Global Indianstory Global Indian ExclusiveIndian American golfer, Akshay Bhatia, is creating waves in the international circuit

Indian American golfer, Akshay Bhatia, is creating waves in the international circuit

Written by: Team GI Youth

(August 1, 2023) Imagine being one of the best amateur golfers in the United States of America, dreaming to become a professional player and winning several tournaments for the country in the coming years. However, when the opportunity came, you couldn’t perform up to your potential. 21-year-old Akshay Bhatia was quite heartbroken when he couldn’t cut in any of the six PGA Tour starts in September 2019. “I struggled mentally, I missed every cut,” the golfer recalled, “I had a lot of people expecting me to play well and it didn’t happen.”

Golfer | Akshay Bhatia | Global Indian

But while several others would have lost hope, Akshay dug in further and worked very hard on honing his skill further. The golfer, who acknowledged that he faced challenges upon turning pro, took the pandemic as an opportunity to pause, re-evaluate, and gain valuable insights. “I got to sit back, talk to my coach, realise where I’m at in my life. After that, you know, I’ve just climbed the mountain slowly and slowly and slowly,” he shared. And he might have just made a significant stride by winning his maiden PGA Tour title at the Barracuda Championship in California, defeating Patrick Rodgers. The win will earn the Indian American golfer earned him full Tour status and a spot in the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Inspired to greatness

Born in Northridge, California to an Indian couple, Akshay’s childhood was not unlike other immigrant kids in the USA. However, his life was shaped due to his sister’s passion for the sport. As a young child, the golfer witnessed his elder sister, Rhea Bhatia, swinging a golf club for the first time. In the following years, Rhea’s dedication to the sport paid off, as she achieved the title of 2015 4A Regional Champion during her high school days. Notably, she continued her golfing journey as a valued member of the women’s team at Queen’s University of Charlotte.

Soon the young golfer started playing the sport and found it quite immersing. Having a remarkable junior career, the Global Indian achieved the distinction of being the first high-schooler ever to participate in the U.S. Walker Cup team. Coached by George Gankas since he was 13, Bhatia kept on piling up amateur victories till he began getting noticed. In 2017, the golfer caught the nation’s attention when he contributed to the victorious team in the 2017 Junior Presidents Cup. Remarkably, at the age of 15, Bhatia made his mark at the Boys Junior PGA Championship by setting multiple records. According to the JuniorPGA website, the golfer, “carded an all-time course and championship record 61, at the 42nd Boys Junior PGA Championship at the Country Club of St. Albans in Missouri.”

In 2018, Akshay secured the runner-up position at the U.S. Junior Amateur tournament. The golfer showcased his talent at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics, where he earned two silver medals – one in the boy’s event and another in the mixed team event alongside Lucy Li. Moreover, his pivotal performance contributed to the triumph of the US team in the Junior Ryder Cup held in the same year.

Looking past his failures

After failing in the September 2019 golfing season, he kept working on his game. And just four months before turning 20, Akshay achieved a historical feat. The golfer lifted his maiden Korn Ferry Tour (KFT) title at the $750,000 Bahamas Great Exuma Classic. He became only the third Indian-origin golfer to do so after Daniel Chopra and Arjun Atwal. At the age of 19 years, 11 months, and 19 days, the golfer achieved the distinction of being the third-youngest professional golfer to secure a victory on the development circuit, joining the ranks of notable players such as Jason Day and Sungjae Im.

Akshay after winning The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic

And now, the golfer is now one step closer to his dream of being on the PGA Tour. After winning his first PGA Tour title, Akshay got emotional while interacting with the media. “I can’t even talk,” he said, adding, “I’m just excited. I love playing golf, I love playing on the PGA Tour, and it’s just a dream come true to have it.” Recognising the challenges he faced along the journey, the golfer acknowledged that it had been “a really tough road.” However, he said that he always knew that he was “going to get here, it was just a matter of time. For it to happen this year with Special Temporary Membership and now to get to play all these events and to get it done today was, I can’t even describe it.”

