At the Paris 2024 Olympics, India’s Lakshya Sen badminton player will vie for the bronze medal after losing to Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen semi-final. In a gripping match at La Chapelle Arena, Sen, ranked 22nd, fell to the world No. 2 Axelsen with scores of 22-20, 21-14 in 54 minutes.
Sen started strong, leading 7-0 in the second game after narrowly losing the first. However, Axelsen surged back, eventually taking the second game and securing his place in the final. Despite the setback, Sen has a chance to make history as the first Indian badminton player to win an Olympic medal in the men’s singles badminton Paris 2024.
Sen will face Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia vs Lakshya Sen, ranked 7th, in the bronze medal match. Sen holds a 4-1 advantage over Lee, including a win at the All England Open earlier this year.
In the semi-final, Sen’s early errors gave Axelsen a lead. Sen fought back, taking a 7-6 lead and reaching 11-9 at the break. Despite leading 17-11, Sen struggled with service errors, and Axelsen capitalized to win the first game. Sen began the second game strongly with a 7-0 lead but couldn’t maintain it as Axelsen took control, ultimately winning and moving on to the gold medal match.
Sen’s performance in Paris is notable as he became the first Indian to reach the men’s singles semi-finals at the Olympics. Previously, Parupalli Kashyap and Kidambi Srikanth reached the quarter-finals in London 2012 and Rio 2016, respectively.
