Lakshya Sen

Overview

Lakshya Sen is an Indian professional badminton player from Almora in Uttarakhand. He competes primarily in men's singles and is regarded among the leading Indian shuttlers of his generation. Sen has represented India at the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Thomas Cup, and on the BWF World Tour, and has won medals at the BWF World Championships and the Commonwealth Games.

Key facts

Background and early life

Lakshya Sen was born into a family closely linked to badminton in the hill town of Almora. His father, D. K. Sen, is a coach affiliated with the Sports Authority of India, and his elder brother Chirag Sen is also a national-level shuttler. Lakshya began playing the sport in childhood under his father's guidance and trained alongside his brother.

He moved to Bengaluru as a young teenager to train at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, where he came under the mentorship of former All England champion Prakash Padukone and former national champion U. Vimal Kumar. He was also supported by the Olympic Gold Quest foundation.

Junior career

Sen made an early mark on the junior circuit. He won bronze at the 2018 Asian Junior Championships and gold at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics held in Buenos Aires, defeating Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the final. He also reached a career-high of world No. 1 in the BWF junior rankings.

Senior career highlights

2019

Sen broke through on the senior circuit by winning multiple BWF Tour titles in a single season, including the Dutch Open, Saarlorlux Open, Belgian International, and the Bangladesh International Challenge.

2021

He won bronze at the BWF World Championships held in Huelva, Spain, becoming one of the few Indian men to win a medal at the event. He also reached the final of the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals.

2022

This was a landmark year for Sen. In January, he won the India Open Super 500 title in New Delhi. In March, he reached the final of the All England Open at Birmingham, finishing runner-up to Viktor Axelsen. In May, he was part of the Indian team that won the Thomas Cup in Bangkok for the first time, defeating Indonesia in the final. In August, he won the men's singles gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, beating Ng Tze Yong of Malaysia in the final.

2024

Sen represented India in men's singles at the Paris Olympic Games, becoming the first Indian male shuttler to reach the semi-finals of the men's singles event at the Olympics. He finished fourth after losing the bronze medal play-off.

Playing style

Sen is known for an attacking baseline game built around steep smashes, a strong defence, and high physical endurance during long rallies. His coaches have publicly emphasised his work on net play and deception alongside his power game.

Awards and recognition

• Arjuna Award (2022) for outstanding performance in badminton.
• Multiple BWF World Tour titles and finals appearances on the senior circuit.
• Member of India's first-ever Thomas Cup–winning squad (2022).

Significance

Sen's rise is regarded as part of a broader strengthening of Indian men's singles badminton, alongside players such as Kidambi Srikanth, H. S. Prannoy, and earlier figures like Parupalli Kashyap. His Commonwealth Games gold, World Championships bronze, Thomas Cup title, and Olympic semi-final finish have made him one of the most decorated Indian male shuttlers of the post-2020 era. He has also brought visibility to Uttarakhand as a source of high-performance athletes in non-cricket sports.

Related topics

• Badminton in India
• Prakash Padukone
• Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy
• Thomas Cup
• 2022 Commonwealth Games
• Badminton at the 2024 Summer Olympics
• Kidambi Srikanth
• H. S. Prannoy
• Almora
• Olympic Gold Quest

References

• Badminton World Federation (BWF) player profile and tournament records.
• Commonwealth Games Federation results archives.
• Badminton Association of India announcements and team listings.
• Government of India, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, sporting honours announcements.