Ludhiana: City shuttler Lakshay clinches bronze medal in int’l tourney

Lakshay credits his journey to the guidance of his father and coach, Mangat Rai Sharma, an NIS-certified national-level badminton coach

City shuttler Lakshay Sharma continues to script his rise on the international badminton stage, clinching a bronze medal in the men’s singles open category at the Cameroon International Challenge, held in Yaoundé from August 21 to 24. The 19-year-old, currently ranked 179 in the world, stunned higher-ranked opponents before bowing out in the semifinals.

Lakshay Sharma after winning a bronze medal at the Cameroon International Challenge, held in Yaoundé. (HT Photo)

Lakshay began his campaign by defeating UAE’s Vishal Vasudevan, world rank 104, with a commanding 21-12, 21-15 win in the pre-quarterfinals. He then ousted Indonesia’s Sending Trian Syah 21-15, 21-16 in the quarters. In a hard-fought semifinal, he went down to Kazakhstan’s Dmitriy Panarin, ranked 92, by 22-24, 10-21, to settle for bronze. Players from powerhouses such as Indonesia, Korea, Japan, France, Australia, Canada and the US competed in the tournament, making the podium finish even more significant.

This marks Lakshay’s fourth international medal. With the bronze, he has gained 2,800 ranking points, which will boost his world ranking from 179 to 135, a remarkable leap, considering he began his international career at 700.

Lakshay’s steady climb has been backed by consistent performances. Just in June this year, he won bronze at the Czech International Series in Europe, following his silver at the All India Senior Ranking Tournament in Hyderabad in May. In September last year, he bagged bronze at the Polish International in Lublin, while in December 2023, he secured silver at the Kazakhstan International Series, improving his rank from 316 to 250.