Lakshya Sen (born 16 August 2001) is an Indian badminton player.[3] He's a former World Junior No. 1. Sen is a bronze medalist at the World Championships, a gold medalist at the Thomas Cup, a silver medalist at the Asian Games and a gold and silver medalist at the Commonwealth Games.[4] He has also won bronze medals at the Asia Team and Asia Mixed Team Championships. Sen won the Canada Open and was the runner-up at the All England Open. At the junior level, he has won a gold and silver medal at the Youth Olympic Games, a bronze medal at World Junior Championships and a gold and bronze medal at Asia Junior Championships.[5]

Lakshya Sen
Personal information
CountryIndia
Born (2001-08-16) 16 August 2001 (age 23)
Almora, Uttarakhand, India[1]
ResidenceBangalore, India[2]
Height1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)
Years active2014–present
HandednessRight
Coach
Men's singles
Career record245 wins, 107 losses
Highest ranking6 (8 November 2022)
Current ranking17 (15 October 2024)
HonoursArjuna Award
BWF profile

Early life

Sen was born on 16 August 2001 to Nirmala and Dhirendra Sen in the Almora district of Uttarakhand.[6] They shifted to Bangalore for the sake of his badminton career. Sen is a third generation shuttler from his family. His grandfather Chandra Lal Sen and his father were badminton players.[7] His elder brother Chirag Sen is also a professional shuttler.[8]

Personal life

Coaching

Vimal Kumar is his coach while former player Prakash Padukone is his mentor.[9] For brief periods of time, Sen has been coached by Yoo Yong-sung.[10] He has also undergone training stints under Morten Frost and Peter Gade.[11] His conditioning coach is Paddy Upton.[12] In addition to his training sessions, Sen takes on ice baths, steam and sauna, and joint mobilisation work routines.[13]

Career

Early steps (2009)

Sen was about ten years old when he walked into Vimal Kumar's office at the Karnataka Badminton Association in Bengaluru, stood on his toes to reach the table and gave him a handwritten note. In it, he wrote scoreline details, wanting to join the academy to get better and beat his opponents.[14]

Swiss Junior International (2016)

 

Having trained at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, Sen had shown his talent as a badminton player at a very young age.[15] In 2014, he won the Swiss Junior International and had a brilliant year in the junior badminton circuit in 2016.[16] He clinched the bronze medal at Junior Asian Championship after losing to Sun Feixiang 12–21, 16–21. Coincidently, Sen lost to Sun again in the pre-quarters of Junior World Championship 21–17, 8–21 and 13–21. His team finished 8th in the team event. Sen then competed in the senior international level and won the men's singles title at the 2016 India International Series tournament.

Vietnam Open (2017)

Sen started off at Syed Modi International where he lost in the pre-quarters to compatriot Sourabh Verma 14–21, 16–21. Sen then became the number one junior singles player in BWF World Junior ranking in February 2017.[17] At the Junior Asian Championship, Sen was seeded as No.1 but lost in the pre-quarters to Lin Chun-yi 21–13, 23–25 and 20–22. Sen reached the Quarter-finals of Vietnam Open before losing to Kodai Naraoka 21–17, 21–23 and 10–21. Sen was then seeded as No.2 at the Junior World Championship but in the Quarter-finals, he lost to Kodai Naraoka 21–14, 17–21, 14–21.

Asian Junior Championships and Youth Olympics (2018)

Sen defeated Cheam June Wei, a much higher ranked player than him 21–11, 21–16 in straight games at the New Zealand Open but lost to 2 time Olympic gold medallist and seed No.1 Lin Dan 21–15, 15–21 and 12–21. At the Australian Open. He lost to seed No.7 Lee Cheuk Yiu 20–22, 21–13 and 19–21. Sen emerged as the champion at the 2018 Asian Junior Championships defeating the top seeded World Junior No. 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the final 21–19, 21–18.[18]

At the Hyderabad Open, Sen lost to seed No. 8 Heo Kwang-hee 13–21 and 12–21. Sen defeated seed No.2 Sitthikom Thammasin 21–14, 21–19 in the pre-quarters of 2018 Bangka Belitung Indonesia Masters but lost to seed No.7 Lin Yu-hsien 21–12, 20–21 and 14–21 in the Quarter-finals.

