Paris, Jul 31 (IANS): India's Lakshya Sen on Wednesday stormed into the pre-quarterfinals of men's singles badminton at the Paris Olympics after stunning World No.4 and reigning All-England champion Jonatan Christie of Indonesia in a Group L match.
Lakshya was slow off the blocks and trailed 0-5 in the opening game. However, a flurry of points saw him first making a comeback and then pulling off a sensational 21-18, 21-12 win against the gold medalist at the 2018 Asian Games.
After the match, his mother Nirmala, who is in Paris to support her son, spoke to IANS and expressed her delight over the memorable win.
She said Lakshya made a video call to her and spoke to his father, and childhood coach, to know about his impression of the match.
“He was excited and wanted to speak to his father to know how he would react to the win. We are all happy for him and it’s due to his hard work and support of everyone, coaches and others. We have been here with him in France for the past one month. He has been training in Marseille and before that, in Bengaluru,” Lakshya’s mother told IANS.
She further said that she cooks food for him daily. “We have taken an apartment near the badminton arena and I cook food for him and send. He loves it. And sometimes he comes here for 'champi' (head massage). We all want him to do well for India.”
Asked if Lakshya is facing any issue in Games Village related to food, she said, “No, he just likes eating home-cooked food.”