16-Yr-Old Stuns World No 1 To Win Gold In 2018 Badminton Asia Junior Championships
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Sixteen-year-old, India’s rising Badminton star Lakshya Sen created history on Sunday, July 22, as he went on to bag the gold medal in men’s singles competition at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships 2018 in Jakarta. It was a proud moment for the country as Sen also became the first Indian in 53 years to win the medal in men’s singles event.

Sen defeated his Thai opponent, Junior world number one Kunlavut Vitidsarn by 21-19, 21-18 in straight games to win gold. The gold medal in Jakarta is Sen’s biggest win in his career. The world number nine, sixth-seeded Sen became the first Indian to win the gold medal at the competition in last six years. Before Lakshya, only two Indians had won this prestigious event, PV Sindhu in 2012 and Gautam Thakkar in 1965.

A native of Almora, Uttarakhand, Lakshya Sen started the game on a slow note. He steadily built the momentum and kept his nerves intact to emerge victorious in the match.

A tight contest was witnessed between the two players, Vitidsarn started the first game with some attacking moves, but the game turned towards the end and ultimately, it was the Indian player who defeated his opponent with a wonderful drop and won the gold.

“I had prepared well for this competition, the way I do for every international tournament and I felt I was playing better and better with each successive round leading up to the final,” said Indian shuttler Sen, as reported by First Post.

Talking about his opponent after a close match, Sen said, “Kunlavut is a complete player, very fast on his feet, and with all the strokes in the book. He does not smash indiscriminately, but when he does smash, he has a very hard hit. I decided to mix things up and generally retained control of the rallies. On the day, I found my drops working well, so I kept him constantly guessing whether I would hit a smash, a half-smash, a drop or a late flick toss.”

Lakshya’s coach P Mohan Kumar appreciated his patient and mature game in front of a fast and fit opponent.

The Logical Indian congratulates Lakshya and wishes him all the best in his future endeavours.

Also read: Paralysed At 18 To Becoming A Para-Athlete At 30; Meet Haryana’s Ekta Bhyan Who Won Gold For India

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Editor : The Logical Indian

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