Lakshya Sen: Uttarakhand's Badminton Star

Lakshya Sen's rise from a badminton-obsessed household in Almora, Uttarakhand, to the semi-finals of the Olympic Games represents one of Indian badminton's most compelling modern stories. A third-generation shuttler carrying a family legacy into the world's biggest arenas, he has become one of the most consistent and mentally resilient players on the global men's singles circuit.

Lakshya Sen was born on 16 August 2001 to parents Nirmala and Dhirendra (D.K.) Sen in Almora, Uttarakhand. Badminton ran deep in the family: his father was a certified coach who gave Lakshya his earliest training in Almora, his grandfather had also been connected to the sport, and his elder brother, Chirag Sen, went on to become an international-level player himself. Interestingly, as a young child, Lakshya was also a proficient cross-country runner before badminton became his singular focus.

To give Lakshya's badminton ambitions the best possible environment, the family relocated to Bangalore, where, at around age 10, he began training under the legendary U. Vimal Kumar at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy the same academy that had earlier nurtured India's other top shuttlers. Kumar's disciplined training routines and early competitive exposure played a pivotal role in shaping Sen's game.

As of 2026, Lakshya Sen is 24 years old, having been born on 16 August 2001, placing him firmly in what is typically considered a badminton player's competitive prime.

Lakshya Sen stands at approximately 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in), though a few official listings round this slightly higher to 1.79-1.80 m (5 ft 11 in). While not among the taller players on the men's singles circuit, his height strikes an effective balance between reach and manoeuvrability, well suited to his aggressive, attacking playing style.

His frame allows him to generate genuine power on his smashes he has been clocked hitting speeds of up to 420 km/h during a smash against China's Li Shifeng at the 2023 Canada Open while still retaining the agility and quick footwork needed to cover the court and retrieve difficult shots during long rallies. Combined with his fitness and endurance, his physical build has become a key part of what allows him to compete evenly with taller, more physically imposing opponents on the international circuit.

Sen's rise through the junior ranks was rapid. He made his first significant international mark in 2014 by winning the Swiss Junior International, and by February 2017, at just 15 years old, he was crowned World Junior No. 1.

• 2017: Became the World Junior No. 1 ranked player at age 15.
• 2018 Asian Junior Championships: Won the boys' singles gold medal.
• 2018 Youth Olympic Games (Buenos Aires): Won a silver medal in men's singles, and gold in the mixed team event, at age 17.

Sen transitioned to the senior circuit with immediate impact, winning his first BWF World Tour title at the 2019 SaarLorLux Open, followed by a maiden Dutch Open title the same year. His progress continued through 2021, when he played a crucial role in India's historic Thomas Cup campaign, and capped the year with a bronze medal at the 2021 BWF World Championships in Huelva, Spain falling in the semi-final to fellow Indian Kidambi Srikanth.

2022 proved to be a career-defining year for Sen. He opened the year by winning his maiden Super 500 title at the India Open, then reached the final of the prestigious All England Open becoming the first Indian men's singles player to do so since Pullela Gopichand before narrowly losing to Viktor Axelsen. He then played a starring role as part of the Indian team that won a historic first-ever Thomas Cup title, beating Indonesia 3-0 in the final.

He capped his year in spectacular fashion at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, coming from behind to beat Malaysia's Ng Tze Yong 19-21, 21-9, 21-16 in the final to win gold. In November 2022, he rose to a career-high world ranking of No. 6, and was subsequently honoured with the Arjuna Award by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The Canada Open, held in Calgary, has been a particularly successful venue for Sen. In July 2023, he won the title by defeating China's Li Shifeng in straight games, 21-18, 22-20 his first title since his Commonwealth Games triumph nearly a year earlier, and a result that gave a major confidence boost heading into the Paris Olympics qualification cycle. He came through a tough draw that year, beating second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn early on before defeating fourth seed Kenta Nishimoto in the semi-final.

Sen entered his Olympic debut in career-best form and delivered a historic campaign. He topped his group by beating reigning All England champion and world No. 3 Jonatan Christie, then defeated Chinese Taipei's Chou Tien-chen in a gritty three-game quarter-final, 19-21, 21-15, 21-12, to become the first Indian male shuttler ever to reach an Olympic badminton semi-final a milestone that had eluded even Parupalli Kashyap (quarter-finals, London 2012) and Kidambi Srikanth (quarter-finals, Rio 2016).

