Lakshya Sen will have another opportunity to win a medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics after losing to Denmark's Viktor Axelsen in the men's singles semifinal on Sunday. The 22-year-old faced a straight-game loss, 20-22, 14-21, in a thrilling 54-minute match where he initially built significant leads but ultimately couldn't hold on.
Sen will now get a chance to become the first Indian male badminton player to win an Olympic medal when he faces Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia in the bronze medal match. Zii Jia had been defeated by Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the other semifinal held that day. Lakshya will compete against Lee Zii Jia on Monday, August 5.
One Final Chance
India has yet to win an Olympic gold medal in badminton, with PV Sindhu winning a silver and a bronze at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics, and Saina Nehwal winning a bronze at the London Games.
Lakshya has faced Lee Zii Jia five times in his career, holding a 4-1 record against the Malaysian. His sole defeat to Lee Zii Jia occurred during the 2022 Thomas Cup. Indian fans can now look forward to the possibility of a historic medal on Monday.
Sen, 22, is ranked 19th in the world and his opponent in the bronze medal match is currently seventh in the rankings.
When and Where
The Lakshya Sen vs Zii Jia Lee, Badminton Men's Singles Bronze Medal Playoff match at the Paris Olympics 2024 will be held at La Chapelle Arena on Monday, August 5. The match will begin at 2:30pm (local time), 8am ET, 1:30am BST and at 6pm IST.
How to Watch/ Livestream
United States: The Lakshya Sen vs Zii Jia Lee, Badminton Men's Singles Bronze Medal Playoff match at the Paris Olympics 2024 will be broadcast on Peacock, NBC Sports, Universo while live streaming will be available on Fubo.
United Kingdom: The Lakshya Sen vs Zii Jia Lee, Badminton Men's Singles Bronze Medal Playoff match at the Paris Olympics 2024 will be broadcast on Discovery+, EuroSport Player UK. The Lakshya Sen vs Zii Jia Lee, Badminton Men's Singles Bronze Medal Playoff match at the Paris Olympics 2024 will be available for livestreaming on discovery+ App, EuroSport 2 UK
India: The Lakshya Sen vs Zii Jia Lee, Badminton Men's Singles Bronze Medal Playoff match at the Paris Olympics 2024 will be broadcast on Sports 18 Network, and available for livestreaming on JioCinema app and website for free.
