Ramnagar: Lakshya Sen of Almora district of Uttarakhand created history in the Paris 2024 Olympics by becoming the first Indian male shuttler to reach the semifinals in the history of the Olympics. There is an atmosphere of celebration in Almora due to Lakshya's achievement.
Lakshya Sen, son of DK Sen, a resident of Badreshwar Ward of Almora, bettered the record of another Indian shuttler Parupalli Kashyap, who had made it to the quarter-finals in the 2012 London Olympics. In the past, Lakshya has won a bronze medal in the World Championship in Spain, a gold medal in the India Open held in Delhi and a silver medal in the German Open. He has also won a silver medal in the All-England Tournament and was also part of the gold medal-winning Indian team in the Thomas Cup. Lakshya Sen has also been awarded the Arjuna Award for outstanding performance in sports.
Lakshya entered the semi-final by defeating the Chou Tien Chou of Chinese Taipei in the Quarter-finals by 2-1. There were celebrations at his native place after his massive success. His aunt and uncle also expressed happiness about his achievement. They said that Lakshya has dedicated his time wholly to badminton since childhood. He was constantly striving to win a gold medal for India in the Olympics and he is inching towards the milestone. They also hoped that the 22-year-old would win the gold medal for the nation. Lakshya will be up against Denmark's Viktor Axelsen in the semi-final who is likely to present a tough challenge.
