Ludhiana shuttler shines on world stage, aims for Olympics

Ludhiana: Lakshay Sharma, a young badminton player from Ludhiana, continues to make a mark on the national and international circuit with a steady rise in rankings and a growing list of achievements. Born in 2005, Lakshay has secured the fourth rank in India in the men's singles category as per the Badminton Association of India (BAI) rankings. He has also earned recognition on the world stage, where he currently stands at world rank 120, having touched 112 in the same year. His ultimate ambition, he says, is to win an Olympic medal for the country.Lakshay began playing badminton at the age of seven and has been trained solely by his father, Mangat Sharma, an NIS-qualified coach. According to his father, the journey has been challenging as Lakshay has progressed without sponsorship, institutional support or access to international training. Mangat Rai Sharma said that being ranked among the top four players in India and securing a world ranking of 112 is a strong indicator of his son's potential. He added that at the age of 20, Lakshay has entered the senior men's singles category, which includes all players above the age of 20, and expressed the hope that he would continue to perform well.Sharma said the only discouraging part is that despite these rankings and representing Ludhiana at national and international levels, Lakshay still does not receive any sponsorship to support his training or expenses. He said he hopes his son achieves his dream of playing in the Olympics and eventually gets the recognition and support he deserves.Lakshay's career is marked by numerous accomplishments at the district, state, national and international levels. In university events, he won a gold medal in the team event at the Khelo India University Games 2023 held in Guwahati. He also secured a bronze medal in men's singles at the All India Inter University competition held in Indore in 2024. His international achievements include a bronze medal at the Cameroon International Challenge 2025 and another bronze at the Czech International Future Series 2025. He also won a silver medal at the APACS Kazakhstan International Series 2023.Representing India, Lakshay played in the main draw at the Azerbaijan International 2024 in men's singles. Earlier, he had represented the country in the final draw at the Sydney International 2022. At the national level, he won a silver medal at the All India Sub Junior National Ranking Badminton Tournament held in Manipur in 2019. In 2017, he secured a gold medal in the doubles category at the All India Sub Junior National Ranking Tournament in Tamil Nadu. He has also participated in the Senior National Badminton Championships 84 and 86 held in Bangalore and Pune, respectively, and has won various medals in the Punjab State Senior Championships.Currently, Lakshay is a fifth-semester Bachelor of Arts student. He said he is working to balance academics and sports and is managing his expenses for now. However, he added that if he qualifies for the Olympic trials, he will require sponsorship to support that crucial phase of his career.