Saina Nehwal became the first Indian badminton player to win an Olympic medal after clinching the bronze in the 2012 London Games.
Follow Us
Indian badminton queen, Saina Nehwal, created a plethora of firsts – none more so than the historic Olympic medal she won in 2012. It was a watershed moment in Indian badminton history, and the game was never the same after that. Started as a child prodigy, the 31-year-old Haryana shuttler lived up to her expectations, achieving monumental success in a sport that has rarely seen a female player reach such heights in India till then. Saina’s success story began to reverberate throughout the country as the subject of discussion at the 2008 Beijing Olympics was not her narrow medal miss, but the piece of history she made by becoming the first Indian woman to reach the Olympic quarterfinals.
The unseeded Indian threw away a 11-3 lead in the decider to lose the quarterfinals in 2008. Undeterred by the disappointment, Nehwal set her sights on the 2012 London Games. Even a viral fever could not prevent Saina from achieving her dream of winning a medal in the English capital. She became the first Indian badminton player to win an Olympic medal, taking bronze due to Xin Wang’s injury while trailing her opponent by a game. The victory wasn’t pretty, but getting her hands on that medal was all that mattered. The emotional moment of watching Saina receive the medal at the historic Wembley Arena revolutionised Indian badminton for good.
From the age of 16, the talented youngster has been turning heads. She became the first Indian woman and the youngest player from Asia to win a 4-star tournament – the Philippines Open in May 2006. She also reached the BWF World Junior Championships final later that year, but had to settle for a silver medal. It took her two more years to finally cross over the finishing line. Saina became the first Indian to win the World Junior Badminton Championships, defeating ninth seeded Japanese Sayaka Sato 21-9, 21-18.
She was no longer just a promising teen. The young Saina has finally arrived at the international stage. It was the same year she won the hearts of millions with her valiant run in the 2008 Olympics. Nehwal was unseeded going into the Beijing Games. The lack of seeding hardly stopped her from taking on her experienced and higher ranked opponents.
The in-form Indian began her quest for a medal with pleasing victories over Russian Ella Diehl in round one and Ukrainian Larisa Griga in the 2nd round. Nehwal became the first Indian woman to reach the quarterfinals when she survived a three-game thriller to upset reigning Asian Games champion Wang Chen of Hong Kong.
The moment of history was made, but the shuttler from Haryana wanted more. It was evident in her quarterfinal display against then world number 16 Maria Kristin Yulianti. Nehwal matched her opponent toe-to-toe and both shared a game each. The victory was in her grasp as Saina was leading 11-3 in the decider but couldn’t hold on. Yulianti won the contest, but the Indian won the hearts with her inspiring outing.
Despite the defeat, accolades for a young Saina poured in. Even without a medal, what she accomplished in Beijing was outstanding. But not for Nehwal, who has set her sights on the next Olympics with a single goal in mind – a medal. “I was focused on making up for this defeat at the next Olympics, in London. I remember I was off for practice the next morning at 5 am!” she was quoted as saying by olympics.com.
Product of Pullela Gopichand’s academy, Nehwal started the year 2012 in emphatic fashion, successfully defending her Swiss Open Title, lifting the Thailand Open trophy before winning the 3rd consecutive Indonesia Open crown. However, tragedy struck in the lead-up to the Olympics as Saina contracted a severe viral fever a week before the London Games.
It didn’t stop Nehwal from cruising through the main event’s group stage, winning both of her matches in straight games over Sabrina Jaquet of Switzerland and Lianne Tan of Belgium. The round-of-16 match was no different, with Yao Jie doing little to halt the Indian shuttler’s march.
Saina’s first major test came against Tine Baun. The Indian was pushed to the limits, but emerged victorious against the three-time All England winner to create another piece of history. But in the semifinal match, Nehwal, who was seeded 4th in the draw, lost to top seed Wang Yihan in two straight games.
But her race was not over – the Bronze medal match was next. The aggressive approach helped Saina match her opponent Wang Xin, but she committed several unforced errors to narrowly lose the opening game 18-21. At the start of the second game, Xin twisted her right knee and was forced to retire. The bronze medal was Saina’s. It might not have been the way she would have imagined it, nonetheless, the sport and the country needed it.
It was the crowning moment in Indian badminton history. She was the first Indian shuttler – male or female – to win an Olympic medal. Saina was the toast of the nation and became a role model to budding young shuttlers. Her achievements made Gopichand a household name in the country.
His champion-making academy produced several stars, none more than PV Sindhu, who won the silver medal four years later in the 2016 Rio Olympics. However, it was Saina Nehwal’s defining moment in 2012 that sparked a revolution in Indian badminton, and the current crop of players are reaping the benefits of her success.