The young golfer is looking forward to playing several international tournaments in the upcoming season and winning many as well. “Good golf takes care of itself and if I play good golf, the rankings will go up. I don’t look at it too much. My goal is to get into the US Open,” he shared.

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Published on 01, Aug 2023

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Shray Joshi: Helping companies build great brands through Good Peeps

(May 2, 2024) DTC brands, or direct-to-consumer brands, are on the rise. By cutting out the middleman and selling directly to customers online, they can offer unique products, build personal relationships, and control the customer journey. This booming market thrives on strong marketing strategies. A well-crafted plan, focused on building brand identity and utilizing data-driven digital channels, is crucial for DTC brands to stand out in a crowded space and convert interest into loyal customers. Shray Joshi, a first-generation Indian-American entrepreneur, exemplifies the drive and passion required to navigate the competitive world of wellness brands. Prior to founding Good Peeps in 2022, Shray honed his marketing and growth expertise at established companies like Health-Ade Kombucha, Cha Cha Matcha, and SIMULATE. This background, coupled with a personal journey to understand the connection between food and health, positions Shray perfectly to understand the unique needs of today's wellness brands. The Forbes 30 Under 30 is not only adept at building marketing strategies but also deeply committed to social responsibility, actively working to inspire and empower the Asian American Pacific Islander community. Growing up in San Diego, "the home of every single cool new product," the Global Indian recalls that "going to every

w.globalindian.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Global Indian recalls that "going to every single grocery store and aisle shopping" was his personal form of therapy as a kid. At University in Boston, Shray Joshi wanted to study psychology and nutrition, driven by his own personal struggles with obesity. From there, he switched to biochemistry and nutrition. "I got to learn about what you're putting into your body and what it actually does to you," he said. "My research specifically focussed on learning how processed foods affect your body's microbiome and metabolism."

Finding purpose in wellness

He was also focussed on his own wellness journey, and found that simply living better, eating better and moving around can solve most health problems. His fitness journey worked out so well that he was soon helping friends as well, working with them one on one, although he didn't know where his education and experiences would lead him, from a career perspective. "I was just getting healthy and helping friends do the same." At the same time, like most science students, he was drinking a lot of coffee.

His first turning point came through a friend in college, who introduced him to matcha, back before everyone was talking about it. "I fell in love with it. One part of wellness is health, and eating right. The new part is reducing anxiety and improving mental health. Matcha helped me reduce coffee and I was wondering why all of America wasn't drinking this product." So, he applied to every matcha company he could find, and ended up getting a job at Cha Cha Matcha in NYC, where he worked on digital marketing. From there, he moved to Health-Ade Kombucha, where he became the head of Digital and Growth.

After a few years of working in-house, Shray Joshi decided to try something new. "I got a lot of good advice, including that I was too stubborn to work at a corporate," he laughs. He began doing consulting instead, and found that the brands he was working with were "overly complicating marketing from an internal perspective." As the consulting business grew, Shray made the leap into entrepreneurship, founding his own branding company, Good Peeps. "There are so many agencies trying to offer playbook sales tactics. On the other hand, we are like, we won't work on 600 brands. We will work on four or five brands at the same time and go really deep with them. We will build those really great brands and tell really great stories in unique ways." They work with fast growing brands in the CGP industry, like Feastables, Chamberlain Coffee and Fly by Jing. "We work with these brands to plan retail and online strategies," he said. "Given our background as a team, we do good work from a branding, content and creative perspective, as well as performance marketing."

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Helping brands build demand

Responding to a question about whether brands should focus on retail or digital, Shray says, "It's super category and product dependent. If you have a high consumption frequency, then you want to be in retail. You can use digital to scale and help you win in retail. Other clients need to crush it on digital and also get retail distribution to clog up leaky buckets."

