PARIS: Lakshya Sen was struggling in the first game. The game of coherence he is known for deserted him. There were errors. A tinge of nervousness perhaps because he is the only Indian shuttler left at the 2024 Paris Olympics. A sport that has given medals in each edition of the Olympics since 2012 was suddenly in danger of returning empty-handed after double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and biggest hopes doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty made a shock exit on Thursday.
As the world looked gloomy, the evening sun at the Porte de la Chapelle arena shone on Sen. After conceding the first game, Sen started to claw back after his opponent Chou Tien-chen from Chinese Taipei took a lead early on. Sen started mounting pressure as the game progressed and after closing out the second match 21-15, the momentum swung in his favour. The third seemed like a formality as he won the contest 19-21, 21-15, 21-12.
Sen had a tougher draw than other Indians. He beat Jonathan Christie in the group stage to secure a KO berth and beat India’s HS Prannoy next. This is the first time an Indian male shuttler has entered the semifinals in the Olympics. He will get two shots at the medal. One in the semifinals while one in the bronze medal play-off, if he loses in the last-four round.