Forbes India – Sports: Lakshya Sen: Putting Indian Men’s Badminton On The Global Map

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Lakshya Sen is finding out to build more time rallies with counsel from greats like Prakash Padukone and Dane legend Morten Frost
Impression: Madhu Kapparath
Styling: Ankit Mishra. Wardrobe: Uncommon Rabbit

Lakshya Sen, 20
Badminton player

When he was 10, Lakshya Sen experienced appear to Bengaluru with older brother Chirag and father DK Sen, then a badminton mentor at Athletics Authority of India, Almora, to enjoy a junior position tournament at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA).

“We were being extra keen on using Chirag in, but his father insisted we have a search at him far too,” suggests Vimal Kumar, a Dronacharya awardee coach and the PPBA director. “Lakshya was very younger, but what stood out back then was his means to keep the shuttle in participate in without having building way too several blunders.”

Sen stayed back again at the academy, wherever his grandfather accompanied him for the initial month to help him settle down. The shift paid out loaded dividends: A decade afterwards, at 20, Sen is main the demand for Indian men’s badminton on the earth stage.

In 2021, he grew to become the youngest Indian to qualify for the BWF Globe Tour Finals, a sparring ground for the prime eight shuttlers for the 12 months he followed it up with a bronze at the prestigious BWF Planet Championships, emulating mentor and legend Prakash Padukone. Sen has carried his amazing type into 2022, winning the India Open up beating earth winner Loh Kean Yew. The get pushed him up to a vocation-finest No 13 in entire world rankings.

“When the tournaments were cancelled due to Covid, I acquired a ton of time to operate on my power and stamina. It aided me strengthen my health,” says Sen, when asked about the lead-up to his breakthrough 12 months. It also served that just in advance of the year, Sen received an invite from Earth No 1 Viktor Axelsen to practice with him in Dubai. “The just one-on-kinds we had, with Viktor as nicely as Loh Kean Yew, who was also existing for the duration of these two months, helped me elevate match conditioning, alertness on courtroom and gave me enormous self-confidence.”  

When he was a junior, Sen would search to get fast factors, but in the senior circuit, he is finding out to build longer rallies, with counsel from greats like Padukone and former Dane legend Morten Frost. He feels there are two crucial attributes to succeeding in the very-competitive senior tour: Self-control, a good quality Padukone harps on, and professionalism, one thing he picks up from seeing global athletics, specifically his favorite footballer Belgian Kevin De Bruyne. “I also see a ton of sporting activities flicks and observe carefully how pros strengthen their video game,” says Sen. “I really appreciated the one on [sprinter] Usain Bolt.”

“Lakshya can soak up classes speedy,” claims Kumar. “And he knows when to execute them. If he wants some thing, he will get it done. And if a little something is not working, he is normally keen to transform. These are the attributes of a champion.”