A strong online content marketing strategy is crucial to building demand. "For one, it's a good way of showing retailers that they want to have you on board," Shray explains. "You can bulid a strong community, make really cool partnerships and build a group of hardcore loyalists online. You can use that following to walk into a store and say, 'I have a bunch of people begging for my product, so you are going to want to stock it'." Big stores, he says, take on clients with a Direct-to-Consumer presence and also those with a strong online presence.

Telling the right story

"If you have a really good story to tell, then tell it. If you don't, then don't force it," Shray believes. Brands driven by Asian Americans who found companies that connect with who they are have good stories, he says. "But if you're like, finance-backed and you saw white space in the market, that's where you lean on product focus and brand marketing, not your personal story." As a bottom line, he refers to Post Malone. "Make stuff you like. Other people will end up liking it too."

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Girls That Invest: How Simran Kaur and Sonya Gupthan empower women through financial freedom

(September 19, 2024) In March 2020, two young women launched a podcast, sitting in their bedrooms and broadcasting from their laptops. They had a modest audience of around a thousand listeners at the time, all they wanted to do was make finance more approachable to first-time investors. Simran is a TEDx speaker and her podcast, Girls That Invest has over one million downloads to date. The two friends, Simran Kaur and Sonya Gupthan, were over the moon. "We're from New Zealand. It's a small island. Things like that don't really happen around here," Simran told Vogue. In 2022, they also published their book, Girls That Invest: Your Guide to Financial Independence through Shares and Stocks, which is available on Amazon. Why teach women to invest? To give them the independence so many of them sorely lack, they say. " The Global Indians both grew up in Auckland, and first met when Simran, then five years old, stole some stickers from Sonya, also five. That was the start of a lifelong friendship and, although they didn't know it yet, a thriving business. Both had comfortable lives, attending good public schools. Simran recalls, however, the family's Sunday rip to the temple, which was

hat was the start of a lifelong friendship and, although they didn't know it yet, a thriving business. Both had comfortable lives, attending good public schools. Simran recalls, however, the family's Sunday rip to the temple, which was in a less affluent part of town. "Very quickly, I learnt my temple friends didn't have the same privileges and experiences that my school friends did, and the reason was money. Money is such a huge part of our lives, it affects how we interact, it affects our ability to receive access to care," Simran said. Sonya, like her friend, had a good life and didn't really think of personal finance until she turned 18, which she admits is "a huge privilege in itself." On her 18th birthday, her brother gave her a copy of Rich Dad Poor Dad, which stoked her interest.

Girls That Invest

As Simran began learning about investing, the early experience was quite formidable. Full of complex jargon, the subject seemed unapproachable. Still, she was just about to begin her career and wanted to know how to manage her money. She did a certificate course in investing and was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't so difficult after all. Not long after, the two girls sat together in Simran's bedroom at her university, and had their first heart-to-heart about money. That's where this story begins, really. They chatted for hours, discussing what they earn, save and invest. "There was such fire in that conversation, we thought that we should share this information as a podcast to encourage friends and family to invest too."

The idea for a podcast had already been on Simran's mind. "Right after the conversation, we made tea and Sim talked about her vision for Girls That Invest and starting a podcast - it didn't take much convincing for me to jump on board," said Sonya. With these modest intentions, the two friends decided to start a podcast. The pandemic provided them with an opportunity - as stocks spiralled, Simran knew it was a good time to invest. That's how Girls That Invest began, as a friendly banter between two childhood friends sitting in a bedroom and broadcasting from a laptop. "It was truly a grassroots mission, we learned everything about ourselves through editing, recording, software all through our saviour Google while trying to balance full-time jobs," Sonya recalls. Two years down the line, Girls That Invest has nearly 2,00,000 monthly downloads and a big social media fan base.

Changing a mindset

"Only the rich can invest'. 'That's too complicated'. 'I'll invest after I buy a house and a car'. 'It's boring'. The idea of investing is full of misconceptions, although there is a wealth of apps and businesses that help with it, the sheer volume of information is daunting too. Interestingly, Simran and Sonya observed, in their own words, that "most money-media is usually about men. For women, it's about how to save $10 on your grocery bill."

