Paris Olympics 2024: Lakshya Sen loses bronze medal match after winning first game vs Lee Zii Jia

Lakshya Sen suffered another heartbreak at the Paris Olympics 2024 on Monday as he lost the bronze medal match against Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia despite winning the first game. The 22-year-old had a 4-1 head-to-head advantage over the Malaysian going into the match, but the seventh seed scripted a turnaround midway through the match to win 13-21, 21-16, 21-11 in one hour and 11 minutes.

Lakshya’s defeat also brought an end to India’s badminton campaign at the Paris Olympics and this is the first time since 2008 that India have failed to win a medal in the sport at the Summer Games.

Paris Olympics 2024: Day 10 LIVE Updates

Sen started the match strongly, assisted by a profligate Lee who kept making unforced errors. The 22-year-old Indian led 11-5 at the midway mark of the first game based on his super defence as he kept returning everything Lee threw at him, while Malaysian kept making mistakes by going wide and long.

More from Badminton

BWF World Junior Team Championships 2025: India handed comfortable group-stage draw Saina Nehwal shares heartwarming update days after announcing divorce from Parupalli Kashyap: 'Here we are—trying again'

Even at 20-13, Sen closed the match after Lee once again went long.

The Indian male shutter had a good start in the second game as well despite the change of ends and took an early 8-3 before Lee, egged on by a group of vociferous Malaysian fans, began the comeback. He won nine straight points to make it 12-8 and eventually sealed the game at 21-16 with powerful smashes and quick reflexes.

In the decider, Sen seemed to have run out of gas as Lee took a 7-2 lead and then 11-6. The Indian was also guilty of making multiple errors as Lee earned nine match points and sealed the bronze with a body smash.

‘I had my chances. The second game, it definitely could have done better. Credit to him (Lee Zii Jia)," Lakshya told JioCineema after his defeat. “At this moment I am not able to think (straight).”

On was he tried after the semi-finals yesterday, he said, “I came well prepared for this match. It has been quite a tough week. Fatigue kept on building but I was ready to give my everything.”

India’s first badminton medal came at London 2012 when Sania Nehwal won a women’s singles bronze. PV Sindhu won silver and bronze at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 in the women’s singles as well.