Badminton News: Perseverance breeds success, especially for young Lakshya Sen. In the first series since December 2021, the 20-year-old has won World Championship medals, won the BWF Super 500 (India Open) title, reached the All-England Championship final and played his part in India. won the prestigious Thomas Cup.
On Monday, he added men’s singles gold at the Commonwealth Games on his debut, denying his age and experience.
“It’s my first experience at the CWG… I don’t put too much pressure on myself for the results,” Lakshya said, upon arriving at the Padukone Dravid Center for Sports Excellence, where he trained on Wednesday.
“I just went with an open mind. Looking at the draw, I have confidence that I can do well.
“I gave myself three to four weeks to train for this tournament and the World Championships (from August 22). I missed several tournaments including the Malaysian Open and the Singapore Open. This training period has helped me and I’m sure it will happen in the next few days as well.”
Badminton at the CWG is a tricky competition. It is not a corrective on the standards that one would face at the Asian and global level. But that brings with it the pressure to win, especially for players from India, who are considered one of the leading badminton nations.
The way Lakshya Sen handles this is the biggest advantage, according to Vimal Kumar, his mentor and coach.
“I was very impressed with his temperament,” Vimal said.
“There are not many big players in the draw. But he managed expectations well. He could easily lose in the semi-finals. Again, in the final he was in a difficult position. But he got out.”
Two weeks in Birmingham also revealed the kind of predicament at Lakshya. Since his Thomas Cup triumph in mid-May, he has appeared in just three competitive games ahead of the CWG, in part to protect a cunning shoulder. But he doesn’t look too mature.
“The level of the past few weeks is a perfect example of that,” Lakshya says.
“When I missed some tournaments, which I didn’t play for five to six weeks, I knew that I was not going to be in shape. But I did. Now I have to recover, to maintain this form and maintain the level for weeks.”
At the heart of this was the role of famed physio Heath Mathews, who was added to Lakshya’s squad before departure as part of the TOPS programme.
“The skills he brings are very good. It gives you a lot of confidence when someone like him says, “You’re in good shape.” your shoulder is fine. He really helped me win the tournament.”
Tags: Lakshya Sen, Vimal Kumar, Commonwealth Games 2022
Published by Ligaolahraga.com at https://www.ligaolahraga.com/badminton/ketekunan-lakshya-sen-lahirkan-kehasilan-di-usia-muda
