Lakshya Sen’s Badminton Journey: Junior Triumphs to Senior Glory

Lakshya Sen entered the world on 16 August 2001 in Almora, Uttarakhand, and grew up immersed in badminton, a sport his family had embraced for two generations before him. At ten, he shifted to Bengaluru to train under former national champion Vimal Kumar, while former world No. 1 Prakash Padukone acted as his mentor.

He captured the Swiss Junior International title in 2014 and escalated to the world junior No. 1 ranking by February 2017. The year 2018 marked a watershed: Sen won the Asian Junior Championship, outplaying top seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn 21‑19, 21‑18, and later stood on the podium with a mixed‑team gold at the Youth Olympic Games.

His senior career is equally impressive. He earned a bronze medal in men’s singles at the 2021 World Championships, helped India secure gold at the 2022 Thomas Cup men’s team event, and added a bronze at the 2026 Thomas Cup. At the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, Sen clinched gold in men’s singles and silver in the mixed team event. He also holds a silver from the 2022 Asian Games, a bronze from the Asian Mixed Team Championship, and another bronze from the 2020 Asian Team Championship.

The Indian government honoured him with the Arjuna Award on 30 November 2022. At 25, Sen finished fourth in the men’s singles at the Paris Olympic Games, leaving the door open for a future Olympic medal.