Lakshya Sen’s Olympic heartbreak continues to linger, as the Indian badminton star grapples with the disappointment of his back-to-back defeats in the men’s singles event at the Paris Olympics 2024.
After PV Sindhu, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, and HS Prannoy were eliminated, Lakshya emerged as India’s last hope for a badminton medal. However, his dreams were shattered in the semifinals against Viktor Axelsen of Denmark and the bronze-medal match against Malaysia’s Lee Zee Jia.
Recalling the agonizing defeats, Lakshya admits that he came up just short in crucial moments. Despite his impressive form leading up to the Olympics, he squandered three game points against Axelsen and a 7-point lead against Lee.
“After the match, I was devastated,” Lakshya said in an interview with Humans of Bombay. “It’s going to hurt for a while that I couldn’t give India the medal at this Olympics.”
Lakshya’s coach, Prakash Padukone, and Vimal Kumar, were critical of his performance, blaming him for ending India’s 12-year Olympic medal streak. However, Lakshya received unwavering support from Deepika Padukone, who reached out to him after the bronze medal match and offered words of comfort.
“They have been really supportive,” Lakshya said. “Even after the bronze medal match, she called me and said ‘It’s fine; don’t worry. You did good.'”
Despite the disappointment, Lakshya remains determined to improve and achieve his Olympic dream. He acknowledges that he could have been more clinical in crucial stages and is working on addressing those weaknesses.
“I know there are some things that I could have done better,” he said. “Everything was fine, but towards the end, I wasn’t able to get there.”
As Lakshya continues to process his Olympic experience, he is grateful for the support of his family, friends, and fans. He is confident that he will learn from his mistakes and return stronger in the future.
