Who Is Lakshya Sen? First Indian To Reach Olympics Badminton Men's Singles Semi-Finals

History was made on Friday when the shuttler Lakshya Sen became the first Indian to reach the men's singles semi-finals at the Olympics.

In a hard-fought quarterfinal lasting 75 minutes, Lakshya defeated Chou Chen of China with a final score of 19-21, 21-15, 21-12.

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Who Is Lakshya Sen?

This achievement made him the third Indian to reach the semi-finals in Olympic badminton after Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu, the latter being the only Indian shuttler to have played in the final.

The match saw Lakshya Sen of India in action against Chou Tien-chen of Chinese Taipei. In the men's singles category, previous Indian quarterfinalists included Parupalli Kashyap in the 2012 London Olympics and Kidambi Srikanth in the 2016 Rio Olympics, as reported by press release of Paris Olympics 2024.

Lakshya Sen's semi-final opponent will be the winner of the match between top seed Viktor Axelsen of Denmark and Singapore's Loh Kean Yew. At 22 years old, Lakshya, a 2021 World Championships bronze medallist, displayed a combination of pace and precision, maintaining his nerve during crucial moments to triumph over world number 11 Chou, a 2022 World Championships bronze medallist, in an intense quarterfinal.

Despite the exits of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in men's doubles and PV Sindhu in women's singles, Lakshya remains India's sole representative in Olympic badminton. He had previously defeated fellow Indian player HS Prannoy in the round of 16, as per press release.

In a gruelling first game, Lakshya battled through intense rallies but narrowly lost 19-21 to Chou. The opening game, lasting 27 minutes, showcased Lakshya's resilience and determination despite playing catch-up. In the second game, Lakshya's defensive skills shone as he faced one of the sport's top defenders, ultimately securing a 21-15 win to level the match. In the third game, Chou Tien-Chen appeared to tire from the lengthy rallies, allowing Lakshya to establish and extend his lead, finally clinching the decisive game 21-12 and making history in the men's singles event at the Olympics.