What makes a person a winner person game or a talent. A game has its moments. One day you win, and on another, you lose. But those days, they don’t define a winner. When you lose, you go down, but the ability to pull yourself up and make another stand is what defines a winner in a game and real life.
People usually ask, ‘what is your Lakshya in life?’. Lakshya means the goal. Like his name, the young badminton The Player of Indian Lakshya Sen, who is only 20, has set a new record for India in the BWF world badminton championship.
Lakshya Became the 3rd Indian to grab a bronze at the game, entering the league of Prakash Padukone( bronze in 1983) and B Sai Praneeth (bronze 2019).
On 18th December Saturday, the Indian sports fan were ecstatic. Two badminton players have made it to the semifinals in the BWF, the world badminton championship held in Huelva, Spain. One was the well-known prodigy Kadambi Srikanth and on the other side was a youngster named Lakshya sen.
Both of them had ensured a medal for India in the game as they were Both are playing against each other in the semis. Before this, Lakshya had before any well-known players reached the semis, including Kenta Nishimoto, world no 17, Kevin cordon and Zhao jun Pen of China in a hair raising game.
In a thrilling 1 hour Nine minutes showdown, Kadambi Srikanth defeated Lakshya sen with 17-21,21-14,21-17 in the Carolina Marine stadium. Kadambi Srikanth became the first Indian to enter the finals and bag a silver. Although Lakshya sen lost The match, the youngster had already created a historical record for India.
He became the youngest Indian in men’s singles to win a medal in his maiden tournament. Not the first time that Lakshya has shown an excellent performance.
His potential was the reason why he qualified for the semis. In the quarters, while facing Zhao jun peng of China, the game was neck to neck. Lakshya won the first set with 21-15 but lost the second one to 15-21.
In the monumental final stage, both the players were neck to neck at 20. His consistent follow-ups at the net saved him three massive points. The moment was intense, yet Lakshya played patiently. One time he almost slipped.
But with sheer luck and presence of mind, he saved the last point with a single backhand drive. Lakshya won the set with 22-20 and entered the semis.
Born in a Small town Almora in Uttarakhand, Lakshya sen showed interest in badminton early. His father, D K Sen and his mother relocated to Bangalore for their children future. Lakshya joined Prakash Padukone Badminton Prakash(PPBA), where almost 11 years to become a league player.
He received his coaching from Padukone, Vimal Kumar, along with Umendra Rana, Sagar Chopda and his father, D K Sen, who was his head coach as well. According to coach Vimal Kumar, his father is a meticulous old-school coach who has sculpted him from the very beginning.
From an early age, he showed significant improvement. Sen became the youth Olympic silver medalist, and last year, he drafted the Asian games gold medalist Jonathan Christy. He has high hopes to play in the Tokyo Olympics 2020, yet due to The pandemic, the event was postponed to 2021.
Disappointed, the team started to practice, but a back pain issue held him back. As if that was not the only hindrance, Lakshya was diagnosed with-19 and failed to join the Tokyo squad.
The pandemic took a toll on his mental And Physical form while he was in his post-recovery period. His performance was highly affected. This was a challenging phase for Lakshya. Even in trials for Thomas and Uber Cup in Hyderabad, Lakshya lost the match, eventually missing out on tour. He was utterly devastated.
After reaching Bangalore, on the same night, I received an unexpected call from the reigning Olympic champion Viktor Axelson. Axelson last year shifted to Dubai, and he was greatly impressed by lakshya’s performance on the court.
He offered him an opportunity to join and train with him in Dubai. It was an offer that Lakshya could never say no to. He accepted this offer, and with that, the jinx to his career somewhat ended.
In September, Lakshya joined Victor Axelson and Brian yang of Canada and Loh Lea Yew of Singapore. He received His training for two weeks. A sports article revealed that Lakshya admitted that training time plays a significant role in reshaping his performance.
He learned many intense tricks, techniques and new moves from Axelson. They used to play long rallies, which impressed the world no 1. This was a turning point for Lakshya. After completing his training in Dubai, he moved to Europe to train further.
According to coach Vimal Kumar, Lakshya has shown outstanding improvement in the last three months. He has learned new tricks.
Lakshya’s parents have played a tremendous role in his life. Their constant supports and coaching led him this far. He is only at the beginning. He has a long way to go. India sees a potential Olympic medalist in him.
After his return, it is reported that he will be training under a south Korean coach Yoo Yong Song who was a double silver medalist in men’s doubles and will teach him till Paris 2024. Currently, Lakshya is ranked no six at WTR men’s singles and has a world ranking of 17 in men’s singles. His inspirations are Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia and Prakash Padukone.