Sen participated at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics as the fourth seeded. He settled for boys' singles silver medal after losing to Chinese player Li Shifeng in straight games 15–21, 19–21.[19] He also competed in the mixed team event, and helped team Alpha win the gold medal.[20]

Sen clinched the bronze medal at the BWF Junior World Championships after losing to the eventual champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the semi-finals 22–20, 16–21, 13–21.

Scottish Open (2019)

Sen won the 2019 Belgian International tournament by beating Victor Svendsen 21–14 and 21–15. Sen clinched his first BWF Tour title by winning the Dutch Open men's singles title after beating Yusuke Onodera of Japan. The Dutch Open is a BWF Tour Super 100 tournament. In November 2019, he won the SaarLorLux Open which is a BWF Tour Super 100 tournament held in Saarbrücken, Germany. He defeated China's Weng Hongyang in the final to claim the title.[21]

He won the men's singles title in the 2019 Scottish Open in November, with a victory against Brazilian Ygor Coelho.[22]

Asian Team Championships (2020)

Sen was a member of the Indian team which clinched the bronze medal at 2020 Badminton Asia Team Championships.

Sen reached the 2nd round of 2020 All England Open which was his 1st ever BWF Super 1000 Tournament before losing to the champion and world No.1 Viktor Axelsen 17–21 and 18–21. He lost to Hans-Kristian Vittinghus 21–15, 7–21 and 15–21 in 2nd round of the 2020 Denmark Open. Sen was seeded as No.2 at 2020 SaarLorLux Open but withdrew due to an injury. The Covid-19 Pandemic restricted him to play any more international BWF Tournaments in the year.

World Championships (2021)

In December, he reached the World Championships semifinals where he lost to compatriot Srikanth Kidambi in a hard-fought match 21–17, 14–21, 17–21 and settled for a bronze medal.[23]

Thomas Cup and Commonwealth Games (2022)

In January, he defeated the reigning world champion Loh Kean Yew in the India Open final, thus clinching his first Super 500 title. He defeated Loh in two straight games 24–22, 21–17.[24] In the German Open, Lakshya defeated World No.1 Viktor Axelsen in the semifinals, but lost the finals to Kunlavut Vitidsarn. He then defeated World No. 3 Anders Antonsen and World No. 7 Lee Zii Jia to reach the finals of the 2022 All England Open.[25] He lost the finals to Viktor Axelsen 10–21, 15–21.[26][27] He subsequently withdrew from the Swiss Open, as he was tired after playing 2 back-to-back BWF tournaments finals.[28] Lakshya Sen was part of the Indian men's team for 2022 Thomas Cup. The team went on to win the Thomas Cup by beating Indonesia 3–0, with Sen winning his match against Anthony Sinisuka Ginting.[29] He became Commonwealth champion at 2022 Commonwealth Games by defeating Ng Tze Yong of Malaysia in the final. Sen was also part of the Indian team that won silver in the mixed team event.[30]

Canada Open and Asian Games (2023)

In February, Lakshya Sen was a member of the Indian team that clinched the bronze medal at Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships.

On July 9, Lakshya Sen defeated China's Li Shifeng in straight sets 21-18, 22-20 in the finals and won the 2023 Canada Open in Calgary, Canada.[31] Sen was part of the Indian team which won a silver medal in the men's team event at 2022 Asian games.[32]

Paris Olympics (2024)

Sen participated in the Olympic Games held in Paris. He defeated third seeded Jonatan Christie in the group stage and progressed to the knockout stage. After winning against his compatriot Prannoy H. S. in the round of 16, he defeated Chou Tien-chen in the quarter finals. However he was stopped by the second seeded Viktor Axelsen in the semifinal stage.[33][34] He then finished fourth after losing the bronze medal match to Lee Zii Jia, scripting the best ever performance by a men's badminton player from his country.[35]

Achievements

World Championships

Men's singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result
2021 Palacio de los Deportes Carolina Marín, Huelva, Spain   Srikanth Kidambi 21–17, 14–21, 17–21   Bronze

Commonwealth Games

Men's singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result
2022 National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, England   Ng Tze Yong 19–21, 21–9, 21–16   Gold

Youth Olympic Games

Boys' singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result
2018 Tecnópolis, Buenos Aires, Argentina   Li Shifeng 15–21, 19–21   Silver