They made it their mission to remove jargon and deliver advice that be understood and followed. Sonya admits that it was a barrier she faced too. "One of the most important t hings to know is to figure out what type of learner you are. This allows you to understand how you can digest and retain information best," Sonya says.

Girls That Invest is also a book now, and was the number 1 business book on WH Smith. The entrepreneurs have also relaunched their masterclass. They gave their first TEDx talk in the US and are nearing the quarter-million follower count on Instagram.

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A post shared by Sim Kaur | Girls That Invest (@girlsthatinvest)

Aim for freedom

The aim of being savvy with money, the two entrepreneurs say, is freedom. "Money is not about cars or fancy things for me, it's the ability to live life the way I want to. It means choosing when I work, where I work, how I live my life, who I surround myself with, how much time I spend with my loved ones and what values I live by daily," says Simran.

Follow Girls That Invest on Instagram.

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Vihaan and Nav Agarwal: Teen eco-heroes helping Delhi manage its waste

(November 30, 2022) In 2017, two people were killed in East Delhi when a large mound of garbage in the Ghazipur landfill collapsed, sweeping people in the vicinity into a nearby canal. Spread over 70 acres, with a mountain of garbage higher than a 15-storey building, the lethal collapse was one more alarm bell in a city that was already choking. Watching the tragedy unfold on the news were Vihaan and Nav Agarwal, two siblings in Delhi. "The next day, the whole city was engulfed in a blanket of smoke. When we read about it in the newspaper, the connection between waste and air pollution became clearer," Vihaan said. Delhi generates 11,144 tonnes of trash per day and up to 250 tonnes of municipal solid waste is burned every day, releasing 2000kg of PM10 and 1,800 kg/day of PM 2.5. Over one-third of the air pollution in Delhi is caused by burning waste in landfills. Vihaan was 14 at the time and Nav only 11, but growing up in Delhi had already taken a toll on their health, especially as Vihaan was asthmatic. Their time outdoors was severely curtailed, for the most part, they weren't allowed to play outside. "We

[caption id="attachment_24853" align="aligncenter" width="383"] Nav and Vihaan Agarwal[/caption]

Leading the way by segregating at home

Taking inspiration from icons like British naturalist David Attenborough and the storied conservationist Jane Goodall, the brothers began separating their waste at home, setting aside the recyclables. "The thought process in our mind was like, our waste shouldn't go there, our waste shouldn't become fodder for this fire," Vihaan said. They collected such a mountain of trash that their grandfather told them sternly, and only half in jest, that one of them, either the boys or the trash, had to go. However, they realised that their segregated waste was being mixed again after it was collected. When they contacted recyclers, they were told that they had too small an amount to be picked up.

One Step Greener

The brothers rallied a team together through the neighbourhood WhatsApp group. In 2018, they founded One Step Greener, an organisation aimed at preventing pollution caused by waste.

It marked the start of the recycling initiative that would earn the boys one of the top awards for children - the 2021 KidsRights International Children's Peace Prize. As they received the prize from Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi, they entered an elite club of young, global changemakers, including Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg. The Dutch prize includes an education grant and a cash award of 1,00,000 euros. "It's an old saying, but everyone's collective effort does actually make a difference," Vihan said afterwards.

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A post shared by OneStepGreener (@onestep_greener)

They started with 15 homes in 2018, and four years later, the organisation has grown to cover schools, offices and over 1,500 households across Delhi. They have plans to expand to Kolkata and thanks to the exposure the Global Indians received through the KidsRights award, there is a fair amount of international interest as well. The organisation also works to spread awareness about the importance of recycling.

