After Olympic semifinal loss, Lakshya Sen points to turning point in bronze medal match

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Despite five consecutive wins at the Paris Olympics 2024, Lakshya Sen lost his final two matches and finished fourth in the badminton men’s singles event without a medal. Looking back, Lakshya has revealed a key reason why his momentum changed during the bronze medal match. The 23-year-old Lakshya lost to eventual gold medallist Viktor Axelsen in the semi-finals despite leading by five and seven points respectively in two sets. Lakshya also won the opening game against Li Zi Jia in the bronze medal match but lost in the end.

“In the second game, that part of the court had shifted a bit. Even after taking the lead, I knew I couldn’t control the shuttle,” Lakshya said. Indian Express“And then suddenly the momentum changed and he started playing better. Even when he equalised, I was still fighting for every point,” he added.

Lakshya revealed that he made too many unforced errors during his crucial match with Viktor Axelsen. Lakshya led 18-13 in the first set and then had three game points at 20-17, but eventually lost five points in a row. In the second game, despite leading 7-0, Lakshya lost momentum dramatically and lost the game 21-14.

He said, “I could have played differently in crucial situations. In the end I didn’t play well at all and there were many shots that could not be put under pressure. I needed to be a little more patient.”

Lakshya said that he will improve his game to challenge for an Olympic medal in the future.

“Overall, there were some things I was happy and proud of in Paris in the way I played. But it will hurt for a while. I’m trying to add and change a lot of things as I move forward,” he said.

India has never seen an athlete rise from fourth place to an Olympic medal, but Lakshya is just 23 years old and he can do it. Even Viktor Axelsen said he will become a force to be reckoned with in the years to come.

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