Indian badminton star Lakshya Sen executed a brilliant pickup shot during his final group stage match against Jonathan Christie of Indonesia in the the men's singles event at the Paris Olympics 2024 on Wednesday, July 31.
Lakshya advanced to pre-quarters of the badminton men's singles with straight sets win over Jonathan Christie - 21-18, 21-12 in Group L encounter. Interestingly, Lakshya Sen played the extra match in the group stage as his first Olympic victory was deleted after his opponent Kevin Cordon of Guatemala withdrew from the games due to elbow injury.
Lakshya Sen was involved in an intense battle with Christie but maintained his composure and showcased his brilliance throughout the match. What caught the attention was the behind-the-back shot during the game.
In the first game, Lakshya was leading 18-19 when the shuttlecock flew towards him and he brilliantly executed the behind-the-back pickup shot with the flick of the wrist, that left his opponent Jonathan Christie and the fans at the arena astonished. The video of the same went viral on social media.
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Lakshya Sen managed to overcome challenge from Jonathan Christie after trailing 2-8 in the opening game of the match. His incredible comeback helped him to take the first game. In the second game, Lakshya was too tough for Christie to handle, as he dominated to secure his place in the pre-quarters of the men's singles badminton at the Paris Games.
It was a sigh of relief for the Almora-born shuttler after the tough blow of having his first Olympic win against Gautamelan shutter Kevin Cordon nullified. In the next round, Lakshya defeated Belgium's Julien Caraggi. Interesingly, Sen qualified for the pre-quarters by not just topping the group stage but also without losing a set.
Lakshya Sen eyes gold medal
After qualifying for the pre-quarters of the badminton men's singles, Lakshya has set his eyes on winning the gold medal at the Paris Games. Sen added he was challenged by Jonathan Christie but happy that he managed to pull off a win.
"I think it was a tough match today, happy with the way I played," the 22-year-old told PTI after the win.
"Yes, definitely (gold is in sight). I think the last few months the form has been really good.
There has been ups and downs, but overall, I was in good shape in the last few months, and especially while playing here in the French Open, I found my momentum and from." he added.
Given his incredible run of form, Lakshya emerged as the one of the medal hopefuls in badminton at the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024.
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