Accolades galore

Vihaan and Nav Agarwal haven't seen their teenage years through yet but have a long list of accolades to their credit already. Vihaan is also the First Asian to win the Children's Climate Prize, 2019 in Sweden and is an Ashoka Youth Venturer. Fifteen-year-old Nav has shown a talent for oration, which he uses to inspire people to join his green movement. He won the Children's Climate Prize along with his brother, was a jury member of Times of India's Young Change Leaders Contest, was named BBC's Earth Champion, is the winner of the Global Social Leaders Award and the Action for Nature Eco Hero Award.

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Economist extraordinaire: Dhruv Gaur is working towards drug stigma and inequality

(June 10, 2023) The global epidemic of drug consumption continues to cast a dark shadow, infiltrating societies across continents and leaving devastating consequences in its wake. What’s worse is it impacts the most vulnerable and stigmatised populations. In fact, according to he Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), between January 2021 and June 2021, about 1,150 youngsters aged 14 to 18 died from drug overdose in the US, and about 47 percent of adolescents started consuming illicit drugs upon graduation from high school. Trying to devise a solution for this pervasive crisis, is a young economist, Dhruv Gaur, who is delving deep into the study of drug use, homelessness, housing insecurity, poverty, and inequality through the lens of economic and epidemiological inference. The recent recipient of the prestigious Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans, Dhruv is working with various communities to raise awareness about the growing overdose epidemic and advocate for overdose prevention policy. An ambitious, pre-doctoral research fellow at Harvard University, the young economist is currently chasing the causes of inequalities in health and higher education in the USA. "I actively engage in studying the US overdose crisis, lending my expertise to the critical work of

ation in the USA.

"I actively engage in studying the US overdose crisis, lending my expertise to the critical work of generating research and shaping policies aimed at safeguarding individuals who use drugs from the perils of overdose and other drug-related harms," shares Dhruv, as he connects with Global Indian for an interview, adding, "I also play a crucial role in the maintenance and management of PreventOverdoseRI.org, a dedicated website specifically designed to combat the overdose crisis. I am determined to contribute to the collective mission of putting an end to the devastating impact of drug overdose in our community."

A curious cat

Even though Dhruv was born in the USA, the youngster shares that his family ensured that he grew up knowing and learning about his roots. "Both my parents are doctors, and they came over to the United States of America after finishing med school in India. I was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where my parents were completing their medical training. We later shifted to a town in Northeast Georgia," says the young economist, adding, "I grew up around a very tight-knit and supportive Indian community. My parents were quite keen on instilling Indian values in me and my brother, so over weekends, they would drive us to Balvihar, which is a Hindi school."

[caption id="attachment_30931" align="aligncenter" width="637"] Dhruv with his family[/caption]

As brilliant as he was, the economist shares that he was also quite a curious child, who not only loved to learn new things but also to pass on the knowledge. "I loved to read, just about anything that I could get my hands on," he shares, adding, "During my high school years, I had the incredible opportunity to volunteer at Balvihar as a teaching assistant. Little did I know that this experience would ignite within me a deep passion for teaching and mentoring. It was during those moments spent guiding and supporting others that I realised my aspirations to pursue a career as a professor. The impact of that experience has remained with me, shaping my path and fueling my dedication to education and the profound influence it can have on shaping lives."

A true changemaker

After finishing school, the youngster enrolled at Brown University to study economics and public health policy. Driven by the devastating overdose crisis plaguing his hometown, Dhruv became a part of the People, Place, and Health Collective, contributing as an undergraduate researcher. He actively published academic articles that shed light on crucial aspects of the crisis, providing valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders.

The economist also played a pivotal role in maintaining real-time data resources, serving as a foundation for Rhode Island's informed and evidence-based response to the overdose crisis. Through his dedication and contributions, Dhruv has become an instrumental force in the ongoing efforts to combat the overdose epidemic and promote effective policy interventions.

"I held the role of an outreach team leader and finance chair for Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere (HOPE), an organisation driven by students that focuses on direct service and advocacy for homelessness. With HOPE, I led a dedicated night-time homeless outreach team every week, striving to address the immediate needs of individuals experiencing street homelessness and ensuring they are connected to essential resources. I also engaged in advocating for housing policies at both the city and state level in Rhode Island, aiming to effect positive change and promote equitable access to safe and stable housing for all," the economist shares.

