Young star Lakshya Sen said India, the Thomas Cup champions, are favorites to win the men’s team gold at the Asian Games in badminton and he also harbors a dream of meeting compatriot and Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra at the quadrennial event . Sen, a bronze medalist at the 2021 World Championships, was one of the architects of India’s epic Thomas Cup win in May last year. He said India will be one of the top contenders for the gold at the Asian Games. “Certainly, the team looks very good.”
“It is the same team that won the Thomas Cup, so we are going as world champions. I think the players who play against us know that it is not easy (to beat India) because we can beat any team in the world.” ,” Sen told PTI.
Sen underlined the need for a collective effort during the Asian Games.
“I don’t think we lack confidence. We have a camaraderie and we know how to handle it. All the teams are strong and we have to do our best.
“We will need a good, collective effort to do well there. The whole team is positive and we hope for a good result,” Sen said.
The 22-year-old from Almora, who won silver at the 2018 Youth Olympics and gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, will only play the team championships at the 19th edition of the showpiece event.
“It will be my first experience at the Asian Games. It’s a similar atmosphere, like the Commonwealth Games and the Youth Olympic Games.
“So I am looking forward to the event and also getting a chance to meet other Indian and foreign athletes and learn more about their sports and lives,” Senator said.
“Last year we attended the Commonwealth Games with the TT contingent because we only played from the first to the last day of the tournament. Their matches were in the next hall. So I watched a lot of TT matches. That I did.” I don’t have time to see other events,” he said.
Sen, who is currently world ranked. 11, missed the individual event at the Asian Games after losing to Kidambi Srikanth in the selection trials in May this year.
Sen hoped he would benefit from meeting Chopra, who will compete in the javelin, in person.
“I only play team events. So I am looking forward to meeting Neeraj Chopra. If I have some time, I would like to see him perform and support him.
“I’ve talked to him before, but I’ve never met him in person. So I’m really looking forward to that,” he said.
The Indian players, who did not get time for long training due to the busy international schedule, are currently honing their skills in a week-long camp in Hyderabad.
“This time there were some big events like the China Super 1000 and the World Championships, which were kind of inevitable.
“But we have only recently started participating and it is the same for everyone. The match preparation is there and it is about playing well on the day.”
“It is like a big pressure tournament, many people in India attach importance to the Asian Games. So I am going (to the Asian Games) with my full intention and expecting good results,” he said.
Badminton events start on September 28 with the team competition.
(This story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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