Paris: Nepali badminton player Prince Dahal’s Olympic journey came to an end with three consecutive defeats in the men’s singles group stage.
Dahal, making his Olympic debut, faced stiff competition from the outset. He was outclassed by world number two Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in his opening match and followed it up with another loss against Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen. His final match against Israel’s Misha Zilberman also ended in defeat.
Despite the challenging experience, Dahal remains optimistic about his future. Facing opponents of such high caliber provided valuable learning opportunities, he said. The Nepali shuttler expressed his determination to gain more experience through increased competition and aims to improve his performance in future Olympics.
Interestingly, Dahal had to navigate the tournament without a personal coach. He received guidance from El Salvador’s coach in the initial matches and even had to rely on Nepal Badminton Association President Ramji Bahadur Shrestha for coaching during his final match due to the coach’s illness.