World Junior Championships

Boys' singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result
2018 Markham Pan Am Centre, Markham, Canada   Kunlavut Vitidsarn 22–20, 16–21, 13–21   Bronze

Asia Junior Championships

Boys' singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result
2016 CPB Badminton Training Center, Bangkok, Thailand   Sun Feixiang 12–21, 16–21   Bronze
2018 Jaya Raya Sports Hall Training Center, Jakarta, Indonesia   Kunlavut Vitidsarn 21–19, 21–18   Gold

BWF World Tour (4 titles, 2 runners-up)

The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[36] is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tour is divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300, and the BWF Tour Super 100.[37]

Men's singles

Year Tournament Level Opponent Score Result
2019 Dutch Open Super 100   Yusuke Onodera 15–21, 21–14, 21–15   Winner
2019 Hylo Open Super 100   Weng Hongyang 17–21, 21–18, 21–16   Winner
2022 India Open Super 500   Loh Kean Yew 24–22, 21–17   Winner
2022 German Open Super 300   Kunlavut Vitidsarn 18–21, 15–21   Runner-up
2022 All England Open Super 1000   Viktor Axelsen 10–21, 15–21   Runner-up
2023 Canada Open Super 500   Li Shifeng 21–18, 22–20   Winner

BWF International Challenge/Series (7 titles, 3 runners-up)

Men's singles

Year Tournament Opponent Score Result
2016 India International Series   Lee Zii Jia 11–13, 11–3, 11–6   Winner
2017 Bulgarian Open   Zvonimir Đurkinjak 18–21, 21–12, 21–17   Winner
2017 India International Series   Chong Yee Han 21–15, 17–21, 21–17   Winner
2017 India International Challenge   Sitthikom Thammasin 21–15, 14–21, 19–21   Runner-up
2018 India International Challenge   Kunlavut Vitidsarn 21–15, 21–10   Winner
2019 Polish Open   Kunlavut Vitidsarn 17–21, 14–21   Runner-up
2019 Belgian International   Victor Svendsen 21–14, 21–15   Winner
2019 Scottish Open   Ygor Coelho 18–21, 21–18, 21–19   Winner
2019 Bangladesh International   Leong Jun Hao 22–20, 21–18   Winner
2021 Dutch Open   Loh Kean Yew 12–21, 16–21   Runner-up
  BWF International Challenge tournament
  BWF International Series tournament
  BWF Future Series tournament

BWF Junior International (2 titles, 1 runner-up)

Boys' singles

Year Tournament Opponent Score Result
2014 Swiss Junior International   B. M. Rahul Bharadwaj 11–5, 11–6, 6–11, 11–6   Winner
2015 India Junior International   Chirag Sen 21–18, 21–15   Winner
2017 German Junior International   Lee Chia-hao 21–19, 11–21, 18–21   Runner-up
  BWF Junior International Grand Prix tournament
  BWF Junior International Challenge tournament
  BWF Junior International Series tournament
  BWF Junior Future Series tournament

Performance timeline

Key
W F SF QF #R RR Q# A G S B NH N/A DNQ
(W) won; (F) finalist; (SF) semi-finalist; (QF) quarter-finalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze medal; (NH) not held; (N/A) not applicable; (DNQ) did not qualify.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

National team

  • Junior level
Team events 2016 2017 2018
Asian Junior Championships QF 2R QF
World Junior Championships QF QF QF
  • Senior level
Team events 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Asia Team Championships A NH B NH A NH QF
Asia Mixed Team Championships NH A NH B NH
Asian Games A NH S NH
Commonwealth Games A NH S NH
Thomas Cup RR NH A NH G NH
Sudirman Cup NH A NH A NH A NH

