Lakshya Sen wins Badminton Asia Junior Championship, ends 53 year title drought

Pic courtesy: Twitter/@BAI_Media

India’s 16-year-old shuttler Lakshya Sen beat World no.1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn to lift the Men’s singles title in the Badminton Asia Junior Championship in Jakarta. 

The World no.9 eased past Vitidsarn in straight sets the Under 19 final to win India’s first Men’s singles gold in 53 years. He also became only the third Indian after P.V Sindhu and Gautam Thakkar to win a gold at the Asian Junior Championship P.V Sindhu had won the title in 2012 and Gautam Thakkar in 1965. 

India's new Golden Boy!@lakshya_sen enter record books,ending a wait of 53 years to win a gold in the men’s singles event at the Asian Junior Championship with a flawless performance; beats World No1 K.Vitidsarn 21-19,21-18 to secure his biggest ever career medal #IndiaontheRise pic.twitter.com/xwRxMT6wP1 — BAI Media (@BAI_Media) July 22, 2018

Sen ousted Vitidsarn (21-19, 21-18) under 50 minutes to seal his career-best finish. 

He had entered the finals after hammering Indonesian fourth seed Ikhsan Leonardo Imanuel Rumbay 21-7 and 21-14 in the semi-final last week. Ikhsan threatened to take the game to the third-set when he came close to taking the lead at 10-11 before the break. But Sen steamed past him to take the match (21-14) 

In 2016, Sen, 14 at the time, had to settle with a bronze medal in the same event after he lost to China’s Sun Feixiang 12-21 and 16-21 in the semi-final at Bangkok.