Lakshya Sen: Olympic heartbreak sapped motivation, but fitness reset and mental clarity revived game

Newly crowned Australian Open champion Lakshya Sen said the heartbreak of finishing fourth at the Paris Olympics drained his motivation and planted a seed of doubt, but renewed focus on physical conditioning and mental clarity helped him rekindle his love for badminton.

The 24-year-old from Almora endured a difficult spell after returning from Paris, where he narrowly missed a medal last year.

“Post the Olympics, it was a little bit hard for me to find motivation again to train really hard. I took a break for some time. I was not doing so well,” Lakshya told a select media after arriving home from Sydney.

“I think there were a lot of first-round exits as well. A lot of the things I was dealing with mentally, I was still competing in a few tournaments, but I was not really 100 per cent there,” he noted.

His downward spiral deepened when a back issue persisted through the Singapore–Indonesia leg. “There were a few niggles here and there. It was not a major injury, but I was getting some back spasms because of high match intensity or the loads in the back,” he added.

Lakshya spent time in hospitals and later visited the Athlete Performance Centre in Salzburg, Austria, to strengthen the affected areas. The physical strain was accompanied by mental fatigue.

“There were a lot of things throughout the year; there were a lot of doubts that were there in my mind. And a lot of people had a lot of different opinions about training, about tournaments, about playing. I think for me, it was important to just block everything and believe in myself … just trust yourself that you are doing the right thing,” he said.

Focus on process, not results

Lakshya said the turnaround began when he stopped chasing outcomes and instead concentrated on the small details in training. A stable backroom staff, including mental trainer Mon Brockman, helped him regain direction.

“In the last year, I’ve been just focusing on the small things and not thinking too much about the results. When I started working with my mental trainer (Mon Brockman from Israel), I think it was important that I find that motivation again. I think somewhere this year, I could again really focus and get back into full training,” he said.

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He said the shift came when he accepted that improvement would take time.

“Five months after Paris, I was in really good shape, but again, I didn’t do well. I was feeling a lot of pressure or the burden of the last few losses. So, at some point, I had to really sit back and think that if it takes me another 20 tournaments, I’m ready to do that. I took a step back from that and just started enjoying the training, enjoying the process again … I think mentally that shift from not worrying too much about the past or the future,” he added.

Training to avoid the dives

Though his diving defence has become a highlight reel staple, Lakshya said he actually trains to avoid it.

“I actually train to work on my footwork in defense where I stay in the right position all the time. I take the right steps forward or maybe sideways as well,” he said.

“But there are times when the shuttle is already gone past you, and in that moment, it comes very naturally to me. I’ve been trying to minimise those and play on my foot. If I have to play a really long career and do those things when I am 30, it will be very difficult. And there are a lot of chances of injuries as well, like in the knee, hand or shoulder. So, in training, I try to avoid those things and not go so hard,” he added.

Lakshya also said that he has worked on expanding his shot-making to stay unpredictable.

“It’s been almost like 3-4 years in the senior circuit, and people start to read your game. My coach (Yoo Yong Song) told me that you have to find a little bit more variation from the net. Maybe hold a little bit on the shots. So I worked a lot on the technical part of the game… I’m not too worried about my tactical or technical stuff. So, just fine-tuning a few of the things. If the skill is there, it doesn’t go away,” Lakshya explained.

Looking ahead

Talking about the season ahead, Lakshya said, “The competition is really high, and there are a lot of good players. I had a really good few tournaments here in the last part of the year, so I would love to continue this momentum into the next year as well. There are some big events next year, but as of now, I am just focusing on what I can do right in the next few months, the next training block that I have until January.

“So, in the next few tournaments, I hope I continue the same way and just take one match at a time and not think too hard,” he signed off.

Published on Nov 25, 2025