Individual competitions

  • Junior level
Events 2016 2017 2018
Asian Junior Championships B 4R G
World Junior Championships 4R QF B
Youth Olympic Games NH S
  • Senior level
Events 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Asian Championships NH 1R 1R 1R
Asian Games NH A NH
Commonwealth Games NH G NH
World Championships NH B 3R 3R NH
Olympic Games DNQ NH 4th
Tournament SS / GP BWF World Tour SR Best
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Malaysia Open A NH A 1R 1R 0/2 1R ('23, '24)
India Open A NH W 2R 1R 1/3 W ('22)
Indonesia Masters NH A Q1 2R QF QF 2R 0/5 QF ('22, '23)
Thailand Masters A NH A 0/0
German Open A NH F 1R A 0/2 F ('22)
French Open A NH QF 1R 1R SF 0/4 SF ('24)
All England Open A 2R QF F 2R SF 0/5 F ('22)
Orléans Masters N/A A 1R NH A 0/1 1R ('19)
Swiss Open A NH 1R w/d 1R 2R 0/3 2R ('24)
Ruichang China Masters N/A A SF NH A 0/1 SF ('19)
Spain Masters N/A A Q1 A NH A w/d 0/1 Q1 ('19)
Thailand Open A NH A SF A 0/1 SF ('23)
Malaysia Masters A Q1 NH A 2R A 0/2 2R ('23)
Singapore Open A NH A 1R 1R 0/2 1R ('23, '24)
Indonesia Open A NH 1R 1R 2R QF 0/4 QF ('24)
Australian Open A 1R Q2 NH w/d 1R A 0/3 1R ('18, '23)
U.S. Open A 2R NH SF A 0/2 SF ('23)
Canada Open A 2R NH A W w/d 1/2 W ('23)
Japan Open A NH 1R SF A 0/2 SF ('23)
Korea Open A NH 2R A 0/1 2R ('22)
Indonesia Masters Super 100 N/A QF A NH A 0/1 QF ('18)
Taipei Open A NH A 0/0
Vietnam Open 3R A NH A 0/1 3R ('17)
Hong Kong Open A NH A 0/0
China Open A NH 1R A 0/1 1R ('23)
Macau Open A NH N/A A 0/0
Arctic Open N/A A 2R 0/1 2R ('24)
Denmark Open A 2R 2R QF 1R 1R 0/5 QF ('22)
Hylo Open A W w/d SF 1R A 1/3 W ('19)
Korea Masters A NH A 0/0
Japan Masters N/A 1R 1R 0/2 1R ('23, '24)
China Masters A NH 1R QF 0/2 QF ('24)
Syed Modi International 3R A 2R NH w/d A 0/2 3R ('17)
BWF World Tour Finals DNQ SF DNQ 0/1 SF ('21)
Dutch Open A W NH N/A 1/1 W ('19)
Hyderabad Open N/A 2R 1R NH N/A 0/2 2R ('18)
New Zealand Open A 2R 1R NH N/A 0/2 2R ('18)
Russian Open A w/d NH N/A 0/0
Year-end ranking 87 109 32 27 17 7 16 6
Tournament 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 SR Best

Record against opponents

Record against Year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists. Accurate as of 23 April 2024.

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Result Ref(s)
2019 Indian Sports Honours Emerging Sportsman of the Year Nominated [38]
2022 Arjuna Award Outstanding Performance in Sports Won [39][40]
2023 Indian Sports Honours Emerging Sportsman of the Year Won [41]
Electrifying Performance of the Year Nominated

