“Lakshya needs to stay on the journey of learning,” says mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton

Lakshya Sen was projected as one of India’s medal prospects in the Paris Olympics. Despite an impressive start, he lost the plot midway and squandered his medal hopes.

In the semifinal, he blew away an early lead against the seasoned Viktor Axelsen and could not bounce back. It was a similar story in the bronze medal match where he lost to Lee Zii Jia after winning the first game.

And, having worked with Lakshya since February this year, noted mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton believes that with a bit more experience, the young shuttler can emerge as India’s gold medal contender in the years to come.

“This was Lakshya’s first Olympics and I think he wasn’t seeded very high coming into the Games. So, just to get to the semifinals was an incredible effort,” Upton told  Sportstar from Paris on Friday.

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The 22-year-old Lakshya squandered three game points in the opening game and a 7-0 lead in the second in the semifinal against Denmark’s seasoned campaigner Axelsen. In the bronze match, too, he lost the grip, which led to his mentor Prakash Padukone telling the media that it was high time that players learned to withstand pressure and take responsibility.

Upton, however, backed the youngster. “What we saw in the semifinals and the playoff game – he lost both – it was very clear that he has the fitness, he has the skill, he has the game and has the talent to be able to go the distance and compete with the best in the world,” he said.

“He is young and he has got an amazing career ahead of him. He has got all the ingredients and it’s just about gaining the experience as any athlete needs to do. And as he goes forward, he’s going to get better and better and be a genuine gold medal contender going forward,” the mental coach said, adding: “If he stays on the journey of learning, it’s going to be very exciting for him…”