The 22-year-old becomes the first male Indian to earn a spot in the badminton at the Olympics. Lakshya Sen reached men’s badminton semi-final in a historic 1st for India. Sen delivered a thrilling performance by defeating Chou Tien Chen with scores of 19-21, 21-15, 21-12 treading his way to the semi-finals.   

Lakshya Sen is an Indian badminton player from Uttarakhand who was born on August 16, 2001. Sen’s career in badminton started early. Born into a family steeped in badminton history, Lakshya was introduced to the game by his father, D.K Sen, a former player and coach. 

Early Days of Career

Sen attended the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy for his training. He was the Swiss Junior International champion in 2014. In 2016, he competed in the junior badminton circuit. With notable successes on the junior circuit, Sen’s career took off. When he triumphed in the men’s singles division at the 2018 BWF World Junior Championships, gained media attention. This victory made him a future star and caught the interest of badminton experts and enthusiasts worldwide. 

Sen’s Back-to-Back Triumphs

Sen’s one of the most noteworthy accomplishments was winning the coveted BWF Super 1000 Thailand Open in 2021. This win demonstrated his rising reputation and capacity to compete against some of the top players in the world. 

Sen’s most significance year was 2022, when he advanced to the All-England Open final before falling to Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen in the final. Along with teammates like Kidambi Srikanth, HS Prannoy, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, and Chirag Shetty, Sen helped India win the Thomas Cup, demonstrating considerable success despite this.  

He achieved a career-best ranking of World No.6 in the BWF World Rankings. Furthermore, in 2022 and 2023, he also claimed victories at the India Open and Canada Open. 

Lakshya Sen’s accomplishments in badminton are a result of his extraordinary talent, preservance, and hard work. Sen has left a legacy in the badminton world, starting with his early years in Uttarakhand and ending with a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. As he advances through the ranks, he continues to serve as an inspiration for aspiring athletes and a proud ambassador for Indian sports worldwide.