Paris Olympics 2024: Lakshya Sen misses Olympic final, to play for bronze next
(Courtesy : Getty Images)
Lakshya Sen will play Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia in the bronze medal match.
Young Indian badminton player Lakshya Sen came close to making history at the Paris Olympics 2024 but fell short in his semi-final match against Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen. Despite the loss, Sen still has a chance to win a bronze medal for India.
Against Axelsen, he went down in straight games 20-22, 14-21 in a little less than an hour. Next, Lakshya will face Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia in the bronze medal match, with a chance to become the first Indian male shuttler to win an Olympic medal.
In an exciting match, Sen started strong against the reigning Olympic champion. He led 11-9 at the mid-game break in the first game and even extended his lead to 17-11. Sen was just four points away from winning the first game when Axelsen made an impressive comeback.
The Danish player saved three game points and eventually won the first game 22-20. Sen made some mistakes towards the end, which cost him the game.
Sen didn’t give up and began the second game with great energy. He won seven points in a row and looked like he might force a deciding third game. However, Axelsen found his rhythm and started hitting powerful smashes that Sen couldn’t return. The Danish player won the second game 21-14, securing his place in the final.
The final score was 22-20, 21-14 in Axelsen’s favor. He will now try to defend his Olympic title in the final.
Even though Sen lost, he still has a chance to win an Olympic medal. He will play against Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia for the bronze medal on Monday. Lee Zii Jia also lost his semifinal match against Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsaran.
Sen will need to forget about this loss and focus on the bronze medal match. If he plays his best, he could still bring home a medal for India, which would be a great achievement for the young player.
This match shows how tough Olympic competition can be. Even when players are doing well, things can change quickly. Sen played a good match against the world’s best player, and now he has one more chance to win a medal for his country
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Anmol is a sports freelancer and writer who specializes in Olympic sports. He has been associated with Khel Now since 2023. An engineer by qualification, he holds a degree in computer science. A passionate sports enthusiast, Anmol follows almost every Olympic sports. He runs a Twitter page as well called Sports Arena and is quite active on Twitter on his ID, Anmolkakkar27, to promote sports in India. His favorite sport is badminton, and his favourite sportsperson is Saina Nehwal. An ardent supporter of Delhi-based teams across all sports leagues, Anmol also closely follows and covers parasports as well.