JOIN USTouted the brightest talent on the junior badminton circuit in India, Lakshya Sen will soon embark on a pursuit of glory at the Junior World Championship next month.
Earlier this month, Lakshya had lost out on his junior World No 1 to Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn but the 16-year-old said with a certain conviction that rankings don’t matter a lot to him.
“I really don’t pay too much attention to rankings. I’m not really adamant on being No 1 again. It is more about concentrating on the upcoming tournaments and doing well at major events. My focus is firmly fixed on that.
“If I happen to win the Junior Worlds and coincidentally reclaim the top spot, then I can’t really complain,” added Lakshya who is training hard for the event that will be held in Indonesia from October 9.
The under-19 camp began on September 22 at the Karnataka Badminton Association (KBA) and the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA) ward revealed that improvements to his game were headed in the right direction.
“It has begun well. We have about two weeks to improve our game. This week I want to concentrate on building my strength and training extensively towards that. It will be a lot lighter next week since we need to stay fresh before the tournament. There will also be some conditioning and recovery sessions that we will undergo.”
Apart from National coach Sanjeev Sachdev, former doubles National champion Sayali Gokhale has been keeping a keen eye on Lakshya and opined that he stands a good chance to bring home a medal from the Junior Worlds.
“His chances are quite bright. He’s been consistently playing well in the last few months.
“In terms of training we are looking at making him peak at the right time,” she said adding that she would be travelling with the team in the capacity of a coach.
Gokhale, who is a coach at the PPBA, has been witness to Lakshya’s rise right from the day he joined the academy at a tender age of 10 and believes his temperament will take him a long way.
“He’s a good attacking player with a great temperament and that helps him immensely. His smashing is one of his most eye-catching attributes,” she opined.
DH News Service