Shuttler Lakhsya Sen, who turns 23 this August 16, has already achieved things on the badminton court that many others would be unable to replicate even much later in their careers.
Sen, who hails from Almora in Rajasthan, was the Asian junior champion in 2018; a bronze medallist at the 2021 World Championship; and a losing finalist two years ago at the All England championship, which was formerly considered the unofficial world championship and won by his mentor Prakash Padukone in 1980.
He also won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games to add to his list of remarkable achievements at a young age.
Sen, who is here to make his debut in the Greatest Show on Earth, the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, told a trio of accredited correspondents that it was a dream come true for him.
“Yes it’s my first Olympics and I am excited to be here. We have the last two practice sessions (left) and then we start out matches here. I am just looking forward to playing the matches and am really focused on doing well. As a kid, I always dreamt of playing in the Olympics, and now that I am here, I will perform at my best,” Sen said in the mixed zone at the Arena Porte de la Chappelle today.
Sen is happy with his preparation and form as he is poised to fulfil his childhood dream.
“I am in Group L. It’s a good draw with Kevin Cordon from Guatemala, whom I am meeting first in the group stage, and Jonathan Christie from Indonesia. Every match, I have to go in there and give my best. At the same time, I am really confident about my preparation and form over the last few months. I am confident of doing well”.
Sen said that as per his past experience, the courts and the shuttles here will be a bit slow, which suits his style.
“We had two good training sessions here, and I’m not sure they had the ACs working at full tilt until now. There is no crowd too. We played here during the French Open in March. The conditions are good overall, and the shuttles are a bit on the slower side, so matches and rallies will last longer. You have to work really hard to win points. There is drift on either side of the court, but overall, I like playing in slower conditions.”
Sen was pleased that his mentor Prakash was here to guide him courtside.
“I started training under him (Prakash) from the age of 9. Every day, I have learnt something new. His presence will make a big difference; last time he was travelling for the All England and French Opens. It made a huge difference as having him around makes you feel a bit more confident knowing that he is in your corner.”
He said his preparations had started once he qualified for the Olympics, and he had a good run-up leading into the mega event.
“I had a tough patch before that (All England). Doing well there was important for me to qualify for the Olympics. In those two tournaments, the All England and French Opens, the improvement has been good, especially in training and in the tournaments I have played. My performance has been good. Looking forward to playing here.”