The power of giving

But Dhruv's journey hasn't been all about books. In 2018, the economist made his mark on the television show Jeopardy! College Championship trivia tournament, emerging as the victorious contestant and securing a substantial prize of $100,000.

Wait, that's not all... The following year, he returned to the Jeopardy! stage, capturing the attention of the entire USA for a profoundly heartfelt reason. Answering host Alex Trebek's Final Jeopardy question, Dhruv put his heart on his screen, writing, “We (heart) you Alex!”, showing his support for the host who was battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer. The gesture moved Alex to tears, and he could only manage to say, "That’s very kind of you."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BNH7UTaL-M

Seizing the opportunity to make a difference, Dhruv utilised the platform and the immense public interest to launch a national fundraising campaign dedicated to pancreatic cancer research and successfully raised over $100,000, leaving an indelible impact on both the fight against pancreatic cancer and the power of compassionate unity. "While I was at the show, Alex took a moment to visit the contestants in the green room. It was quite evident that he wasn't doing so well," shares the youngster, adding, "Later, when I stepped onto the stage, fully aware that winning the game was an unlikely outcome, I thought I could use this opportunity to support someone in need."

Interestingly, the economist grabbed the attention of well-known American television host, Ellen Lee DeGeneres, who called him to be on her show a few days later. Impressed by his efforts, Ellen too donated $25,000 toward pancreatic cancer research.

Miles to go

Currently, Dhruv working as a pre-doctoral research fellow alongside esteemed economists Raj Chetty, John Friedman, and Nathaniel Hendren at Harvard University. The young economist is focused on studying the profound inequalities that exist within the realms of health and higher education. Driven by an unwavering commitment to understanding the root causes and far-reaching consequences of severe marginalization, such as drug overdose, homelessness, and poverty, Dhruv aspires to pursue a doctoral degree in economics.

"Through my research pursuits, I strive to unearth valuable insights that have the potential to shape transformative policies, uplifting individuals from these challenging circumstances and fostering a society that is both equitable and inclusive. I aim to contribute to the collective effort of building a brighter and more just future for all," he expresses.

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Lakshya Sen: The Indian shuttler reaches career-best sixth spot in BWF World Rankings

(November 12, 2022) When Lakshya Sen began training at the Prakash Padukone Academy at the age of 12, little did the Indian shuttler know that in the next nine years, he would reach a career-best sixth spot in the Badminton World Federation Rankings. The boy from Almora, who is in sensational form this season, has gained 76,424 points from 25 tournaments, thus catapulting him from the eighth position to the sixth. Lakshya took to Twitter to share his gratitude, and tweeted, "Being ranked 6 in the world motivates me to work even harder during the season. It is with sincere gratitude that I thank everyone who believes in me and supports me." Being ranked 6 in the world motivates me to work even harder during the season. It is with sincere gratitude that I thank everyone who believes in me and supports me. 🙏🏻 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/LjVKo2YbAl — Lakshya Sen (@lakshya_sen) November 8, 2022 The Indian star shuttler had a stellar 2022 where he was a member of the Thomas Cup winning team, reached the finals of 2022 All England Open, and also won the Commonwealth Games Men’s singles Gold in Birmingham in August. "This has been an amazing year for

atform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8">

The Indian star shuttler had a stellar 2022 where he was a member of the Thomas Cup winning team, reached the finals of 2022 All England Open, and also won the Commonwealth Games Men’s singles Gold in Birmingham in August. "This has been an amazing year for me. From the time I was a child, I dreamed of participating in the All-England championships. As a matter of fact, that was the only tournament I was aware of at the time. Being a part of the finals was one of the most incredible experiences," he tweeted.

