“Sticking to what has worked in the last few months while taking calculated risks”- Lakshya Sen looks to strike a balance ahead of the Paris Olympics 

For Lakshya Sen, the Paris Olympics will mark a monumental moment in his career. The 22-year-old will be shortly playing at the Adidas Arena in arguably the biggest stage of the badminton world.

For the Indian, the journey to this peak has been full of its fair share of ups and downs. After clinching a World Championships bronze in late 2021, he built on that momentum with a phenomenal 2022 season that saw the shuttler claim the Commonwealth Games gold and the Thomas Cup trophy.

However, right as the Olympic qualification year began, Sen struggled with his form, making multiple early exits in the first few tournaments of the year. A ray of hope shone through in the middle of the year when he lodged impressive performances at the Thailand, Canada, Japan, and US Open tournaments.

Unfortunately, another string of lukewarm performances put his chances for the Olympic qualification in doubt, before he managed to pull through. Now, speaking to Sportskeeda in an exclusive interview, Lakshya Sen detailed the difference in his mindset between the start of the year and now, saying:

“Overall, even then my approach was to get better every day. Mentally, I think there were a lot more challenges than now. In the last few tournaments that I've played I know I've been playing well and I'm in good shape. So even while preparing for this [Paris Olympics], I'm not trying to do anything different or new, but just do the basics, maybe 5-10% better in training, that helps in the tournament.”

While keeping the core mental aspect of his game the same, Lakshya Sen and his team are also sticking to what has previously worked out well when it comes to the physical aspect of training.

Explaining how he's preparing for the grueling matches that undoubtedly await him at the Games, the shuttler said:

“I think [just] working on certain areas where I can improve on and not to try anything too new at this stage. [We are] sticking to what has worked in the last few months and also trying certain things while taking a calculated risk of how it will go. At the moment we are focusing on doing the basics right and having a good training period before the Olympics.”

Currently aiding Lakshya Sen in his quest for a memorable finish at the Paris Olympics is South Korea's two-time Olympic silver medalist Yoo Yong-sung.

The former shuttler is a doubles specialist but will be an incredible asset in helping the Indian improve on the quick reflexes needed to excel at the marquee event. Speaking of training alongside Yong-sung, Sen stated he was happy with his setup ahead of the Paris Olympics.

“There are areas where after the last tournament that we played, I could analyze what are the things I need to improve on and then we had some ideas about how I can get even 5-10% better on every aspect of the game. And yes, the training intensity has been good since he (Yoo Yong-sung) joined and I think it was already going well with Vimal Sir and I think it's a good training setup for the Olympics,” he said.

Lakshya Sen on missing the Canada Open and dealing with a packed BWF calendar

For Lakshya Sen, while the physical and mental aspects of his training are working out as intended, a small detail that didn't go according to plan was missing the Canada Open in early July.

For Sen, the Canada Open would have marked his first competitive outing on the BWF World Tour circuit since early June and would have provided him with an important opportunity to test his mettle ahead of the Paris Olympics.

However, Sen was forced to miss the event when visa issues meant he couldn't travel to Canada. Despite the setback, he wasn't too fazed, choosing to look at the brighter side and take advantage of the extra week of practice.

“I would have loved to defend my title and also get a few good matches under my belt. But yeah, I think everyone tried their level best from BAI to SAI to the ministry as well, unfortunately we couldn't get it. But yeah, I think there were coaches and everyone who was looking after it and I was not too bothered when it didn't come. I think from a training perspective, I think I could utilize this one more week for a good training week and then travel to France and play in the Olympics,” he explained.

While Lakshya Sen was forced to miss this one event, the Indian is usually bombarded with tournaments given the busy BWF schedule.

Speaking on balancing training and competing, the Indian emphasized the need to be smart when choosing the tournaments you play.

“There are a lot of tournaments where you have to pick and choose the right tournaments and I have played a lot in the last few months. At the same time, taking enough breaks in between, giving your body time to recover, rest well and again start training and get the levels back to the competition level and again going to the tournament is important,” he stated.

“It's the same for everyone. You just have to be smart and pick the right tournaments and have enough breaks in between the tournaments and have enough training periods also,” Sen concluded.

For now, Lakshya Sen will have shifted his sight to his Olympic debut in Paris. The Indian will be joined by compatriot HS Prannoy in the men's singles, while PV Sindhu and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty will feature in the women's singles and men's doubles, respectively.