India's star shuttler Lakshay Sen failed to win a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics 2024 as he lost against Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia on Monday (August 5). Sen started off brilliantly winning the first set and showing excellent composure against the Malaysian. The 22-year-old from Almora could have won the fourth medal for India at the Games. There was time during the Olympics campaign Sen looked favourite for gold but the loss in the semifinal was a tough pill for the youngster to swallow.
Earlier, Lakshay Sen faced a disappointing loss against defending Olympics champion Viktor Axelsen in the quarterfinal on Sunday (August 4). Sen was defeated 22-20, 21-24 which led him to compete for the Bronze medal in Paris against Lee Zii Jia. (Paris Olympics 2024: Neeraj Chopra To Men's Hockey Team; Last Medal Winning Hopes For India - In Pics)
"Lakshya is an amazing player. He has shown in this Olympics that he is a very, very strong competitor and I am sure in four years from now, he will be one of the favourites to win the gold," Axelsen told 'Jio Cinema' after the win on Sunday.
"An amazing talent and a great guy and I wish him all the best. He was playing so well in the big parts of both games, but I managed to relax and play the right game and win the match. But all credit to him as well," he added. (Paris Olympics 2024: Manika Batra's Clutch Performance Gets India Women's Table Tennis Team Into Quarterfinals)
Axelsen, with his wealth of experience in handling pressure, managed to overcome a strong challenge from Sen, who appeared nervous despite playing better for much of their semifinal match. The 22-year-old from Almora lost a three-point lead in the first game and a 7-0 lead in the second during the 54-minute contest.
"I think the experience made a difference today. I think Lakshya, he played better than I did in big parts of the game. So he could have won the match," said Axelsen, who is one win away from joining Chinese legend Lin Dan as a two-time Olympic gold medallist.
