Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen has opened up on his Paris Olympics campaign where he agonizingly missed out on a medal. The 22-year-old Lakshya was looking to become the first male shuttler to win a medal at the Games but a near-miss in the bronze medal playoff against Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia, saw him return empty-handed.
Lakshya was heartbroken after his bronze medal match and was finding it hard to put in words when asked about his loss. The shuttler has opened up on his campaign on social media.
"Hi everyone! My journey at the Paris 2024 Olympics has been both an honour and a heartbreak. I gave my all, fought with every ounce of strength, but fell just short of the podium. I am very grateful to all the supporters for their unwavering support," Lakshya said in a post on social media platform X.
He thanked the coaches and the sports bodies associated with his journey. "I am eternally grateful to my incredible team, Vimal Sir, Prakash Sir, my family, Sports Authority of India, Badminton Association of India, Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, OGQ India, Redbull India and everyone associated with my journey," he added.
Lakshya also asked for privacy so that he could recalibrate his campaign. "I am determined to reflect on what went wrong and where I need to improve. I sincerely request space and privacy at this time to regroup, come back stronger, and win laurels for India," he wrote in another post.
Lakshya had become the first Indian male shuttler to reach the semifinals of the Olympics when he defeated Chinese Taipei's Chou Tien-Chen in the quarterfinals. The 22-year-old Commonwealth champion defeated compatriot HS Prannoy in the round of 16 earlier.
He was placed in a difficult group and had to get the better of third-seed Jonatan Christie in a must-win group-stage match.
After losing his bronze medal match, Lakshya found it hard to react to the match. However, a crestfallen Lakshya gave his say on the match. "I had my chances in the second set and could have definitely done better. But credit to Lee Zii Jia, he played better. At the moment I am not able to... Midway in the sets, the blood was on the floor. They had to wipe it, and I lost some of my momentum," Lakshya told the broadcasters after his match.
"I came well prepared for this match as well. It has been quite a tough week overall. But yeah, the fatigue kept on building. But I mean, I was ready to give my 100 per cent in this match," he added.
