face Ireland's Nhat Nguyen in a crucial match on Wednesday.
The Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Champion spoke with China Global Television Network (CGTN), emphasizing the importance of focusing on one match at a time as the pressure mounts ahead of tomorrow's match.
"I feel pretty good right now. I had some injuries this year, but right now I feel okay. I also think I have trained very well," said Axelsen.
Talking of his Chinese-speaking ability, Axelsen said he learned Chinese in search of more opportunities in the badminton-loving nation. Now, he boasts more than a million followers on Chinese social media platform Douyin.
"I think China is a very interesting country. Additionally, I think Chinese players are really strong. I feel I can learn a lot [from them.] Moreover, I know badminton is a very popular sport in China. So, I told myself that if I can speak Chinese, it might bring me many opportunities and allow me to learn a lot," said the player.
"My goal is to win the gold medal. However, I think the competition is very fierce, with many strong opponents. So, for me, the most important thing is to focus all my attention on each match because the Olympics come with a lot of pressure. Therefore, I don't want to think too far ahead. I need to take it one step at a time and then hope I can achieve good results," he said.
Danish badminton player aims for gold at Paris Olympics
The 2024 World Robot Contest Finals, just concluded on Tuesday in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province, has captivated visitors with exciting robot battles and groundbreaking technologies.
The event consists of two major competitions: Brain-Computer Interface or BCI Brain-controlled Robot Competition and Youth Robot Design Competition.
Running from Jan 16 to 21, the event covers more than 20 major events, 50 minor events and 100 competition groups, providing a broad competitive stage for robot enthusiasts around the world.
During the six-day event, incredible displays realized by BCI technology, like typing and communicating with mind, have also taken the spotlight at the fair.
BCI refers to a system allowing a person to control a computer or other electronic device using his or her brainwaves, without requiring any movement or verbal instruction.
At the competition site, young contestants, wearing portable devices on their heads, silently controlled line-following robots to complete challenge tasks by leveraging their brainwave signals.
Wu Qin, a referee of the competition, explained that the performance of contestants is determined by their level of concentration during the event, with the data being collected from within the human brain.
"The BCI device works kind of like a fitness tracker that monitors our heart rate and blood oxygen levels," Wu added.
Meanwhile, a display and experience area, showcasing various application scenarios of BCI, have attracted crowds of visitors.
"I just experienced the mood breathing light and visual typing. Both are quite advanced. I haven't come across similar things before. This competition let us learn about these novel devices, and it's great," said a visitor.
Robot competition wows public with advancing brain-computer interface technology