India’s Lakshya Sen misplaced to the defending Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen 22-20, 21-14 within the semifinal of the Paris Olympics on Sunday.
The Dane predicted that the Indian teen can be among the many gold medal favourites within the Los Angeles Video games.
Lakshya squandered a three-point benefit within the first recreation and a 7-0 lead within the second within the 54-minute conflict. Sen was main 17-11 within the opening recreation and managed to seize three recreation factors however he imploded thereafter and a sequence of unforced errors handed the initiative to Axelsen.
READ | Paris 2024 Olympics: Lakshya Sen loses to Viktor Axelsen in badminton semifinal, to play for bronze
“These rings do unusual issues to you. I do know what they do to you mentally. Lakshya is the primary Indian males’s singles participant within the Olympic semifinals. No man in India has completed what he has completed. He’s already considering of what’s forward. I may see that he was tensed. I knew he was getting nervous and It’s at that time that I’ve to be able to benefit from his mistake. I simply should maintain the shuttle on courtroom and anticipate his mistake,” Axelsen mentioned within the blended zone after his win.
Empathising with Lakshya’s efficiency, Viktor predicted the 22-year-old from Almora to be among the many gold medal favourites on the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
“I’ve gone via what he had earlier than. However he’s going to be an actual contender for the 2028 Olympics. I feel the distinction in expertise made a distinction as we speak,” mentioned Axelsen.
Will strive my one hundred pc within the bronze medal match: Lakshya Sen
Lakshya when requested concerning the stress of dealing with Axelsen, the Indian shuttler mentioned, “Sure, positively(there may be stress). It was an enormous match. Within the first recreation, I ought to have been extra alert. If I may shut the primary recreation I had extra probabilities to deliver (the match) to a few video games and nonetheless win. Within the second recreation, I began effectively however I couldn’t maintain the lead and he began enjoying effectively, then it grew to become onerous to attain in opposition to him. When he began attacking extra on the finish of the primary recreation I grew to become passive and began enjoying defensively. I ought to have taken my probabilities then and attacked.”
With Lakshya’s mother and father and brother being in Paris to assist him, he thanked them for the house cooked meals he has been receiving.
The Indian will subsequent face Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia within the bronze medal match on August 5. “I’ll attempt to be at my 100 per cent within the subsequent match,” mentioned Lakshya.