Sports
Unfinished business: Lakshya Sen is ready to shine again in Birmingham | News about the 2022 Commonwealth Games
NEW DELHI: Lakshya Sennew indian poster boy badmintonthere is some unfinished business in Birmingham.
Four months ago, in Birmingham, he became the first Indian in 21 years to reach the final of the All England Championship, only to see the gold medal slip from his hands.
The 20-year-old from Almora will have another chance to shine at Arena Birmingham this year and he wants to go all the way, albeit, in a different league – the Commonwealth Games, which starts on May 28. 7.
“I like to play in that hall, the conditions are right for me. I have good memories there and I’m very confident that I’ll do well this time too. It’s also a big tournament, so I looking forward to give it my all and win. a medal,” Sen told PTI.
“All the players in the top three or four have a chance to win gold and I don’t think about medal colors, I just want to go there and focus on one game at a time.”
Four years ago, Sen, then a 16-year-old athlete, was still glued to his TV as India made history on the Gold Coast, winning the country’s first mixed team badminton gold medal.
It turned out to be a pivotal year for the ‘miracle boy’ as he won the young mixed team gold medal in Buenos Aires, became the Asian youth champion in Jakarta and also won a bronze medal at the Championships. young enemy of the world.
“Last time I watched it on TV when India won gold. Before that, I also watched (Parupalli) Kashyap bhaiya win gold (2014). But 2018 was a great moment. I want to be in the team. there”. Sen said.
“Commonwealth Games is a prestigious event for India. I think it will be held alongside the world championships in terms of priority. Everyone aspires to play the Olympics but before that, you try to familiarize yourself with many such events and do them well .
“So I’ve been thinking a lot about how as a team we can repeat what we did last time. It will be difficult to win but I’m very happy. look forward to that.”
While England are the most successful with eight titles and five-time Malaysia champions also emerged as the dominant force between 1998 and 2014, India has subdued the Asian giants in the recent release. best.
This time, Malaysia won’t have their top singles player Lee Zia Jia, ranked fifth in the world, but Sen thinks that won’t make the job any easier.
“Malaysia is a good team, they have 5-6 pretty good singles players. So a goal, maybe, it affects them but we just hope that we play well, beat. Malaysia and won gold.”
Sen, who featured in India’s epic Thomas Cup victory in May, did not get the ideal opportunity for the versatile sport as he suffered a minor shoulder injury and had to skip events. Malaysia’s Twins.
“I felt pain in Indonesia, so I decided to take a two-week break and skip the Malaysia leg. For the first two weeks, I focused on fitness, so I had to practice a lot off the field and extend the training time. gym. But now more focus on badminton skills and training,” said Mr. Sen.
Sen, the world championship bronze medalist, is expected to face world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore and silver medalist and fellow countryman. Kidambi Srikanth throughout the tournament.
While he had a 3-2 record against Loh, Sen lost to Srikanth at the 2021 World Championships.
“I don’t think much about past performances and in badminton there are also many tournaments so there is not much time left. You have to go on and prepare for the next event,” he said.
“But I try to learn from the experience, talk to my coaches and figure out some points. Next time I play against them, I will watch those games, analyze and prepare accordingly. ”
Sen, a product of Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, has been in his life for about a year now.
After winning his first world championship bronze medal last December, Sen claimed his first Super 500 title at the Indian Open in January, and finished second at both the British Championship and the Grand Prix. German Open champion. He also played a key role in India’s memorable Thomas Cup victory.
“I’ve been practicing discipline and thinking on the pitch and I’ve improved in that aspect over the last few months. I think playing at a very high level has given me confidence. All experience. over the past year is helping but I still have to constantly work on that a lot.”
Another thing that helps him focus is music.
“I mostly listen to Hindi and Punjabi songs before games. I like Arijit Singh and right now I’m listening to his latest song ‘kesariya’ on a loop,” he shared.
Four months ago, in Birmingham, he became the first Indian in 21 years to reach the final of the All England Championship, only to see the gold medal slip from his hands.
The 20-year-old from Almora will have another chance to shine at Arena Birmingham this year and he wants to go all the way, albeit, in a different league – the Commonwealth Games, which starts on May 28. 7.
“I like to play in that hall, the conditions are right for me. I have good memories there and I’m very confident that I’ll do well this time too. It’s also a big tournament, so I looking forward to give it my all and win. a medal,” Sen told PTI.
“All the players in the top three or four have a chance to win gold and I don’t think about medal colors, I just want to go there and focus on one game at a time.”
Four years ago, Sen, then a 16-year-old athlete, was still glued to his TV as India made history on the Gold Coast, winning the country’s first mixed team badminton gold medal.
It turned out to be a pivotal year for the ‘miracle boy’ as he won the young mixed team gold medal in Buenos Aires, became the Asian youth champion in Jakarta and also won a bronze medal at the Championships. young enemy of the world.
“Last time I watched it on TV when India won gold. Before that, I also watched (Parupalli) Kashyap bhaiya win gold (2014). But 2018 was a great moment. I want to be in the team. there”. Sen said.
“Commonwealth Games is a prestigious event for India. I think it will be held alongside the world championships in terms of priority. Everyone aspires to play the Olympics but before that, you try to familiarize yourself with many such events and do them well .
“So I’ve been thinking a lot about how as a team we can repeat what we did last time. It will be difficult to win but I’m very happy. look forward to that.”
While England are the most successful with eight titles and five-time Malaysia champions also emerged as the dominant force between 1998 and 2014, India has subdued the Asian giants in the recent release. best.
This time, Malaysia won’t have their top singles player Lee Zia Jia, ranked fifth in the world, but Sen thinks that won’t make the job any easier.
“Malaysia is a good team, they have 5-6 pretty good singles players. So a goal, maybe, it affects them but we just hope that we play well, beat. Malaysia and won gold.”
Sen, who featured in India’s epic Thomas Cup victory in May, did not get the ideal opportunity for the versatile sport as he suffered a minor shoulder injury and had to skip events. Malaysia’s Twins.
“I felt pain in Indonesia, so I decided to take a two-week break and skip the Malaysia leg. For the first two weeks, I focused on fitness, so I had to practice a lot off the field and extend the training time. gym. But now more focus on badminton skills and training,” said Mr. Sen.
Sen, the world championship bronze medalist, is expected to face world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore and silver medalist and fellow countryman. Kidambi Srikanth throughout the tournament.
While he had a 3-2 record against Loh, Sen lost to Srikanth at the 2021 World Championships.
“I don’t think much about past performances and in badminton there are also many tournaments so there is not much time left. You have to go on and prepare for the next event,” he said.
“But I try to learn from the experience, talk to my coaches and figure out some points. Next time I play against them, I will watch those games, analyze and prepare accordingly. ”
Sen, a product of Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, has been in his life for about a year now.
After winning his first world championship bronze medal last December, Sen claimed his first Super 500 title at the Indian Open in January, and finished second at both the British Championship and the Grand Prix. German Open champion. He also played a key role in India’s memorable Thomas Cup victory.
“I’ve been practicing discipline and thinking on the pitch and I’ve improved in that aspect over the last few months. I think playing at a very high level has given me confidence. All experience. over the past year is helping but I still have to constantly work on that a lot.”
Another thing that helps him focus is music.
“I mostly listen to Hindi and Punjabi songs before games. I like Arijit Singh and right now I’m listening to his latest song ‘kesariya’ on a loop,” he shared.
