Badminton: PM Modi, Others Hail Lakshya Sen For Winning First Title Of The Season

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the country in raising in praise for Indian badminton star, Lakshya Sen, who won his first BWF title of the year, at the Canada Open.

Lakshya Sen defeated reigning All England winner Li Shi Feng of China to win the Canada Open Super 500 Badminton title. Lakshya won the final 21-18, 22-20.

"Congratulations to the talented @lakshya_sen on his outstanding victory at the Canada Open 2023! His triumph is a testament to his tenacity and determination. It also fills our nation with immense pride. My best wishes to him for his upcoming endeavours," PM Modi wrote in a tweet on Monday.

Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Thakur hailed Lakshya Sen for his phenomenal performance.

"Congratulations to @lakshya_sen on a phenomenal performance at the #CanadaOpen2023. Coming back from 4 points down in the second game to win in straight games is simply SENsational! Splendid display of resilience and skill by our Champ An incredible week for #TOPScheme shuttler, defeating top seeds along the way to clinch his 1st BWF Tour title of the season. Keep up the momentum!" Thakur said on Twitter.

Thakur's ministerial colleagues, Home Minister Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari and Kirej Rijiju too tweeted praising the Uttarakhand-born Lakshya for his brilliant performance.

"Heartiest congratulations to @lakshya_sen on clinching the #CanadaOpen title with a memorably stellar performance. The top scheme athlete has proven the true grit and talent of Indian athletes once again. May you always attain new heights making India proud," Amit Shah wrote in a tweet.

"Congratulations to @lakshya_sen on his outstanding victory at the #CanadaOpenSuper500, where he triumphed over Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Kenta Nishimoto, and Li Shi Feng, who held rankings of 2nd, 4th, and 5th respectively in the tournament. His spirited performance at such a young age on the global stage has filled us with immense pride. Wishing him even greater success in the future" wrote Nitin Gadkari.

Industrialist Anand Mahindra praised Lakshya for his 'never say die' attitude.

"Two things Indian sportspersons weren’t renowned for: —Incredible athleticism, speed & agility, — A ‘never say die,’ comeback, fighting spirit. Thank you @lakshya_sen & many other sportspersons of a new India. The future is going to be different," he said.

Former India hockey captain Viren Rasquinha also noted the incredible fightback by Lakshya in the final.

"Incredible fight back from @lakshya_sen to win the Canada Open. He was down 16-20 in the 2nd game against reigning All England Champion Li Shi Feng of China, made it 20-20 and then won these final 2 points. Simply superb!!!" he said.

On his part, Lakshya Sen thanked his sponsors and supporters for backing him.

"Sometimes, the hardest battles lead to the sweetest victories. The wait is over, and I am delighted to be crowned the Canada Open winner! Grateful beyond words. #SenMode #BWFWorldTour #CanadaOpen2023," he wrote in a tweet on Monday.