Lakshya Sen, Vandana Katariya in Forbes 30-Under-30

Indian young sensation Lakshya Sen and senior Indian Hockey Women's player Vandana Kataiya are the only sportsperson from India to make it in Forbes 30-Under-30 list.

Forbes 30-under-30 is a list of young achievers from India under the age of 30. While there are many digital creators and entrepreneurs on the list, only two were sportspersons.

Lakshya Sen, at 20 already had much major success in his badminton career. Perhaps, it can be easily said he is India's brightest prospect in badminton. In fact, 2021 was the breakout year for the Indian shuttler. Lakshya first qualified for the Dutch Open final, although he faced a loss in the hands of Loh Kean Yew.

Read Also: Lakshya Sen keen on direct Olympics qualification, says coach Vimal Kumar 

Then, he went on to win the bronze medal in the Hylo Open 2021. This time too, he lost to Loh Kean Yew in the semis. Again, he got the third position in the BWF World Tour Finals 2021. This time he lost to Viktor Axelsen in the semis. However, Lakshya kept on improving as his quest for gold kept on continuing. Although the gold eluted him in the World Championships, he became the youngest Indian to win a world championship medal. A hard-fought defeat against Kidambi Srikanth meant he is the one for the future.

At 20, Sen is leading the charge for Indian men's badminton on the world stage. In 2021, he became the youngest Indian to qualify for BWF World Tour Finals, a sparring ground for the top eight shuttlers for the year. He followed it up with a bronze at the prestigious BWF World Chamionships, emulating mentor Prakash Padukone

Forbes

On the other hand, Vandana Katariya has been one of the pillars of the Indian Women's Hockey team. She is the first Indian woman to score a hat-trick in the Olympics. She created that record against South Africa. Katariya was very influential in India's historical success in the Tokyo Olympics where they missed the bronze medal by a brisk.

Vandana was also the lone Indian Hockey player on the list of Padma Shri Award winners.

The women's hockey team finished fourth at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and it was a victory in defeat for the team which had finished last at the 2016 Rio Games. Katariya, the forward, was a star performer who scored a hat-trick against South Africa. She made her debut for India in 2010. "She's a true fighter", Mir Ranjan Negi, former assistant coach to the team, says.

Forbes