Lakshya Sen’s All England title miss has a silver lining – it keeps him driven for those elusive titles in the future | Badminton News

Perhaps the most heartbreaking of medal losses at Paris Olympics was that of Vinesh Phogat’s. But what also cut deep, a close second, was Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s. India returned without a badminton medal from Paris, but every loss, by denying them what they thought was due to them, has prolonged the motivation to dust up and go for it, all over again.

Taiwan’s Lin Chun-Yi, right, poses on the podium after winning the men’s singles final match with runner up India’s Lakshya Sen at the All England Open Badminton Championships in Birmingham, England, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

There was every chance that if PV Sindhu had won the World Championships gold in 2017, we might not have seen the perfection of Basel 2019. Had Sen gone on to win that bronze which was in striking distance at Paris, he might not have exerted, pushed the very limits of sprucing up his game, filling the gaps that remain in his armoury. And so it is with this All England. Sen isn’t yet ready to do battle on Day 5 against an all-out attacking opponent after averaging 78 minutes in the rest of his four matches. It’s not a shortcoming, mind – Sen did more than any other shuttler could have. But it wasn’t enough. So he will need to do more. Whichever way you slice it.

It’s tougher for Satwik-Chirag because they ticked the consistency box in the last five years. They’ve weathered storms like excruciating pain and loss of a parent to lift themselves and win the last World Championships bronze. The fact that the gold has eluded them there is another blatant blessing in disguise. It sets up the 2026 World Championships in New Delhi pretty nicely.

While she’s far off the desired levels of attacking fitness, and she really has nothing left to prove, the missing Olympic gold, the missing Asiad title, can be said to keep Sindhu fighting day after day, even when retirement might seem so pleasant after 15 long years.

Losing motivation after a high like winning an Olympic gold isn’t a weakness of character or lack of ambition. It’s human, and entirely natural. Michael Phelps was struck by it after a point. At most times, it’s the pains and aches that non-athletes won’t even comprehend. Sania Mirza, Saina Nehwal, and Abhinav Bindra maxed out their potential, fought with second winds, before their limbs and backs were wracked by pain.

Kidambi Srikanth continues to produce moments (and only moments and matches, not entire weeks) of sublime play, and badminton is simple – watch for the finesse and flair, never mind the results. In 2017, his dream season, Srikanth would talk about his dream of winning 4-5 World Championships medals, behooving his talent. He had his silver in 2021, and injuries and a style of play that just wouldn’t crack the large arenas with slow shuttles. But would he have continued fighting if he had nailed the Olympics medal in 2016? Ditto for HS Prannoy, a certified late bloomer. The athletes would no doubt trade these extended struggles for those medals. But just like in cricket, the 2023 ODI World Cup loss for India ensured the back-to-back T20 World Cups and 2025 Champions Trophy were won. That elusive miss can firm up resolves as little else would.

It’s tricky, of course. Someone like Sankar Subramaniam or Tanvi Sharma might’ve benefitted from winning the World Juniors. The confidence does wonders. But a whole lot of sport is about waking the next day and hitting the courts knowing a dream is yet incomplete.

If clouds are what you are stuck with, the lining would rather be golden.