Lakshya Sen beats Kevin Cordon of Guatemala in straight games in Olympic debut match
Paris, Jul 27: Ace Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen beat Kevin Cordon of Guatemala in straight games in a group match of the men's singles badminton competition at the Paris Olympics here on Saturday.
The 22-year-old Sen won 21-8 22-20 against reigning Pan American champion Cordon in his Olympics debut match that lasted 42 minutes.
Sen, a gold medallist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and bronze winner at 2021 World Championships, will face Julien Carraggi of Belgium on Monday in his second group match.
Despite Cordon's good comeback in the second game, Sen held his nerves and emerged as the winner to begin his campaign on a resounding note.
Sen pocketed the first game easily in just 14 minutes. He straightaway took 5-0 lead and was 11-2 ahead at the first change of ends. There was no let up from the Indian as he wrapped up the first match without much resistance from his opponent.
Cordon fought back in the second game and was 6-2 ahead after a fine net play. The Indian closed the gap at 6-8 after a nice smash.
But Sen was more error prone in the second game than in the first and he trailed 7-12 at the change of ends.
The Guatemalan kept himself ahead, winning more rallies than Sen. He was just one point away from taking the match to the deciding game as he was 20-16 ahead.
With legends Prakash Padukone and Vimal Kumar guiding him from the court corner, Sen saved his best for the last and he reeled off four straight points to level the scores 20-20 and then won another two points to seal the match.
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ISKCON urges Indian intervention following priest's arrest in Bangladesh
Dhaka: The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has called on the Indian government to take immediate steps to secure the release of its priest, Chinmoy Krishna Das, detained by Bangladeshi authorities. The arrest occurred near Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.
Das, a prominent ISKCON leader and former divisional organising secretary for Chattogram, faces sedition charges stemming from an October 25 incident. According to a case filed on October 31, 19 individuals, including Das, allegedly placed a saffron flag over the Bangladeshi flag on the Independent Pillar (Shadhinata Smathamva) during a rally organised by the Hindu community under the banner Sanatan Jagaran Mancha.
ISKCON has strongly denied any involvement in terrorism, describing the allegations as "baseless and unacceptable." In a statement, ISKCON declared, "It is outrageous to make baseless allegations that ISKCON has anything to do with terrorism anywhere in the world. ISKCON urges the Government of India to engage with Bangladesh to secure the release of Sri Chinmoy Krishna Das."
Hindu communities in Bangladesh have staged protests demanding better legal protection and the establishment of a minority affairs ministry under the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
Meanwhile, Bangladeshi police have arrested two other suspects, Rajesh Chowdhury and Hriday Das, in connection with the case. The remaining accused include Ajay Dutta, Leela Raj Das Brahmachari, Gopal Das Tipu, and several others. ISKCON spokesperson Radharamn Das expressed concerns over Das's safety, stating that he had been moved to an undisclosed location by the police.
