Paris Olympics: Lakshya Sen storms into the semifinals
The Indian loses the first game to Taiwan’s Chou Tien Chen before winning the next two; the 22-year-old becomes the first Indian male shuttler to enter the last four
Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen won against Taiwan’s Chou Tian Chen in the men’s singles at La Chapelle Arena arena in Paris on August 2, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Ritu Raj Konwar
There’s a tattoo down Lakshya Sen’s neck that reads, “The sky is the limit”.
Whether or not he gets there, at least an Olympic quarterfinal isn’t the limit of his potential. No Indian men’s singles badminton player had ever reached the final-four at the Olympics before Lakshya crashed through the door and made history at the Arena Porte de La Chapelle.
The path to history wasn’t easy, with the 22-year-old from Almora having to overcoming a one-game deficit and push his defensive skills to the absolute limit to get the better of Taiwan’s Chou Tien Chen 19-21, 21-15, 21-12.
“It feels good to become the first Indian male to reach the Olympic semifinals. I’m happy. But I am also very tired. I need to rest before my next match,” he said.
Lakshya came into the match on the back of tremendous momentum, having beaten All England and Asian champion Jonatan Christie in a must-win group stage encounter and then compatriot H.S. Prannoy in the pre-quarterfinals.
But he was far from the favourite against Chou, a 34-year-old veteran on the international circuit who also had a 3-1 advantage against the Indian. The first game had Chou try to take Lakshya by surprise, varying his pace and pulling out disguised trick shots to wrong foot the Indian. Both both players tried to take control of the net, and although Lakshya had a single point lead at 18-17, the Taiwanese stuck to his tactics of moving the Indian around. Although Lakshya was scurrying around, he was putting in the work that would pay off late in the contest.
The first game might have been done but Chou knew he hadn’t yet won. Every match the two have played has been a physical one — all but one encounter going the distance. This was no exception. There was a moment in the second game, however, were Chou felt he had broken the Indian. The two were locked 7-7 when, after a breathtaking rally that had it all – defensive shot piled on jump smashes paired with diving retrieves, shuttles catching the net cord and bobbling over and drop smashes – Chou hit a drive over Lakshya and found the backline of the court.
Although Lakshya challenged the call, there was no review on the big screen. The umpire, though, had seen the result on her private monitor and given the point to Chou. Although the Indian complained, there was nothing to do but play on. From the coaches seat, former All England champion Prakash Padukone – at whose academy Lakshya trains – got up and yelled, “Josh dikhao (show energy), josh dikhao.”
Lakshya was near breaking point and when Chou hit a smash winner and shrieked as if he had actually won. But he hadn’t yet. Lakshya soaked up all the pressure he was under and turned it around.
At 11-11, it was Lakshya’s turn to break the match, winning a point he shouldn’t have. Completely wrong footed, he backtracked and hit a no-look retrieve back at Chou that forced an error.
As the match drew on, it was the 12-year younger Indian who seemed the fresher. The match continued to be punctuated with fast, sharp, flat exchanges and net dribbles but the margin of error in such a game is minute.
The errors in Chou’s game — a couple here and there in the first game —became a flood as Lakshya extended his lead. He took the game and from then on, while Chou gamely tried to hold on, the Indian pulled ahead steadily.
“Lakshya was too fast today,” Chou would admit after the match.
Just as his tattoo says, Lakshya may have pulled through but he is already looking even further.
“I’m going to rest for a bit and then I’m going to start preparing for my next match,” he said.
Read Comments
- Copy link
- Telegram
READ LATER
Remove
SEE ALL
PRINT
Related Topics
badminton
/
Paris Olympics 2024