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  5. Lakshya Sen suffers agonizing loss to reigning champion Axelsen at Paris Olympics; in contention for bronze

Lakshya Sen suffers agonizing loss to reigning champion Axelsen at Paris Olympics; in contention for bronze

Lakshya Sen was leading the opening game by 16-11 but the two-time Olympic medalist Viktor Axelsen made a stunning comeback to take the first game by 22-20 and then dominated the rest of the men's singles semi-final match.

Written By: Sumeet Kavthale @sumeetkavthale New Delhi Published : Aug 04, 2024 16:28 IST, Updated : Aug 04, 2024 17:23 IST
Lakshya Sen at Paris Olympics 2024
Image Source : GETTY Indian badminton player Lakshya Sen at Paris Olympics 2024

India's star badminton player Lakshya Sen went down fighting against the world no.2 Viktor Axelsen in the semi-finals at the Paris Olympics 2024. The reigning Olympic champion proved too strong for the young Indian shuttler with a 22-20, 21-14 win in the men's singles semi-final.

The 22-year-old Lakshya threw away a 16-11 lead in the opening set and a 7-0 lead in the second game against the two-time Olympic medalist. Lakshya still remains in contention for a bronze medal match where he faces the seventh-seeded Zii Jia Lee of Malaysia tomorrow. 

Lakshya remains India's only hope for a badminton medal in Paris after early exits for medal hopefuls PV Sindhu and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty. Lakshya knocked out HS Prannoy in the men's singles round of 16 while Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa suffered a women's doubles group-stage exit after losing all three matches.

Axelsen struggled for a start in both games but kept his calm despite trailing 0-7 in the second game. After the game, he praised Lakshya for giving him a tough fight in the early stages and predicted a bright future for the rising Indian star.

“Lakshya Sen is an amazing Player," Axelsen said. "He gives me the toughest fight. He is a great guy and he has a bright future. And I’m sure he will win a gold medal in the future”.

India has won a badminton medal in each of the last three editions at the Summer Games with Saina Nehwal winning bronze in the 2012 London Games and PV Sindhu claiming a silver in Rio 2016 and bronze in the last Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Prannoy set India's best achievement in men's event in badminton at the Olympics after securing the semi-final berth and will become the first male shuttler to win a medal if he emerges victorious in the bronze medal clash. 

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