Prakash Padukone labels young star Lakshya Sen an âexceptional talentâ
Indian legend Prakash Padukone has called 16-year old young talent Lakshya Sen as an exceptional talent after her was recently crowned Asian junior champion. Padukone, who spotted Sen at the age of 10, has also stated that the youngster wonât get carried away with all the praise he is getting.
Prakash Padukone has in many ways been the pioneer of Indian badminton who inspired a generation of shuttlers with his success when he won the CWG gold medal in 1978 before going on to become the first Indian to win the All England Open Badminton Championships in 1980. Since he called quits from the game, Padukone has been scouting for young Indian talent at his famed Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy. And among numerous popular shuttlers who have emerged from his camp has been the 16-year old Lakshya Sen
Hailed as one of the brightest prospects of the academy, the young lad has recently been crowned the Asian junior champion after he defeated junior world number oneÂ
"He is a very promising youngster, sincere, dedicated, talented and naturally gifted. We saw the potential in him early. Among all the youngsters we had taken in at that time, he had something more in him. When he was 10 years old, with the support of Olympic Gold Quest, we sent him to Indonesia for a three-week training programme with a few 13-14-year-old players," Padukone told TOI.
The legendary Indian shuttler was full of praise for Sen, who will turn 17 in a few weeks as he called the youngster level-headed. Padukone revealed that Sen, who began his career by winning an Under-11 title at a Singapore tournament, wonât let himself get carried away by public praise.
"He is very stylish and picked up the nuances of the sport fast. Also, if a player is gifted, you'll know after watching him for 15-20 minutes.Sometimes people get carried away. But Lakshya is still level-headed and right now our main job is to ensure he does not get carried away," Padukone added.
The former All-England champion also revealed that he along with his trainers at the PPBA are already in the process of grooming young Sen for his senior career which is just around the corner, who has already impressed Lin Dan with his persistence.
"Next year Sen will progress to the senior category and we are already grooming him for it. Although he can gain entry to Super Series level tournaments, we donât want to push him. So, he has started off by playing at the Grand Prix level. The problem is, a lot of players go wherever they get entry, but our strategy is different. In Lakshyaâs case, it is a well-planned progress which of course is subject to constant review. In case he makes a mistake then we will review. But as of now, it is going as per plan,â Padukone concluded.