Lakshya Sen came close to making Indian badminton history but ultimately fell short in his bid for the bronze medal in the men’s singles event at the Paris Olympics. The young Indian shuttler, who had narrowly missed the opportunity to compete for the gold by losing to former World No. 1 Viktor Axelsen, won the first game against Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia in the bronze medal match but lost the next two.

As a result, Sen did not join the elite group of Indian badminton players who have won medals at the Olympics, including PV Sindhu, who has two medals, and Saina Nehwal. This was his debut at the Olympic Games.

Lakshya Sen in the Semis

Twenty-two-year-old Lakshya Sen was ahead 20-17 in the first game of his semi-final against Viktor Axelsen. However, Axelsen, a former Olympic champion, managed to tie the score at 20-20 and then secure the first game with a 22-20 win. In the second game, Sen initially led 7-0, but Axelsen caught up and ultimately won the semi-final in two straight games.

The Danish player, who has won two Olympic medals, later acknowledged that Sen had controlled many parts of the match before he made a comeback to reach another Olympic final.

Before his bronze medal match on Monday evening, Lakshya Sen had already set a record in Paris by becoming the first Indian male shuttler to reach the Olympic semi-finals. Previously, only Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu had reached the semis, both winning medals. If Sen wins his match against Lee, it will be India’s fourth medal at the Paris Olympics, with all medals so far being bronze.