The sport in his blood

The 21-year-old Commonwealth Games champion has badminton in his blood. Raised in the cantonment town of Almora in Uttrakhand, Sen was always fascinated by the game as he remembers holding his grandfather's hand at the mere age of five and following him to the only outdoor court in the town. His grandfather, Chandra Lal Sen, was known as the grand old man of badminton in Almora. It was during his first posting in Bahraich, near the Nepal border that he first saw the game of badminton, and instantly took a liking to it, so much that he even represented civil services tournament. He later brought the game to Almora, and his son (Sen's father) DK Sen followed in his footsteps. So, when Lakshya was seven, he began training under his father, who is nothing short of a revolutionary in the field of coaching.

[caption id="attachment_24099" align="aligncenter" width="1500"] Lakshya Sen has reached the sixth spot at BWF World Rankings[/caption]

Sen's coaching began with multi-feed shuttle drill, which essentially means that the coach stands in the center of the other court and keeps on hitting shuttles in different parts of the player's court making him move from one corner to another. While most players begin multi-feed drills at a later stage, Lakshya was at it from the go. "He hardly had a childhood. From age five, it has been badminton all the time. From 4.30 in the morning, even when it is bitterly cold, he was out training with his father," his mother told News 18.

While the initial training set the foundation for him, things started to shift for Sen in 2013 when his father took him to Prakash Padukone Academy to train under U Vimal Kumar and Prakash Padukone. This paved Lakshya’s way to the top of the junior circuit, helping him become World No 1 junior player in 2017. "My grandfather was a badminton player and my father is a coach. So, that’s how I got introduced to the sport and once I started doing well at junior tournaments, I decided to become a professional shuttler," Lakshya told Firstpost.

Beginning of a stellar career

The transition from top junior player to an equally successful player in the senior circuit came with its trials and tribulations during his short stint at the academy run by Danish legend Morten Frost. However, the constant work on his strength and stamina proved to be beneficial for the shuttler. He bounced back in 2018 by winning a bronze at World Junior Championship, a gold at the Asian Juniors and a gold in a mixed team, and a silver in men's singles at Youth Olympic Games. These years of practice on the court have made him patient as a player and have yielded him good results.

Taking home the Thomas Cup was an incredible accomplishment for India. Together, we delivered when it mattered most.

I won't participate in the Australian open. So no more international tournament this year.
Will start with malasiya open next year in Jan. 💪 pic.twitter.com/sabdaKXsQ0

— Lakshya Sen (@lakshya_sen) November 8, 2022

"Compared to my junior days, I am a little more patient. Trying to rally more. I need to improve this more for sure, but there are a lot more things to learn, but from then to now, it is a difference in my game. That I make the effort to play better strokes from the back, not just go all out with smashes... trying to build up a point. In the senior circuit, everyone is fit and the shuttle keeps coming back. You have to play long rallies, long matches. Preparing for that, I have improved my fitness," he told Scroll in an interview.

The very next year, Sen won his first BWF Tour title by winning the Dutch Open men's singles title after beating Yusuke Onodera of Japan. The same year, he also won the 2019 Scottish Open in November. However, it was a two-week training with Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen in August 2021 that turned out to be a gamechanger for Lakshya as he learnt varied training methods along with strengthening and conditioning. This stint with Axelsen eventually put Lakshya on course to his recent success, including the CWG 2022 win. Despite the big stage, Lakshya didn't put pressure on himself "thinking about the medal" as he always had the belief that he can do well.

𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐆! 👊

Lakshya Sen of 🇮🇳 was at his dominant best against Olympic 🥉 medallist Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of 🇮🇩 in the opening round of the Denmark Open.#Badminton | #DenmarkOpen2022 | @bwfmedia | @lakshya_sen | @BAI_Media pic.twitter.com/IhZcY5JiqP

— Olympic Khel (@OlympicKhel) October 20, 2022

The sports star has bowed out of the Australian Open due to a throat infection, but he is set to cast his spell again with Malaysia Open in January 2023, and his fans cannot wait to see him on the court again.

Follow Lakshya Sen on Twitter

Reading Time: 6 min