“This is going to hurt for some time” - Lakshya Sen on disappointment of his near-miss on a podium finish at the Paris Olympics
Lakshya Sen is back home from the Paris Olympics 2024 but the sting of missing out on a medal hasn't eased yet for him. The Indian had a memorable outing at the Games, though his campaign will always be marred by the thought of what could have been as he lost his bronze medal match.
Sen headed into the marquee event as the World No. 22 and wasn't too high on the list of medal hopefuls. With most of the attention from India focused on HS Prannoy and the duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, the youngster shocked the nation out of their stupor when he denied All England champion Jonatan Christie a berth in the knockout stages.
From there, Lakshya Sen worked his way systematically through his round-of-16 and quarterfinal matches, downing Prannoy and then Chou Tien Chen to set up a semifinal clash with defending champion Viktor Axlesen.
His appearance in the final four made the 22-year-old the first Indian men's singles player to reach the mark, and for a minute, it looked like he would be through to the finals. However, a costly stumble in the latter half of the match saw Sen lose, a story that would repeat itself in his bronze medal match against Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia.
A few weeks after the disappointing ordeal, Lakshya Sen detailed his experience at the Paris Olympics.
“Overall, in how I played, there were some things I was happy and proud about at Paris. But this is gonna hurt for some time. I’m looking to add and change a lot of things moving forward," he told the Indian Express.
Reflecting on his match against Axelsen, the Indian identified the need to stay calm when it matters the most as a skill he needed.
“I’m happy that my starting strategy was working well. But in crucial situations, I could’ve played differently. I didn’t play well at all in the end, and there were a lot of unforced shots (errors). I needed to be a bit more patient,” he added.
Lakshya Sen on his no-look backhand against Jonatan Christie
For Lakshya Sen, many memorable instances will clutter his recollections of his time at the Paris Olympics. A standout moment was the no-look, behind-the-back backhand shot he pulled off at a crucial point against Jonatan Christie in the group stage matches.
In the final minutes of the first game, Sen, already regarded for his impenetrable defense, pulled off this stunning shot, which would go viral on social media. Speaking to the Indian Express about the same, Sen said:
"We do play that in training. But I’m happy it came off here as a good shot at a crucial time. The shuttle had actually gone past me, and I’ll say this would be Backhand Shot No 4 on priority. But it was the only shot left as option in that situation.”
The shuttler added that while the stroke holds little advantage on paper, the mental aspect of it must have bogged down Christie.
“There is a higher chance of making mistakes. And usually you don’t get any advantage because the shuttle was still in play after Christie returned. I knew the shot went viral, but maybe it played its part in the mental bit," Sen said.
While the disappointment of his near-miss at the Paris Olympics is unlikely to desert Lakshya Sen anytime soon, the Indian will now be heading to the Red Bull Athlete Performance Centre in Salzburg, Austria, to work on the mental and physical aspects of his game.