India’s Lakshya Sen returns a shot during the Men’s Singles Semifinal badminton match against Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen at the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (PTI Photo/Ravi Choudhary)
Lakshya Sen vs Lee Zii Jia: Lakshya Sen came close but was unable to etch his name in Indian badminton history by clinching the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics in the men’s singles event. The young Indian shuttler, who had narrowly missed out on making the cut for the gold medal match on Sunday by losing to former World No 1 Viktor Axelsen, won the first game but went on to lose the next two to Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia in the bronze medal match.
Sen missed out on joining an elite group of Indian badminton players who have medaled at the Olympics, which includes PV Sindhu who has two medals and Saina Nehwal. This, in his debut Games.
“I had my chances in the second set. I could’ve definitely done better. Credit to him, he played better,” Sen told JioCinema afterwards. “I think I came well prepared for this game. It has been quite a tough week overall. I was ready to give my 100 percent.”
Sen, who picked up an elbow injury during the game, also believed that it impacted his overall performance, “In between the points, the blood was on the floor. Sometimes, it takes away the momentum. Just having that break in the game.”
A near-miss at a podium finish at the Olympics goes with what has been an impressive resume for the 22-year-old who hails from Almora in the Uttarakhand state. Lakshya had announced his arrival at the world stage with a bronze medal at the 2021 World Championships in Huelva. The following year saw him play a crucial role in India’s historic Thomas Cup triumph and win a gold medal in the men’s singles event at the Commonwealth Games. Last year, at the Asiad in Hangzhou, Lakshya was part of the Indian team that won a silver in the men’s team event.
On Sunday, the Indian shuttler had come second best despite a three-point advantage in the first game and a 7-0 lead in the second to surrender 20-22 14-21 to the two-time world champion Axelsen in a 54-minute semifinal clash.
“If I would have closed the first game, then I would have had better chance of closing the match. In the second game also, I started well but couldn’t keep the lead,” Sen would tell the broadcasters after the contest.
Axelsen, who made it to the final, also had high praise for Lakshya, whom he sees being the favorite to go all the way at the LA Olympics, four years later. “Lakshya is an amazing player. He has shown in this Olympics that he is a very, very strong competitor and I am sure in four years from now, he will be one of the favorites to win the gold,” Axelsen told Jio Cinema.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
First uploaded on: 05-08-2024 at 19:12 IST
