Sensation

Far from the Olympic arclights that have been swinging on the Manu Bhakers, P. V. Sindhus and Nikhat Zareens, one unassuming athlete has quietly worked his way up the badminton draw in Paris. Meet Lakshya Sen, India’s first male shuttler ever to make the semifinals at Olympic Games.

The 22-year-old has been overthrowing opponents in Paris and is now one win away from assuring himself of a medal that will brighten the mood on the badminton court, where established names have fallen. In Sunday’s semifinal, the world No. 14 will take on Danish second seed Viktor Axelsen, against whom he does not have a great record, having lost six times in seven matches. However, Lakshya has beaten him at the same stage — in the German Open semi in 2022 when Viktor was World No.1. The same year, he also defeated reigning world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in the India Open final. Write the gritty guy off at your own risk, for he is very strong mentally and does not get overawed by the occasion.

Lakshya has caught the attention of sports lovers with his fiery smashes, fancy footwork and a blinding backhand bolt that he plays as if he has a third eye at the back of his head. Jaw-dropping. Head-turning. Eye-spinning. You name it.

Not being very tall, his centre of gravity comes in handy for Lakshya to recover and cover the court quickly when it comes to movements and turns. Much in tune with his love for speed, the shuttler loves to shift gears, and pull away when he sees an opening. Ask his gasping challengers who have been left playing catch-up.

Lakshya’s rise has been slow and steady. His father D. K. Sen was a former coach in Almora, Uttarakhand, and wanted his sons to be badminton players. He took the elder one, Chirag, to Bangalore and joined him at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy. Lakshya, who was very young then, wanted to follow his brother and stay in Bangalore.

At 11, Lakshya was drafted into the Olympic Gold Quest programme started by the pioneer of Indian badminton, Padukone. The development process started very early. Coach U. Vimal Kumar thought Lakshya really had the potential and focussed on him big time.

It’s not been easy for Lakshya; he’s been elbowed and shouldered as well. During his junior days, he would encounter a lot of issues because of his smash style that gets very hard on the shoulder. But gradually he has overcome them as he understood the game a lot. Now, it’s more about keeping the shuttle in play, getting the rallies going and unleashing the smash when he gets the chance so the dependence on his shoulder is not that high. His overall fitness too has been on the upswing.

Just before the Covid-induced lockdown, Lakshya was sent to Europe to train and play some club matches. That’s where he suddenly shot up. However, towards the end of last year there were fears that he may not qualify for the Paris Games. That’s when Vimal, who had taken a backseat in the preceding six months, got back into Lakshya’s coaching corner full time, and spurred him on to make the Olympics quite comfortably.

Personality wise, Lakshya is soft-spoken but quite flamboyant. He likes to go out, loves a good lifestyle and enjoys himself. He’s not very communicative though and mostly keeps to himself — lets his racquet do the talking.

Lakshya Highs

Bronze (men’s singles) at World Championships, 2021

Gold (men’s team event) at Thomas Cup, 2022

Gold (men’s singles) at Commonwealth Games, 2022

Silver (mixed team) at Commonwealth Games, 2022

Silver (men’s team) at Asian Games, 2022

Bronze (mixed team) at Asian Championships, 2023

Bronze (men’s team) at Asian Championships, 2020

Former World No. 1 in juniors.

Gold medals from the Asian Juniors, Youth Olympics