Christinna Pedersen quits the Danish national team

Christinna Pedersen’s career has featured several highlights that have both focused on mixed and womens doubles. This wonderful journey now ends when Christinna has decided to leave the Danish national team.

Best to quit while you are ahead
32-year-old Christinna Pedersen stops at the Danish national team. Her last tournament will be the Swiss Open, where she plays with the doublepartner Mathias Christensen.
Christinna Pedersen explains that this is due to a combination of lack of motivation and that she and her partner Kamilla Rytter Juhl, whom she previously played women’s doubles, became parents of her daughter Molly on 5 January.

– I need to be able to feel the last spark inside my stomach when I go to training. It is hard to miss when I have been used to having it for many years and felt that I could always provide my absolute best. I’ve been missing a little lately, says Christinna Pedersen.

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It has not been an easy decision
This week, Christinna Pedersen is playing her last tournament together with her mixed-doubles partner Mathias Christiansen. She says that the decision has not been easy to make because of that partnership that started in 2017.
– The decision has been extra difficult, because not only do I stop my own career, so I also stop Mathias’ and my mixed double, which was really good on the way. Badminton has been a huge part of my life for many years and given me incredibly much. There is no doubt that I will miss it, but I must also acknowledge that in recent months I have had difficulty finding the same driving force that I have had before. Badminton will still mean a lot to both Kamilla and I, and we will both continue in the Danish badminton league, says Christinna Pedersen.

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Great triumphs in women and mixed doubles
In women’s doubles with Kamilla Rytter Juhl, the 32-year-old North Jute won All England in 2018 and Olympic silver in 2016 and World Cup silver in 2015. Since the summer of last year they have not played together since Juhl became pregnant with the couple’s first child.

In mixed doubles, Pedersen has in most years played at the top level with Joachim Fischer. Their CV includes the Olympic bronze in 2012, the World Cup bronze in 2009 and four Denmark Open titles. After the World Championships in 2017, they were split up and she has since made up half of Denmark’s best mixed double with Mathias Christiansen. Here, the biggest achievements have been an India Open title in 2018. In addition, it has become final places in the China Open, Hong Kong Open and an All England semifinal last year.

Big loss for Danish badminton
For Badminton Denmark’s sports director, Jens Meibom, Christinna Pedersen’s career end in the national team comes as a surprise, which is a big loss for Danish badminton. 
– It is of course a blow to our performance goals and especially Olympic ambitions, where we had hoped that Christinna and Mathias would struggle with the medals. At the same time, we naturally have both respect and understanding for her decision, and we want both her and Kamilla all the best in the future. 
– We would also like to thank Christinna for all the great experiences and results she has given Danish badminton and Denmark. Her merits are exceptionally beautiful, and she is undoubtedly one of Denmark’s biggest female players of all times, Jens Meibom said. – Now, we have to look forward. As recent months have shown, elite sports are unpredictable, and we now have to relate to yet another new reality. We have already talked to Mathias about his future, but need a little more time before we can officially report something about the future Mixed Double constellations. 

All England 2018 was the biggest accomplishment
Last week I was in Birmingham with Kamilla and our little girl. There is no doubt that when we were over there a year ago at the top of the All England title, it was my greatest moment of career. But fortunately there have been many great experiences. I am super happy and proud of everything I have received. That’s also why I think this is the right time, she says about her goodbye to the national team that was announced on Monday.

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