Simon aims for sky with ex-world champ father by his side

MORE than two decades ago, Peter Rasmussen had disrupted the badminton world by reaching the pinnacle.

- ANMOL GURUNG Guwahati

The former ace, renowned for his footwork and stinging jump-smashes, had taken a rare path then by becoming the first Dane and a non-Asian player to capture the world title since 1977.

In the following years, he had gone on to capture the European crown before an injury forced him to retire in the early 2000s. Now, his son Simon, who's featuring in the ongoing World Junior Championships here, is looking to follow in his footsteps.

Simon comes across as any other regular teenager who's here to leave his mark on the court. After acing his men's opening singles match at the World Championships, the Danish shuttler was in good spirits.

Peter, who also doubles up as his coach, is also here to inspire him. "I think I was a bit nervous because it was the first round. I often feel a bit tense in the beginning of matches, especially first-round matches. But I was able to do quite well even though I was quite nervous," Simon said.