Prediction: Can Lakshya Sen win a medal at the Paris Olympics 2024?
Indian badminton sensation Lakshya Sen is all set to represent the country on his debut Olympic appearance at Paris 2024. Lakshya, who won the coveted gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, will be hoping to replicate his form on the biggest of sporting stages at the French capital.
The 22-year-old, who is ranked 18 in the world by the Badminton World Federation (BWF), has not had the best of performances in the recent past. By putting in decent performances at the All England Championship and French Open in 2024, making it to the semi-finals of both events, Lakshya just about qualified for the 2024 Summer Games.
Given his talent, Lakshya Sen is being seen by the analysts as someone who has what it takes to put in medal-worthy performances at the upcoming Olympics. Sen was also a part of the team that won India the silver medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou and the Thomas Cup gold in 2022 and has shown plenty of potential in his short career so far. However, the Olympics will be a whole different ballgame for him.
Lakshya Sen’s chances of winning an Olympic medal to be challenged by a tough draw
Though Lakshya Sen has the potential to beat top contenders on his day, his quest for an Olympic medal at the 2024 event might not be the easiest. The rising star will be competing in a tough draw that includes World No. 3 Jonatan Christie. Though Sen should be able to overcome the challenge posed by the other two contenders in the group, World No. 52 Julien Carragi and No. 41 Kevin Cordon, Indonesia’s Christie could easily halt the campaign for the youngster.
Lakshya leads Julien and Kevin in head-to-head (leads Carragi 2-0 and Cordon 1-0) and would start as a favorite against the two. But, it is his poor record against Jonatan Christie in which the Indian trails 1-4, that would be a cause of worry for the player from Almora, Uttarakhand. To make things even tougher for Sen, Christie is in roaring form, having won the Asian Championships and All England Open this year.
On the contrary, 2024 has been a bit somber for the shuttler, with defeats in several competitions so far. In each of the Malaysia Open Super 1000, India Open Super 750, Singapore Open 750, and Badminton Asia Championships, Lakshya has had to face defeat in the Round of 32. Though he won his quarterfinal match in both the Badminton Asia Team Championships and the Thomas Cup, Sen has gone through the year with a mixed show of form.
Since only the top finisher from each group proceeds to the Round of 16, Sen would have to beat Christie at all costs to have any hopes of winning a medal at the Olympics, a task which seems slightly tough for Sen at this time.
Along with HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen is one of the two Indian badminton players to represent the country in the men’s singles event which begins on Saturday, July 27.