Who is Julien Carraggi? Everything you need to know about Lakshya Sen’s second group-stage opponent at the Paris Olympics 2024
Julien Carraggi is the second shuttler that India's Lakshya Sen will take on at the Paris Olympics 2024, and the match promises to be intense. This is the Belgian’s debut appearance at the Summer Games, and he has already impressed the badminton world.
In his first group-stage match, Carraggi went up against Indonesia's reigning All England champion Jonatan Christie. The 24-year-old managed to take a game off his higher-ranked opponent before eventually losing 21-18, 11-21, 16-21.
Julien Carraggi comes into the Paris Olympics on the back of a strong 2024 season, which has seen him make the quarterfinals of the German Open. In the quarter-finals, he lost to China’s Zhao Jun Peng in three games.
While Carraggi's 2024 season may not have seen a podium finish yet, he has shown incredible promise, often pushing players ranked higher than him to three games. At the Singapore Open in May, the Belgian took on India's HS Prannoy in the round of 32, where he managed to win the second game, forcing a decider. However, before Prannoy claimed the win in three games (21-8, 18-21, 21-9).
Last year, the 24-year-old won his first senior international title, claiming gold at the Dutch International. He followed it up with a win at the 2023 Austrian Open.
Julien Carraggi at the Paris Olympics 2024
Julien Carraggi opened his campaign at the Paris Olympics against Jonatan Christie and put up an impressive performance despite ultimately losing. He will next square off against Lakshya Sen in his second group-stage match. Carraggi was set to face Guatemala's Kevin Cordon in his third match. However, Cordon has withdrawn due to an injury.
World No. 41 Carragi is currently ranked well below Sen and Cordon in the BWF men's singles world rankings. However, as past performances have proved, the Belgian can never be counted out and is set to provide fans with more exciting action in the upcoming days at the Paris Olympics.