Laksya Sen impressed everyone with his performances at the Paris Olympics 2024. He defeated many top seeders to become the first Indian badminton player to reach the semi-finals of an Olympic event.
He has set the bar high for himself in the upcoming LA Olympics 2028. But one thing that will haunt him and the fans is the way he lost the semi-final and bronze medal match. After all, he had a considerable lead in both those matches.
In the semi-final match, he had a 7-0 lead against Victor Axelsen, but could not win the match. In the bronze medal match, he lost the contest after winning the first set. It put his mentor, Prakash Padukone in a very bad mood.
After the match, Prakash Padukone was furious and said that It was time for the badminton stars to bring home good results as there was enough support from the government and other stakeholders.
Paris Olympics 2024: Support To Statement
While the comment was criticized by many athletes, Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has come out and supported Prakash and his statement.
He stated “As far back as 2017/18, Prakash, who I unfortunately meet rarely, had told me about this kid, Lakshya Sen. He had taken him under his wing and was his guide and mentor. He would have watched Lakshya’s progress step by step.
As he came to the cusp of an Olympic medal, Prakash was by the courtside along with the hard-working and indefatigable Vimal Kumar to see the fulfillment of not just Lakshya’s dream but also that of the entire community of Indian badminton lovers.”
‘Garden Mein Ghoom Raha’
Gavaskar further implied that Lakshya had lost concentration and used the famous line by Indian skipper Rohit Sharma as a reference.
“To then see a 20-17 and 7-0 lead being squandered off in the semifinal and then lose the bronze medal match after winning the first game comfortably must have been gut-wrenching indeed.
He, Vimal Kumar, the BAI, and the government’s TOPS had done everything possible, but when it came to the crunch, Lakshya was, in the famous words of the Indian cricket team captain (Rohit Sharma), ‘garden mein ghoomne wala.’
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