Ludhiana boy wins bronze medal at badminton tourney in Poland
This is Lakshay’s second international medal in men’s singles. He had previously won a silver medal at the Kazakhstan International Series in December 2023, which helped him improve his world ranking from 316 to 250
HT Correspondent
Ludhiana, 26 September 2024
Ludhiana’s 19-year-old badminton player, Lakshay Sharma, clinched a bronze medal at the Polish International Badminton Tournament held in Lublin, Poland, from September 19 to 22. Competing against 241 players from across the world, Lakshay showcased an impressive performance. In the first round, he defeated Germany’s Kian Yu Oei 22-20, 21-17. He then overcame Poland’s Maksymilian Danielak 21-18, 21-16 in the pre-quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, he secured a convincing victory against England’s Nadeem Dalvi 21-12, 21-13, advancing to the semifinals where he ultimately earned the bronze.
This is Lakshay’s second international medal in men’s singles. He had previously won a silver medal at the Kazakhstan International Series in December 2023, which helped him improve his world ranking from 316 to 250.
A Bachelor of Arts Programming student at Chandigarh University, Lakshay completed his schooling at Sacred Heart Convent School in Sarabha Nagar. His achievements extend beyond this tournament. Lakshay was the captain of the Junior Indian Badminton team that represented India at the Asia Badminton Championship 2023 in Indonesia. He also won a bronze at the All India Junior Ranking Championship in Bengaluru in 2022. Representing Chandigarh University at the Khelo India Games last year, Lakshay secured a gold medal and previously won gold at the U-19 Junior International Series in Hungary in 2021.
Lakshay credits his success to his father and coach, Mangat Rai Sharma, a national badminton coach with NIS qualifications. “I train for nearly 8 hours daily, and this consistency has brought me to where I am today,” Lakshay said, also expressing gratitude to his parents for their support. His mother even left her job to accompany him to tournaments.
Prominent figures including Anand Tiwari, National Badminton Player and coach of NCE Guwahati, Sulbha Jindal, Sports Secretary Sutlej Club, Neeraj Mahajan and Ravi Mahajan congratulated Lakshay on his outstanding achievement.