Forbes India – Sports: Lakshya Sen: Putting Indian Men’s Badminton On The Global Map

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Lakshya Sen is mastering to construct longer rallies with counsel from greats like Prakash Padukone and Dane legend Morten Frost
Impression: Madhu Kapparath
Styling: Ankit Mishra. Wardrobe: Exceptional Rabbit

Lakshya Sen, 20
Badminton player

When he was 10, Lakshya Sen had occur to Bengaluru with more mature brother Chirag and father DK Sen, then a badminton coach at Sports activities Authority of India, Almora, to perform a junior ranking match at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA).

“We were a lot more eager on taking Chirag in, but his father insisted we have a search at him as well,” says Vimal Kumar, a Dronacharya awardee coach and the PPBA director. “Lakshya was extremely young, but what stood out back then was his potential to maintain the shuttle in participate in with out creating much too several faults.”

Sen stayed back at the academy, where by his grandfather accompanied him for the 1st month to aid him settle down. The shift paid out rich dividends: A 10 years later on, at 20, Sen is foremost the cost for Indian men’s badminton on the entire world stage.

In 2021, he turned the youngest Indian to qualify for the BWF World Tour Finals, a sparring floor for the best eight shuttlers for the year he adopted it up with a bronze at the prestigious BWF Planet Championships, emulating mentor and legend Prakash Padukone. Sen has carried his magnificent form into 2022, successful the India Open up beating globe champion Loh Kean Yew. The earn pushed him up to a profession-most effective No 13 in earth rankings.

“When the tournaments ended up cancelled because of to Covid, I acquired a good deal of time to work on my toughness and stamina. It assisted me increase my fitness,” claims Sen, when requested about the direct-up to his breakthrough year. It also assisted that just forward of the season, Sen acquired an invite from Planet No 1 Viktor Axelsen to educate with him in Dubai. “The a person-on-ones we had, with Viktor as well as Loh Kean Yew, who was also existing in the course of those two weeks, aided me increase match exercise, alertness on court and gave me tremendous self confidence.”  

When he was a junior, Sen would seem to win rapid details, but in the senior circuit, he is studying to construct for a longer time rallies, with counsel from greats like Padukone and former Dane legend Morten Frost. He feels there are two critical attributes to succeeding in the extremely-competitive senior tour: Self-discipline, a good quality Padukone harps on, and professionalism, one thing he picks up from watching worldwide sports, primarily his favourite footballer Belgian Kevin De Bruyne. “I also see a ton of athletics motion pictures and watch carefully how experts increase their match,” claims Sen. “I truly favored the a person on [sprinter] Usain Bolt.”

“Lakshya can absorb classes fast,” states Kumar. “And he is familiar with when to execute them. If he would like a thing, he will get it performed. And if anything is not performing, he is usually willing to change. These are the features of a winner.”