PV Sindhu

P.V. Sindhu was born in Hyderabad, Telangana, on July 5, 1995 to P. V. Ramana and P. Vijaya. While Ramana, an employee of the Indian Railways, is originally from Nirmal, Telangana, Vijaya is from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. Ramana Sindhu, the father of P. V. Sindhu, was presented with the Arjuna Award in 2000 in honor of his volleyball accomplishments. He played volleyball for the Indian squad that won a bronze medal at the Asian Games in Seoul in 1986. 

Vijaya, Sindhu’s mother, is also a former professional volleyball player. Sindhu began playing badminton at the age of eight, acquiring the basics from Mehboob Ali during practice sessions at the badminton courts at the Indian Railway Institute of Signal Engineering and Telecommunications in Secunderabad. PV Sindhu later enrolled at Pullela Gopichand’s renowned Gopichand Badminton Academy to develop her abilities.

PV Sindhu won numerous competitions after joining Gopichand’s badminton academy. She won the singles title at the Ambuja Cement All India ranking competition and the doubles championship in the under-10 age division at the sixth Servo All India ranking competition, respectively. Sindhu earned the singles championship at the Sub-juniors in Pondicherry, the doubles titles at the Krishna Khaitan All India Tournament, the IOC All India Ranking, the Sub-Junior Nationals, and the All India Ranking in Pune as she advanced to the under-13 division. She also helped the under-14 team win the gold medal in the 51st National State Games in India.

PV Sindhu embarked on her international badminton career in 2009 at just 14 years old. She advanced to the quarterfinals at the 2010 BWF World Junior Championships in Mexico, ultimately losing to China’s Suo Di in a three-set match. She later emerged victorious at both the Maldives International Challenge in June 2011, defeating fellow Indian player P. C. Thulasi, and the Indonesia International Challenge the following month. Sindhu also earned top honors at the Commonwealth Youth Games by overcoming Malaysia’s Soniia Cheah Su Ya in consecutive games.

In July 2012, Sindhu captured the Asian Junior Championships title by beating Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara, becoming the first Indian to achieve this distinction. She continued to impress at the Li Ning China Masters Super Series tournament by defeating 2012 Olympic gold medalist Li Xuerui and progressing to the semifinals. In 2013, she followed in the footsteps of Prakash Padukone by securing a singles medal at the World Championships. She later clinched a bronze at the 2014 Commonwealth Games after defeating Malaysia’s Tee Jing Yi.

At the 2014 BWF World Championships, Sindhu fell to eventual winner Carolina Marin in the semi-finals but still earned a bronze medal. Her performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics saw her reach the women’s singles finals, paving the way for an Indian medal in the category. Although she lost to Carolina Marin, Sindhu became India’s youngest individual Olympic medalist and the first Indian woman to take home an Olympic silver.

Sindhu’s outstanding performance continued at the 2019 World Championships, where she claimed gold after defeating Tai Tzu-ying in the quarterfinals and Nozomi Okuhara in the final. During the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Sindhu faced Taiwan’s Tai, ultimately losing but securing a spot in the bronze medal match. She overcame China’s He Bingjiao, earning her second consecutive Olympic medal in women’s singles badminton. Finally, at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Sindhu claimed gold in women’s singles, triumphing over Canada’s Michelle Li, and becoming only the second women’s singles player to achieve a full set of medals at the Commonwealth Games.

On September 24, 2013, Sindhu was presented with the Arjuna Award for her accomplishments in badminton. In 2015, she received the Padma Shri Award, India’s fourth-highest civilian honor. Her achievements were further recognized when she was bestowed the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, India’s most prestigious sports accolade, on August 29, 2016. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) honored Sindhu by naming her the Sportswoman of the Year in 2019. In 2021, she was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian distinction, in recognition of her continued success in the sport.