Top Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen is leaving no stone unturned in his preparations for the 2024 Paris Olympics. After facing a slump in form last year, the 22-year-old sat down with his mentor Prakash Padukone to discuss his game. Padukone advised Sen that just qualifying for the Olympics would not be enough, and he needed to believe he could win a medal.
Taking the legend's words seriously, Sen focused on improving different aspects of his singles game. He managed to score some good wins on the European circuit. With his qualification for Paris confirmed, Sen realized it was time to ramp up the intensity of his training regimen.
That's when he got in touch with Yoo Yong Sung, a Korean coach he had worked with previously. Yoo is a two-time Olympic medalist in men's doubles and is well-known for his intense doubles drills. Sen's team believes adding doubles training will help elevate various parts of his singles gameplay like pace, reflexes and countering attacking play.
Soon after competing in Indonesia, Sen joined up with Yoo once again. The duo have been focusing on incorporating high-intensity multi-feed drills into Sen's training. Yoo bombards Sen with shuttles from different positions on court, simulating match-like pressure. Sen feels this is helping improve aspects of his flat game and defense.
In the build up to Paris, Sen will also train alongside top European shuttlers in France. He aims to learn from their experience and enhance the attacking and technical aspects of his game under Yoo's guidance. With structured preparations and a strong team behind him, Sen is leaving no stone unturned in pursuit of elusive Olympic glory on badminton's biggest stage.
