Lakshya Sen: The Rising Star of Badminton

He defeated world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore to win the India Open Men’s Singles title in straight sets in January 2022. This marks Sen's first BWF World Tour Super 500 title and third overall win.

It is to be noted that the skilled player is a mastermind on the court. He incorporated a different game plan in the final game against Yew, approaching his rallies with a composed mindset, unlike his unusual attacking style. Although the Singapore athlete had a 2-0 initial lead, Sen made a strong comeback and despite giving him a good fight, Yew lost to Lakshya 24-22.

Before Sen's stunning win in the final of the India Open, he had won his first World Championship medal in December 2021. The bronze-medal winner then took his impeccable form into his succeeding matches.

Born in a family that produced three generations of shuttlers, Sen has received top-notch training. His father D.K. Sen hails as one of the best coaches on the Indian badminton circuit. Even his second son Chirag grew up to represent the nation in several global tournaments.

However, Lakshya Sen trained under the legendary Prakash Padukone, India's first World Championship medalist in 1983. Sen bagged his first major title - the Under-15 Nationals - when he was just 12, and the Under-19 title at the age of 15. Sen also became the only Indian shuttler to win a medal at the Youth Olympic Games (2018), Junior World Championships (2018) and Senior World Championships (2021).

Ever since Sen was a child, he has shown distinctive passion towards badminton. At nine years of age, Sen convinced his father to let him attend the Union Bank All-India Sub-Junior Ranking Badminton Tournament where his brother also participated.

He and his father interacted with former national champion coach Vimal Kumar and notified him of Sen's interest in the sport. This saw Vimal enlist the boy at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, where Padukone was enchanted by the young boy's passion and thirst for the game.

To date, Sen has a few remarkable records to his credit. In 2017, he became the youngest Indian to play the men’s singles finals at 15 years of age. Sen outdid his mentor Prakash, who had reached the finals in the 1971 Indian badminton Nationals in Chennai at the age of 16.

In the 2018 Youth Olympics, Sen earned a silver medal in the men’s singles and won a gold in the mixed team event. He also won the India International series, the Saarlorlux Open in Germany, and the Scottish Open. He reached the quarter-finals of the All England Championships.

Sen’s dedication has been pushing him to newer heights in every tournament despite his tender age. We can safely conclude that India is looking at a rising star who will continue to set new records and snag fabulous wins in the world of badminton.