See also

References

  1. ^ "From Almora To Olympic Semifinals: Meet Lakshya Sen, Indian Badminton Player Who Made History At Paris Olympics 2024". Zee News. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  2. ^ "Lakshya Sen back to base after Paris heartbreak: The fire burns brightly within me". India Today. 11 August 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  3. ^ "Players: Lakshya Sen". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 14 August 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  4. ^ "CWG 2022: 20-year-old Lakshya Sen Wins Gold Medal In Badminton Men's Singles". Hindustan Times. 8 August 2022. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  5. ^ "Viktor Axelsen defeats Lakshya Sen to win 2022 All England badminton Open". Olympics.
  6. ^ "Inside Indian badminton star Lakshya Sen's net worth, income, career, education and more". India Times. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  7. ^ "Teenage shuttler Lakshya Sen wants to focus on the basics". Mid-day. 1 December 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Joy for Sen family as brothers Chirag and Lakshya named in Indian squad for BATC". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  9. ^ Nadkarni, Shirish (8 February 2017). "Decoding Lakshya Sen: How the world's No 1 junior has taken the badminton world by storm". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  10. ^ "Korean coach Yoo Yong-sung back in Lakshya Sen's team ahead of Paris Olympics". Hindustan Times.
  11. ^ "How Morten Frost's advice, playing with Viktor Axelsen and tactical maturity helped Lakshya Sen soar". Firstpost. 17 January 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  12. ^ Acharya, Shayan (9 August 2024). ""Lakshya is on the journey of learning," says mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton". sportstar.thehindu.com. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  13. ^ "Discover Lakshya Sen's attention to detail that goes into fitness training". Red Bull. 9 September 2024. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  14. ^ "The wind beneath Lakshya's wings". Hindustan Times.
  15. ^ "India Open 2024: Lakshya Sen inspired by Prakash Padukone's words of wisdom". Business Standard.
  16. ^ "Lakshya Sen, the new poster boy of Indian badminton". Olympics.
  17. ^ Talwar, Gaurav (2 February 2017). "Lakshya Sen becomes World No 1 junior badminton player". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  18. ^ "Lakshya Sen stuns World No 1 to bag badminton gold in Asian Junior Championships". The Indian Express. 22 July 2018. Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  19. ^ "Youth Olympics 2018: Lakshya Sen settles for silver medal in Badminton". The Indian Express. 13 October 2018. Archived from the original on 14 October 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  20. ^ "Youth Olympics: Why Lakshya Sen's gold, Manu Bhaker's silver won't be added to India's medal count". DNA. 13 October 2018. Archived from the original on 13 October 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  21. ^ "Sensational Lakshya Sen claims SaarLorlux Open title". The Times of India. 3 November 2019. Archived from the original on 4 November 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  22. ^ "Lakshya Sen wins Scottish Open badminton title". The Hindu. PTI. 25 November 2019. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 26 November 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  23. ^ Anab, Mohammad (20 December 2021). "Lakshya Sen clinches bronze at World Badminton Championship". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  24. ^ "India Open: Lakshya Sen stuns world champion Loh Kean Yew to win maiden Super 500 title". The Times of India. 16 January 2022. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  25. ^ Hoover, Mashoor (18 March 2022). "Laskhay Sen defeated World Number 3 Player In All England Badminton Championship". Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  26. ^ "Lakshya Sen's impressive run ends in agony at All England final | Badminton News – Times of India". The Times of India. PTI. 21 March 2022. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  27. ^ "All England Championships: Lakshya Sen Loses to Viktor Axelsen in Final, Clinches Silver". News18. 20 March 2022. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  28. ^ "Lakshya Sen withdraws from Swiss Open". The Indian Express. 21 March 2022. Archived from the original on 22 March 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  29. ^ Sukumar, Dev (15 May 2022). "India Complete Ascent to Summit". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  30. ^ Venkat, Rahul (8 August 2022). "Commonwealth Games 2022 badminton: India's Lakshya Sen clinches maiden gold". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  31. ^ Nalwala, Ali Asgar (10 July 2023). "Canada Open 2023 badminton: Lakshya Sen beats All England Open champ Li Shi Feng to win title". Olympics. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  32. ^ D'Cunha, Zenia (1 October 2023). "Asian Games: China winners again as India's historic badminton silver a story of what ifs". ESPN. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  33. ^ "Lakshya Sen scripts history, becomes first Indian to reach badminton men's singles semi-finals at Olympics". Hindustan Times.
  34. ^ "Lakshya Sen falls to Denmark's Viktor Axelsen in Badminton semis at Paris Olympics". The Hindu. 4 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  35. ^ Roy, Anjishnu (5 August 2024). "Paris 2024 Olympics: Lakshya Sen falls short of historic badminton bronze medal, loses to Lee Zii Jia". Olympics. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  36. ^ Alleyne, Gayle (19 March 2017). "BWF Launches New Events Structure". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  37. ^ Sukumar, Dev (10 January 2018). "Action-Packed Season Ahead!". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  38. ^ "Winners | ISH 2019". Indian Sports Honours. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  39. ^ "Achanta Sharath Kamal to receive Khel Ratna, Lakshya Sen, Nikhat Zareen nominated for Arjuna Award; check complete list". Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  40. ^ "From Sharath Kamal to Lakshya Sen: Here's the full list of winners of National Sports Awards 2022". Times Now. 30 November 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  41. ^ "Indian Sports Honours 2023 Winners - Full List". www.timesofsports.com. 26 March 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2024.