Lakshya Sen receives major praise as Viktor Axelsen’s ‘favourite’ despite 2024 Paris Olympics defeat

Lakshya Sen was nervous, said defending champion Viktor Axelsen after defeating him in the Olympic semi-finals, but he also predicted that the young Indian would be among the favorites to win the gold medal in four years’ time at the Los Angeles Games. Axelsen defeated Sen 22-20 and 21-14, managing to come from behind in both games against the talented Indian player who will now play for the bronze medal on Monday. “Lakshya is an incredible player. He has shown in these Olympics that he is a very, very strong competitor and I am sure that four years from now he will be one of the favorites to win gold,” Axelsen told ‘Jio Cinema’ after Sunday’s victory .

“An incredible talent and a great guy and I wish him all the best. He was playing very well in the main parts of both games, but I managed to relax and play the right game and win the match. well,” he added.

Axelsen knows a thing or two about dealing with pressure and said his experience helped him avoid a tough challenge from Sen, who looked nervous despite looking like the better player for most of the semi-final clash.

The 22-year-old from Almora squandered a three-point lead in the first game and a 7-0 lead in the second in the 54-minute clash.

“I think experience made the difference today. I think Lakshya played better than me for a large part of the game. So he could have won the match,” said Axelsen, who is one win away from joining Chinese legend Lin Dan. as a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

Sen was leading 17-11 in the opening game and managed to pick up three game points, but he imploded after that and a series of unforced errors handed the initiative to Axelsen.

“If you start thinking, then you’re going to get into trouble. And I think Lakshya, he thought about it a lot. It was a big thing for him, obviously, I know what rings do to you mentally,” said the Dane.

“He was maybe starting to think, ‘Oh, if I get this set then I’ve got the momentum, I’ve got a great chance’. But again, it’s so natural to think like that. I’ve been there myself and I think he got a little nervous.

“And when you get nervous, I know I have to rebound and keep the shot on the court and make the right plays, because then he might make a mistake because of the nervousness.” While Axelsen will face Thailand’s reigning world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the finals, Sen will face Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia in the bronze medal playoff.