Lakshya Sen bid for Olympic gold ends as he loses to Viktor Axelsen with scores of 20-22, 14-21. Despite this setback, Sen, a rising Indian badminton star, has already made history by becoming the first Indian male shuttler to reach the semi-finals of an Olympic singles event.

Sen’s impressive journey in the Paris Olympics included a thrilling quarterfinal victory over Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen, with scores of 19-21, 21-15, 21-12. His strong performances and relentless determination have set a new benchmark for Indian badminton.

Following his win, Axelsen, the reigning Olympic champion from Denmark, praised Lakshya Sen, calling him ‘an amazing player.’ Axelsen admitted that the semi-final clash was the toughest match he faced at the Paris Games and expressed confidence in Sen’s future. He believes that in four years, Sen will be a gold medal contender at the Olympics.

Although Axelsen had previously claimed the Tokyo gold, Rio bronze, and multiple world titles, and despite facing an injury setback earlier this season, his experience and skill proved too much for Sen.

At just 22, Sen has shown remarkable resilience, including notable wins against higher-ranked opponents like Jonatan Christie and Chou. Despite his loss to Axelsen, Sen’s performance ensures he still has a chance for a medal, with a potential bronze play-off remaining if he does not advance to the gold medal match,