In the semi-final against defending champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark, Sen led in both games but couldn't close them out, eventually losing 22-20, 21-14 in a heartbreaking encounter. He then faced Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia in the bronze medal match, taking a commanding first-game lead (21-13) despite carrying a taped, bleeding forearm injury, only for Lee to fight back and win the next two games 21-14, 21-8 to claim bronze leaving Sen to finish an agonising fourth in his Olympic debut.

Sen's Paris 2024 bronze medal match against Lee Zii Jia remains one of the most discussed near-misses in recent Indian Olympic history. Despite winning the opening game comfortably 21-13, and even fighting through a bleeding forearm injury that required taping mid-match, Sen was unable to sustain his intensity, losing the next two games 14-21 and 8-21 as Lee took full control of the rallies. It marked Sen's second career loss to Lee Zii Jia, having beaten the Malaysian earlier that year at the All England Open.

Viktor Axelsen has long been one of the toughest opponents on Sen's career résumé. Heading into their Paris 2024 semi-final, the two had met eight times, with Axelsen winning seven. Sen's sole victory came at the 2022 German Open semi-final, a hard-fought three-game win, 21-13, 12-21, 22-20. Axelsen has otherwise dominated the rivalry, including a straight-games win in the 2022 All England final and a comfortable win in their most recent meeting at the 2024 Singapore Open.

Sen showed strong resurgence through 2025 and into 2026, delivering confident performances against lower-ranked and top-tier opponents alike. At the 2026 All England Open, he stunned defending champion and world No. 1 Shi Yuqi in a three-set opening-round thriller, before going on to reach the semi-finals of the tournament. He also played a key role for India at the 2026 Thomas Cup, contributing to the team's run to the semi-finals (where an impact injury kept him out of the France tie) and a podium finish, having earlier set the tone with wins over Australia and Chinese Taipei.

As of mid-July 2026, Lakshya Sen is competing at the Japan Open Super 750, one of the major stops on the BWF World Tour calendar, alongside compatriot Ayush Shetty. His participation there follows a season that has included appearances at the Thailand Open, Singapore Open, and the Thomas Cup Finals in Horsens, Denmark, underlining a packed international schedule as he continues building toward the next major continental and world events.

Lakshya Sen holds a career win-loss record of 237 wins and 130 losses in men's singles. His highest-ever ranking was World No. 6, achieved on 8 November 2022, and as of late May 2026 he is ranked World No. 10, having spent much of the year fluctuating within the world's top 15.

He has also won bronze medals at the Badminton Asia Team Championships and the Asia Mixed Team Championships, along with multiple BWF World Tour Super 500 titles, including the India Open (2022) and Canada Open (2023).

Sen has been a key member of India's men's team across multiple continental and world team events, playing alongside stars such as Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty (men's doubles), Kidambi Srikanth and H.S. Prannoy (fellow singles specialists), and, more recently, rising singles talent Ayush Shetty. In mixed team events, he has also played alongside women's singles stars like PV Sindhu. His coaching team over the years has included Vimal Kumar, Prakash Padukone, South Korea's Park Tae-sang, and Yoo Yong-sung.

Estimates of Lakshya Sen's net worth vary considerably across sources, generally ranging from roughly ₹10-15 crore on the more conservative end to over ₹40-57 crore on higher estimates, reflecting his prize money earnings from the BWF World Tour, brand endorsements, and appearance fees. His income streams primarily come from tournament prize money (which varies significantly by tournament tier, from Super 300 events up to the Olympics), together with sponsorship deals that have grown alongside his rising profile since his Commonwealth Games and Paris Olympics performances.

Note: Athlete net worth figures are not officially disclosed and vary widely across different publications; the figures above should be treated as rough estimates rather than confirmed data.

Lakshya Sen's career carries significance well beyond his individual medal count.

• The first Indian male shuttler to reach an Olympic badminton semi-final, at Paris 2024
• A key architect of India's historic first-ever Thomas Cup title in 2022
• A former World Junior No. 1 who has gone on to reach a career-high world ranking of No. 6
• A proud representative of Uttarakhand, inspiring a new generation of shuttlers from Almora, including women's player Anupama Upadhyaya, who trained under his father

From a badminton court in Almora to the brink of an Olympic medal in Paris, Lakshya Sen's journey continues to inspire, with the biggest prizes in the sport still firmly within his reach.

Another sporting icon from Almora is former India hockey goalkeeper and coach Mir Ranjan Negi, whose inspiring journey remains one of Indian sport's greatest comeback stories.