‘Time to reflect’: Gave my all, but fell short, says Lakshya Sen after Paris Olympics loss

New Delhi: Lakshya Sen says he would time and space to reflect on what went wrong for him at Paris Olympics.

The shuttler star raised hopes of a first Olympic individual medal by a male in badminton but lost to World No. 7 Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia 13-21 21-16 21-11 n the bronze medal play-off.

Sen lost nine consecutive points in the second game to concede momentum and hand the initiative to Lee, who made the most of it, winning in 71 minutes.

The 22-year-old had also lost from a position of strength against eventual champion Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen in the semi-finals.

It led to his mentor, former World No.1 Prakash Padukone to express his disappointment at India’s inability to win even one badminton medal at Paris 2024.

Back to the drawing board

“I am a little disappointed in our performance that we could not even get a single medal from Badminton. Like I have said before, we were contenders for three medals so at least one would have made me happy,” Padukone said.

“But having said this, this time the Government, Sports Authority of India, and Sports Ministry everybody has done their best and I don’t think anyone could have done anything more than what the Government has done so I think the players also need to take responsibility.

Padukone said the manner in which Sen couldn’t finish off the contest, left him exasperated.

“He played well but of course, I am a little disappointed, he could not finish it yesterday too, he was in a winning position in the first game, and could have probably made a difference yesterday itself. After winning the first game he was leading 8-3 today, he has always been a little uncomfortable playing on the faster side so he has to work on that,” he said.

Sen admitted that he fell short and would reflect on what to day and where to improve.

“I am determined to reflect on what went wrong and where I need to improve. I sincerely request space and privacy at this time to regroup, come back stronger, and win laurels for India,” he wrote on his social media platform X handle, while thanking his Padukone and his coach Vinay Kumar.

“My journey at the Paris 2024 Olympics has been both an honor and a heartbreak. I gave my all, fought with every ounce of strength, but fell just short of the podium. I am very grateful to all the supporters for their unwavering support.”

Hi everyone!

My journey at the Paris 2024 Olympics has been both an honor and a heartbreak. I gave my all, fought with every ounce of strength, but fell just short of the podium.
I am very grateful to all the supporters for their unwavering support. pic.twitter.com/9Zm8QzhY9Y

— Lakshya Sen (@lakshya_sen) August 6, 2024

I am determined to reflect on what went wrong and where I need to improve. I sincerely request space and privacy at this time to regroup, come back stronger, and win laurels for India.

— Lakshya Sen (@lakshya_sen) August 6, 2024

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 Lakshya Sen raised hopes of a first Olympic individual medal by a male in badminton but lost to World No. 7 Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia 13-21 21-16 21-11 in the bronze medal play-off.  Badminton Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today