People from all walks of life, politicians, sports personalities and sports lovers, cheered for Lakshya Sen, the 20-year-old badminton star whose dream run at the All England Championships ended on Sunday.
Sen lost to world number one and Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen in the men's singles final in Birmingham, continuing India's 21-year-long agonising wait for the coveted trophy.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Lakshya Sen for putting up a spirited fight and expressed confidence that he would keep scaling new heights of success.
"Proud of you @lakshya_sen. You've shown remarkable grit and tenacity. You put up a spirited fight. Best wishes for your future endeavours," PM Modi tweeted.
“There are no failures in life. You either win or you learn. I am sure you've learnt so much from this amazing experience, @lakshya_sen. Wish you the very best for upcoming tournaments,” cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar said on Twitter.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also hailed Sen's performance. "You are second to none, @lakshya_sen. You have won a billion hearts. Congratulations for a wonderful performance. You have done India proud! My best wishes for your future endeavours," Gandhi tweeted.
Sen thanked them for their messages.
After four days of sensational badminton, Sen faltered on the cusp of history as he committed too many errors to go down 10-21 15-21 to former champion Axelsen in the summit clash.
Read: Lakshya Sen 'a prince who'll be crowned sooner or later': Anand Mahindra
The rising star is just the fourth Indian man to make the All England final. Prior to him, only Prakash Nath (1947), Prakash Padukone (1980 and 1981) and Pullela Gopichand (2001) have been there. Prakash Padukone and Gopichand have won the prestigious title for India in the past.
Earlier, Sen won the world championships bronze in 2021 before winning his maiden Super 500 title at the India Open earlier this year. Earlier this month, he reached the final of the German Open
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