Lakshya Sen Exits Asian Games 2026 After Tough Match Against Loh Kean Yew

Lakshya Sen's Early Exit from Men's Singles

Indian badminton player Lakshya Sen faced an early exit from the men's singles event at the Asian Games 2026, losing to Singapore's Loh Kean Yew in the first round on Saturday.

Sen started the match strongly, quickly establishing a 5-1 lead in the opening game. However, Loh mounted a significant comeback, scoring 10 consecutive points to take control. He led 11-5 at the interval and ultimately won the first game 21-12.

In the second game, Sen improved his performance, finding his rhythm after a shaky start. The game was closely contested, with both players exchanging points. Sen's aggressive play towards the end allowed him to secure a 21-15 victory, forcing a decisive third game.

During the final game, Loh again took an early lead at 8-3. Although Sen narrowed the gap to 13-14, Loh regained his momentum, extending his lead to 18-14 before clinching the match with a score of 21-14. This defeat marked the end of Sen's singles journey at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Sen's exit followed a disappointing performance from India's men's doubles team, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who also faced an early elimination. The hopes for Indian badminton now rest on other competitors, including two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, who is set to begin her women's singles campaign.

Athletics: Sawan Barwal's Historic Silver

In a remarkable achievement, India's Sawan Barwal won the silver medal in the men's marathon, setting a national record with a time of 2:11:37.

In the men's decathlon 100m event, Tejaswin Shankar and Thowfeeq Noushad finished fifth and seventh, respectively, accumulating 865 and 856 points.

Updates from Other Sports

In canoe sprint, Harshwardhan Shaktawat secured fifth place in the men's kayak single 500m semifinal, advancing to Final B. Additionally, Parvathy Geetha and Prasanna Kumar finished second in the mixed kayak double 500m semifinal, qualifying for Final A.

In fencing, the Indian women's foil team triumphed over Indonesia with a score of 45-24 in the round of 16, moving on to the quarter-finals.