Large amounts of praise came his way, as young badminton sensation Lakshya Sen, performed brilliantly at the Paris Olympics 2024 until he lost in the semifinals. On the road to the semis, he won five continuous matches en route to show his grit and determination. Though he lost to Viktor Axelson of Denmark, the performance by this 23-year-old Indian shuttler has created a long-lasting memory among the people of this country.
Sen’s Olympic journey didn’t end with the semifinals. He was up against Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia for the Bronze Medal match. Though Lakshya won the first game, his surge couldn’t continue, and he lost the game.
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In this tournament, one shot by him stole the limelight—a no-look reverse backhand which reminded many of the Virat Kohli iconic down-the-ground six against Haris Rauf. Comparisons did, however, lead to discussions about Sen being the “Virat Kohli of Indian badminton,” a title he is certainly overjoyed to have bestowed upon him.
Lakshya Sen said, “Virat Kohli is one of the biggest sporting icons in India. I’m his fan, especially for his mentality and aggression”. (TRS). pic.twitter.com/1v0MGJ1dSZ
— 𝙎𝙖𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙝𝙫𝙠𝙛18 (@saurabh_shelar_) August 29, 2024
Lakshya was asked about the comparison in conversation with Ranveer Allahabadia on his YouTube channel. Allahabadia: Lakshya Sen did an 18.5 of Virat Kohli, who played a crazy shot. So, this was the badminton equivalent. People call you the Virat Kohli of badminton. It’s cool to be called Virat Kohli of any field. Would you take that compliment? Lakshya: Why not? At the same time, he has done a lot for Indian cricket, and yes, I want to be the Virat Kohli of Indian badminton in the coming years.
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After the exhausting Olympics season, Lakshya heads to Salzburg’s Red Bull Athlete Performance Centre to work on his overall fitness and endurance. The star born in Almora would return to competitive action in September following a week-long training-stint in Austria.
