Olympics 2024: How Lakshya Sen transformed into a giant killer

There was anticipation. There was fear.

Lakshya Sen was set for a do-or-die clash against an opponent that he has been unable to decode since 2020.

Having lost four matches in a row against third seed Jonatan Christie, the last one coming at the All England Open semifinal in March, the odds were stacked against the Indian.

It was a winner-take-all group finale, and Lakshya played out of his skin to send Christie, the All England Open and Asian champion, packing.

In the process, Lakshya ruined Indonesia's hope of ending their 20-year wait for an Olympic gold in the men's singles with a resounding straight-game win (21-18, 21-12).

The win marked a paradigm shift in India's medal hope in badminton at Paris.

Lakshya, the World No.18, entered the Olympics in the shadow of the tenth seed HS Prannoy.

Despite oozing with talent, Lakshya has always been plagued by inconsistency. And because of this, not very many gave him a realistic shot.

He qualified for the Olympics at the 12th hour with injury, surgery and poor form, making his qualification uncertain.

But semifinal finishes at the French Open and All England Open came to his rescue.

His defence was porous, his attack was unconvincing, his footwork was questionable and his net game needed an upgrade.

However, an early break from the World Tour in July prepared him for the marauding acts in Paris.

Building an all-round game

After slaying Christie, Lakshya has not only brought himself right into the mix of medal contenders but also instilled a sense of belief in the Indian badminton circuit and earned the plaudits of pundits.

Asked about Lakshya's inspiring comeback, former India international Manoj Kumar said Lakshya's all-round game is his biggest asset at Paris 2024.

"Christie was attacking very well on the backhand side. But Lakshya was ready for all types of shots. He was quick, beat Christie in pace and was playing flat strokes. He also countered Christie with crosscourt drives, smashes in the backhand side and dominated the net," Manoj told The Bridge over the phone from Hyderabad.

"Initially, Christie wanted to engage Lakshya in rallies. But Lakshya did not mind that. He countered that with flat strokes and drawing unforced errors from him," he added.

Though Lakshya's start to the Paris Olympics was a little shaky with Kevin Cordon of Guetamala testing his skills in the first match, he got himself into the groove eventually.

"To be honest, when Lakshya played his first match in this Olympics, we were discussing his game and were not sure about his chances. But now after this win against Christie, he will be a medal contender," said former Olympian Dipankar Bhattacharya.

"Earlier, he was more of a defensive player. Now, he has strengthed his attack and improved his defence," said Manoj.

With crucial inputs coming from the sidelines, with two master tacticians - Prakash Padukone and Vimal Kumar - keeping a close eye on his game, Lakshya was not short of ideas and ways to counter his opponents.

And now at, Paris 2024, Lakshya's newly minted game made a strong player like Chrisite look ordinary.

Dipankar credited Padukone and Vimal's measured efforts for the metamorphosis of Lakshya's game.

"Having Prakash sir and Vimal sir around is a huge advantage. Prakash sir is a master tactician, I know this very well. His inputs showed Lakshya the way to better his opponents so far," stated Bhattacharya.

It was a mind game against Christie, and Lakshya, high on self-belief, dictated matters from the word go.

He won the toss and asked Christie to choose the side, a move that proved to be a masterstroke.

Explaining this, Parupalli Kashyap, who was on the mike, stated, "Lakshya took a well-measured decision by asking Christie to decide the end because he knows if the match goes to the third game he will be on the better side with less drift, and Christie cannot beat him on that side."

Not an easy nut to crack

Lakshya, however, like his last two matches took time to warm up.

Christie broke into a 5-0 lead and then claimed an 8-2 advantage. But Lakshya is no longer an easy nut to crack.

What looked like an easy game for Christie suddenly turned out to be tough.

Christie was a little rigid in his approach; he opted to open Lakshya's backcourt by engaging in rallies. He was desperate for points and hit smashes relentlessly. But Lakshya eroded his confidence when he sent back his strokes at ease, making it hard for the Indonesian to fetch winners.

His ruthless retrieving, the ability to dictate the shuttle with his wristy flicks, wide reach and the ability to move swiftly put Christie in a spot of bother.

Suddenly, Lakshya looked imposing with his all-round game.

The opening game was close.

Lakshya - previously struggling to sustain in close-game situations - did not bog down by Christie's quick start.

He drew level at 8-8 and attacked Christie's forehand, the Indonesian's weakest side, with precision.

At the mid-game interval, Lakshya would hit a crosscourt smash to Christie's playing hand, freezing his movement and claiming a slender lead at 11-10.

After the break, when Christie's strategy to open up the backcourt backfired with Lakshya's clever net play keeping him on the toe, the World No. 3 looked out of ideas.

He played the shuttle wide and into the net, handing a 14-11 lead to his Indian counterpart.

Christie, however, bounced back to draw level at 16-16, winning a few testing rallies. But Lakshya never looked bothered by the change in momentum.

When a neck-to-neck battle prevailed at 18-18, Lakshya played the shot of the match - an intuitive behind-the-back flick that forced Christie to play wide - to go on a three-point march.

Lakshya eventually won the opening game 21-18, winning a net battle against Christie.

As he thumped Chrsitie on the unfavourable side, Lakshya, in his current blazing form, made the second game his own from the beginning.

He got off to a quick start, claiming an 11-6 lead.

Christie could collect only six points more as the Indian star broke away to a massive lead. He drew Christie close to the net and then finished the rally with a toss.

His uncanny ability to accelerate and decelerate the pace of the rallies flummoxed Christie. Lakshya came up with a reflex return when Christie smashed to play a drop shot, leaving him far away from the net.

At 19-18, when Christie drove the shuttle to the backcourt, Lakshya, showing his agility and extensive reach, retrieved it and stayed up in the rally.

With Christie eventually going long, Lakshya propelled to match point. And for Lakshya's winner, Christie succumbed to his error, triggering a wild celebration among Indian fans in attendance.

Lakshya, however, stayed calm. A fist pump was all he showed for his first win against Christie in four years.

"Now that he defeated Christie, and that too straight games, he can conquer the rest of the field," said Bhattacharya.

Manoj said: "If he continues to play like this, he will be the dark horse, someone who can beat anyone on any situation."