Lakshya Sen reveals reason behind viral behind-the-back shot at Olympics
What's the story
Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen missed out on a much-deserved medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 22-year-old lost to Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia 21-12, 16-21, 11-21 in the badminton men's singles bronze medal match.
Meanwhile, one of Sen's shots has been making rounds on the web.
In a recent interview with Ranveer Allahabadia, he revealed the reason behind his decision to play the shot.
Olympics
Sen played a behind-the-back shot in a crucial fixture
The viral shot was played by Sen during an important group stage match against Jonatan Christie.
What makes it more impressive is that he played the shot at a crucial point in the match when Sen was leading by just one point, (18-19).
Sen then went on to win the match 21-18, 21-12, securing his spot in the Round of 16.
Interview
Sen explains his thought process while playing the shot
Sen explained his decision to go with the shot in an interview, on 'The Ranveer Show Podcast'.
When asked about the shot, Sen explained, "We don't usually play those shots in a match."
He further stated, "The shuttle went past me, so I had lost the chance of playing it from the front. So, I thought why not try it and it went successfully"
Olympic journey
Sen's hard-fought road to the bronze medal match
Sen defeated Kevin Cordon in his first match, however, the result was 'deleted' after Cordon pulled out of the Paris Games.
Sen first defeated Julien Carraggi and Jonatan Christie to earn the last 16 berth.
The shuttler overcame his compatriot HS Prannoy to reach the quarter-finals.
Sen then defeated China's Chou Tien Chen to make the semis, where he lost to Denmark's Viktor Axelsen.
History
Sen scripted history
Although, the Indian shuttler missed out on a much-deserved medal at the Paris Olympics. He became India's first-ever male shuttler to reach the semi-finals at the Olympics.
However, Sen could have been the first-ever Indian male badminton player with a medal at the Olympic Games.
Only two other Indian male shuttlers Srikanth Kidambi, and Parupalli Kashyap have reached the last eight at the Olympics.