Indian badminton player Lakshya Sen’s impressive victory against Guatemala’s Kevin Cordon in the men’s singles Group L match at the Paris Olympics has been nullified. Cordon withdrew from the event due to a left elbow injury leading to the deletion of their match result according to the Badminton World Federation (BWF) General Competition Regulations. Cordon’s subsequent Group L matches against Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie and Belgium’s Julien Carraggi were also canceled. The results of his remaining matches will now determine Lakshya Sen’s ranking in Group L.
Lakshya Sen had initially defeated Kevin Cordon with scores of 21-8, 22-20. The match, lasting 42 minutes, saw Lakshya dominate the first game, winning 21-8 in just 14 minutes. Although Cordon took a strong lead in the second game with four game points, the 22-year-old Indian shuttler turned the game around by winning six consecutive points, sealing the victory.
Honored to represent India with the amazing Indian team in our national colors! 🇮🇳 Let’s make India proud! #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/td6cbSztUP
— Lakshya Sen (@lakshya_sen) July 26, 2024
India celebrated its first medal at the Paris Olympics in a separate highlight. Shooter Manu Bhaker secured a bronze medal in the 10-meter Women’s Air Pistol event. Bhaker’s achievement marks her as the first Indian woman to win an Olympic shooting medal in 20 years. She scored 221.7 points, following a significant redemption arc after her pistol malfunctioned at the Tokyo Olympics. South Korea’s Ye Jin won the gold with an Olympic record of 243.2 points while her compatriot Kim Yeji took silver with 241.3 points.
Bhaker had earlier qualified for the finals by finishing third in the qualification round. Her performance contrasted Rhythm Sangwan who finished 15th and did not advance to the finals.
