Lakshya Sen, The World No. 1 In Junior Badminton, Is Not Giving Too Much Importance To Rankings
His feet are still firmly planted on the ground.
For a 15-year-old, his smashes pack quite a punch. He holds back little even in practice sessions. Tall, fleet-footed and sporting a short mop, Uttarakhand's Lakshya Sen is the latest sensation on India's badminton scene after his monumental achievement on Thursday . Bronze medallist at the Junior Asian Championships, the teenager has become World No. 1 in junior rankings, moving ahead of Chinese Taipei's Chia Hao Lee with 16, 903 points.
BCCL
"It feels great to become the No. 1. I had been third and then was stuck at second for some time but this feels good," says the soft-spoken Lakshya. Playing his first senior nationals here, the youngster, seeded 14th, admits that his feat will put him under some pressure. "Pressure will be there but that's how we have to perform. My sole aim will be to give my best," says he.
Having taken badminton lessons at the Prakash Padukone academy since the age of ten, Lakshya credits the institution for his rise. "They taught me not to give too much importance to rankings. Rather they always tried to make me a better player," says Lakshya, after an hour-long train ing session at Patliputra Sports Complex Indoor Stadium. Son of SAI (Sports Authority of India) coach DK Sen, Lakshya's elder brother Chirag had been the world No. 2 in junior badminton. But Lakshya rules out sibling rivalry. "We are not rivals at all. We just concentrate on our games."
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BCCL
In fact, badminton runs in the family ."My grandfather used to play badminton.When I was five years old I started taking interest in the game and since my father is a coach, it was better for me." The reticent teenager is certainly not willing to rest on his laurels. The Grand Prix Gold and Superseries at the senior level are what Lakshya has in his sights. "I want win Grand Prix Gold and Superseries. I want to train harder as that will help me perform better at this level," he says.
BCCL
In the long run, Lakshya wants to emulate his idols -Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan in the long run. For someone who has already pushed a Chinese Taipei player off the top spot, the teenager's dream does not seem far-fetched.
