Fitness was a major area of work for Lakshya Sen heading into the 2024 Paris Olympics. Even as he struggled to qualify for the Games until early this year, the shuttler was constantly working on taking his fitness past elite levels.
Biceps curls, double rope climbs, and treadmill runs were a constant in his training regimen. During one of these training sessions, Sen is also said to have recorded a yo-yo test score of 22.4 – a score much higher than Indian cricketer and fitness icon Virat Kohli.
It was this emphasis on fitness that helped Sen hold his own in an intense 75-minute long men’s singles quarter-final at the La Chapelle Arena on Friday.
Up against Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei, a world championships bronze medallist, the Indian prevailed 19-21, 21-15, 21-12 in a tense encounter.
In the simplest of terms – it was a battle of stamina. A battle of who was willing to last longer on the court. Chou, 34, came up second.
As early as 7-7 in the first game, the spectators were treated to a 51-shot rally. It was a sign of things to come. Long rallies, impeccable defence, and unworldly retrievals from athletes diving around were the norm for rest of the match.
Trailing 9-11 at the mid-game interval and with some advice from coaches Prakash Padukone and Vimal Kumar later, Sen went on a rampage. He pocketed six points in a row to open up a 17-15 lead. Chou, however, was undeterred.
Playing from the faster end of the court, Chou kept raining down smashes one after the other. Sen kept diving and returning.
But there was a limit to what he could do in face of Chou’s relentless attacks, as the Chinese Taipei shuttler pocketed the opening game 21-19 with a brilliant body smash.
The 22-year-old from Almora started well in the second game, but Chou won four points in a row to lead 4-5. A couple of points later, drama struck.
Chou’s shot was called in at the backline and Sen asked for a review. The replays were shown on the live broadcast, but not on the big screen on court as Sen lost his challenge.
An agitated Sen argued with the chair umpire with the shuttle in his hand even as the umpire asked, “Return the shuttle Sen.” An official had to enter the arena to calm Sen down.
The incident could have thrown him off the game, but it simply fired up Sen. He fought back to lead 11-10 at the interval and then won eight of the next 10 points to go from 13-13 to take the second game 21-15.
The third game though saw him bring out a tactical change. Sen understood his smashes would be returned with ease, so he started rushing forward. He started controlling the net and pocketing points as Chou seemed to be running on fumes.
Once he sensed his opponent fatiguing, Sen went all in. The extra bit of energy in his tank came to good use. A tired Chou started erring and Sen was there to take advantage. The Chinese Taipei veteran started missing his length and the shuttle started landing out of bounds.
Even as Chou’s tank seemed to have emptied, Sen did not let his intensity drop. All that focus on fitness came to good use.
Sen, the lone Indian shuttler standing in Paris, became the first male shuttler from the country to advance to the Olympic semi-final. More importantly, he kept India’s badminton medal streak alive for another day.
Sen will next take on the winner of the quarter-final between reigning champion Viktor Axelsen and Loh Kean Yew on Sunday.
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