Denmark, one of the leading European badminton nations, is ready to kick off the year with a bang. The national federation announced a week ago the new partnerships of doubles players that would be part of their Elite National Training Centre for the year.

The new additions to the elite group include Rasmus Kjær, Jeppe Bay, Mathias Thyrri and Mikkel Mikkelsen, with a reshuffling of some of the existing pairs. The mixed doubles will welcome new pairings Amalie Magelund/ Mathias Thyrri and Sara Thygesen/ Mathias Bay-Smidt, while men’s doubles will have another two, Joel Eipe/ Daniel Lundgaard and Frederik Søgaard/ Rasmus Kjær.

A new partnership with big potential

With Mads Pieler Kolding announcing his retirement from international badminton in November last year, it was time for Frederik Søgaard to find a new partnership. Rasmus Kjær, who was previously partnered with Joel Eipe, will be forming the new duo with him. 

- I’m really looking forward to this partnership with Kjaer. We just started to practice together, so there is a lot of work to be done. However, I think there is big potential in this partnership. Kjær and I are almost the same age, which means that there is a good opportunity for us as a pair to develop together, Søgaard stated.

This is an exciting new chapter for both players, and Søgaard is facing it with optimism and an eagerness to step on court and show Europe and the world what the pair can do.

- In my opinion, Kjaer and I compliment each other very well. We are both players who like to work hard, motivated by big goals. For me, it is important to play with a partner with who I have a good relationship, on and off the court, and I think Kjaer will be a good fit, Søgaard explained.