COMING OF AGE

How shuttler Lakshya Sen evolved from talent to contender

- TARUKA SRIVASTAVA

"But after playing some of those tight games, he (Lakshya Sen) gave himself more of a chance. He started adopting the 'arre, main bhi toh jeet sakta hoon ( too can win) mentality. He's not in it to lose respectably anymore, he's in it to win”

One of the headlines after shuttler Lakshya Sen's loss in the final of the All England Championship in March may tell you that the 20-year-old "settled for silver" against currently the best player by far on the international circuit, Viktor Axelsen. But what they may not tell you is how far Sen, who hails from the hilly terrain of Almora in Uttarakhand, has come in his badminton career.

"I was inspired by my grandfather, Chandra Lal Sen, to take up badminton. He was an ace shuttler and a humble man. I also grew up watching my father, Dhirendra Kumar Sen, play. He's been my mentor and has instilled in me a discipline for the sport. And my mother, Nirmala, has been my rock to ensure I remain grounded,” he says, adding, "Considering I hail from a small town, I always took everything in my stride and made the best use of whatever was available. I used to jog to the academy every morning as a warm-up exercise before practice.”