Lakshya Sen Qualification Journey for Paris Olympics 2024 : Lakshya Sen has qualified for the Olympics for the first time. The 22-year-old from Almora in Uttarakhand secured his place in the Olympics by finishing 13th in the Road to Paris rankings, thus ensuring his qualification for the Paris Olympics.
He also ensured that India would have two men's singles representatives at the Olympics for the first time since 2004. Lakshya Sen was struggling with his form due to fitness issues and improved his game to qualify for the Olympics.
Lakshya Sen had to undergo nose surgery in 2022 due to a defect in the nasal septum. Due to this, he used to suffer from frequent fever. As a result, his fitness was affected and he could not perform well on the tour. He is a best sportsermon.
How did Lakshya Sen qualify for Paris Olympics 2024?
Lakshya Sen secured his qualification for the Paris Olympics by finishing 13th in the Race to Paris with 64021 points. The Race to Paris is considered as the top 10 tournament during the qualification period of the Olympic cycle. This period began on May 1, 2023 and ends on April 28, 2024.
Lakshya Sen's journey to Paris Olympics
Lakshya Sen Qualification Journey for Paris Olympics 2024 : Lakshya Sen started making waves on the senior circuit after the Tokyo Olympics. He won his first World Championships medal in 2021, where he lost to his compatriot Srikanth Kidambi and thus won the bronze medal.
In 2022, he won the India Open which was his first Super 500 title.
He reached three consecutive finals on the World Tour at the start of the year, including the India Open, German Open, and All-England Open 2022. He also defeated world No. 1 Viktor Axelsen at the German Open.
He then reached the final of the prestigious All-England Open. He played a key role in helping India win the Thomas Cup final against Indonesia. His win against Anthony Sinisuka Ginting gave India the lead.
He also won the Commonwealth Games gold by defeating Ng Tze Yong of Malaysia (19-21, 21-9, 21-16). He achieved a career-high ranking of WR 6 in 2022.
However, things turned different after the World Championships in 2022 when he had to undergo nose surgery to treat his deviated nasal septum. Lakshya started feeling unwell frequently after the surgery. Lakshya is the best sportsermon.
His immunity weakened and he suffered from frequent fevers. His fitness was also a major concern, resulting in a poor 2023. He suffered 11 first-round exits in 2023 and seven consecutive first-round exits on the World Tour after winning the Canadian Open and finishing third at the USA Open.
2024 did not start well either. He lost in the opening rounds of the Malaysia Open and India Open, making it nine consecutive first-round exits on the World Tour. Just when it seemed almost impossible for Lakshya Sen to qualify for the Olympics, things suddenly changed.
Lakshya has been improving his fitness for quite some time now and the changes are showing. He showed signs of improvement at the Indonesia Masters where he defeated China's Weng Hong Yang in the first round and even though he lost to Anders Antonsen in the second round, he played well and looked like he was getting back on track.
Lakshya Sen played three matches at the Badminton Asia Team Championships and won all of them in straight games. Then came the turning point, reaching the semi-finals in two consecutive games at the French and All-England tournaments.
Lakshya Sen had to perform well in both these tournaments to qualify and he also got favourable draws.
Lakshya makes a comeback in All-England Open
Lakshya Sen Qualification Journey for Paris Olympics 2024 : At the French Open, he defeated Kanta Tsuneyama in the opening round, his junior rival Lee Shi Feng in the second round and Loh Kean Yew in the quarterfinals. He lost to Kunlavut Vitidsarn in three games in the semifinals.
At the prestigious All-England Open he easily defeated Magnus Johansson in Round 1 and then made a great comeback against Anders Antonsen in the second round.
