 "Indian badminton star Lakshya Sen attends an event for the Indian contingent returning from the Paris Olympics in New Delhi. PTI")
Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen revealed that badminton head coach Prakash Padukone had taken his phone away during the recently-concluded Paris Olympics in order to minimise distractions and was told that he would be getting it back once his debut Olympic campaign was done.
Sen made the revelations during the felicitation of the Indian contingent by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Independence Day, adding that he was disappointed to have narrowly missed out on a first-ever Olympic medal by a male shuttler.
“Prakash sir took away my phone… said won’t get back till matches are done,” Sen said after the PM asked him about becoming a nationwide celebrity.
“If Prakash sir is so strict, will send him next time too,” PM Modi replied.
Sen narrowly missed out on a place on the podium in his maiden Olympic campaign in Paris, finishing fourth in the men’s singles competition.
Read | Meet Lakshya Sen, the young Indian shuttler who created history in Paris Olympics
The 22-year-old from Almora had won five matches on the trot, defeating compatriot HS Prannoy along the way, to storm into the semi-finals, only to finish fourth after suffering back-to-back defeats in the business end of his campaign.
“It was a good learning experience for me. It was heartbreaking as well I was so close to win a medal. But I will make sure that I will do well in the future,” Sen added during the felicitation program.
Coach Padukone, one of India’s greatest badminton players of all time who had won the All England Championship in 1980, later slammed the Indian badminton contingent for failing to win a single medal despite being a medal contender in three categories.
Read | ‘I fought with every ounce of strength’, Lakshya reacts after missing out on bronze medal
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu crashed out in the women’s singles Round of 16 while Asian Games gold medallists Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost their men’s doubles quarter-final match against Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik.
It was the first time since Saina Nehwal won bronze in London 2012 that India had failed to win a single badminton medal at the Olympics. The Indian contingent would finish with a total of six medals — one silver and five bronze — in Paris, half of them coming from the shooting team.