India’s Lakshya Sen narrowly missed securing a historic men’s singles bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics badminton tournament, losing to Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia on Monday. Competing at La Chapelle Arena, 22-year-old Lakshya Sen (ranked 22nd) was defeated 13-21, 21-16, 21-11 by the world No. 7 in a 71-minute match.
Sen started strong, dominating the first game with a 6-2 lead and an 11-5 advantage at the break, thanks to effective use of court dimensions and favorable line calls. Despite winning the first game comfortably, Sen conceded eight straight points in the second game, allowing Lee Zii Jia to level the match. Struggling with a bruised and bleeding right forearm, Sen couldn’t mentally recover in the third game, where the Malaysian controlled the rallies and clinched the bronze medal.
Lakshya Sen, the reigning Commonwealth champion, had a remarkable run at the Paris 2024 Olympics. He began the bronze medal match with a solid 6-2 lead, capitalizing on Lee Zii Jia’s unforced errors. However, Lee Zii Jia bounced back, turning an 8-8 parity into an 11-8 lead at the break in the second game. Sen leveled the score at 12-12 but couldn’t maintain his momentum, losing the second game.
In the third game, Lee Zii Jia surged to a 9-2 lead, and despite Sen’s efforts, the Malaysian extended his advantage to 16-8 and ultimately won the match. This defeat marked Sen’s second loss to Lee Zii Jia, though he had beaten him at the All England Open earlier this year.
A Remarkable Journey to the Semi-Finals
Sen’s Olympic journey included a notable victory over reigning All England champion and world No. 4 Jonatan Christie in the group stage, and a hard-fought win against Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien-chen in the quarter-finals. Despite a heartbreaking semi-final loss to Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Viktor Axelsen, Sen made history as the first Indian shuttler to reach the men’s singles semi-finals at the Summer Games.
Leave a Reply