The Hyderabadi shuttler defied odds to embark on an incredible run at the 2016 Rio Games to deliver India’s first silver medal in badminton.
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PV Sindhu was a rising star when India won its first Olympic medal in badminton at the 2012 London Games. She was one of many aspiring badminton players who were inspired by Saina Nehwal’s incredible feat of winning a bronze medal. Little did she know that four years later in Rio, Sindhu herself would be standing on the podium with a different coloured medal. The shuttler from Hyderabad took full advantage of the recognition badminton received as a result of Saina’s achievement in London to elevate India’s badminton medal from bronze to silver. Sindhu finally emerged from Saina’s shadow with her incredible run in Rio, which brought the entire country together.
The poster girl for Indian badminton, PV Sindhu did not always have it easy. She had to show extreme resilience and willpower to overcome many challenges on her path to glory. As a promising young shuttler, the girl from Hyderabad started to make a name for herself when Saina was the undisputed badminton queen in the country. Sindhu’s success was often overshadowed by her senior’s performances. Even in Rio, Nehwal was the medal favourite as no one knew what to expect from Sindhu at her maiden Olympics.
When India’s main medal contender Saina Nehwal crashed out in the group stage after a loss to Ukraine’s Maria Ulitina, many thought the country’s chances of a podium finish in badminton were over. So much so that many people forgot Sindhu was still racking up impressive victories in the background. The nation started to get behind the then 21-year-old shuttler only after she defeated Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu-ying and Wang Yihan in pre-quarters and quarterfinals respectively.
With the entire country gluing to their TV sets for the semifinal clash, Sindhu defeated second seed Nozomi Okuhara to become the first Indian shuttler to reach the Olympic final. A medal was assured. In what was fast turning out to be a disappointing Summer Games, the Hyderabadi shuttler guaranteed the country its second medal after Sakshi Malik won the first in wrestling. Sindhu may have lost the final to her much-fancied opponent Carolina Marin, but she shone brightest with the silver, cementing India’s dominance in badminton.
Sports have always been a part of her family’s DNA. Her parents were both volleyball players at the national level, with her father PV Ramana winning the bronze medal at the 1986 Seoul Asian Games. Her elder sister was a national-level handball player, but it was badminton that caught PV Sindhu’s attention. Watching All England champion Pullela Gopichand in action also played a part in her taking up the sport.
By the age of eight, she was a regular at the sport. She eventually went on to fine-tune her skills under Indian badminton legend Gopichand. The young shuttler showed immense dedication and passion towards the sport as she would travel 56 kilometres to Gopichand’s badminton academy. The promising shuttler did not take much time to get her talent noticed.
She quickly rose to prominence, winning junior badminton titles like the All India Ranking Championship and the Sub-Junior Nationals. Sindhu entered the international circuit at the young age of 14, becoming a bronze medallist at the 2009 Sub-Junior Asian Badminton Championships in Colombo. A year later, she bagged singles silver in the International Badminton Challenge in Iran.
It was in 2012 when she finally announced her arrival on the international stage. She won the Asian Junior Championships, beating Japanese player and her now famed rival Nozomi Okuhara in the final. But it was in the Li Ning China Masters Super Series tournament, Sindhu shook the world, stunning London 2012 Olympics gold medallist Li Xuerui and entered the semi-finals. The victory over Li Xuerui was, without a doubt, a defining moment for the Indian.
Following her exploits in 2012, badminton fans kept a close eye on PV Sindhu. She was expected to take over the mantle from Saina Nehwal one day, but no one predicted that day would come sooner than expected. The following year turned out to be equally special as she won the Malaysian title, beating Singaporean Gu Juan for her first Grand Prix Gold title. Sindhu then secured India’s first women’s singles medal – bronze – at the World Championships in 2013.
Another bronze awaited her at the World Championships in 2014 and she bagged the same medal in the Commonwealth Games held that year. It set the platform nicely for Sindhu to have a deep run in the upcoming Olympics. With Saina dominating the headlines in the run-up to the Games, Sindhu was happy to fly under the radar. The lack of pressure might have played a huge part in the Hyderabadi shuttler going about her business quietly in the background.
At just 21 years of age, participating in her maiden Olympics, the expectations were divided on the possibility of Sindhu winning a medal. She had been consistently performing well in major tournaments till then. However, the Olympics is a totally different ball game, especially for Indians, who have often struggled to transform their major tournament success into the Summer Games.
On the back of winning six medals at the 2012 London Games – India’s best medal tally in a single Olympics – the expectations were sky high ahead of the Rio Games. But the massive pre-Olympic belief quickly turned into dismay for the supporters. The Indian contingent started falling short in almost all disciplines and their disappointing Olympic run did not spare badminton either.
Saina Nehwal – the country’s main medal hopeful – crashed out in the group stage with a shock defeat against Ukraine’s Maria Ulitina. Following Nehwal’s stunning exit, many fans gave up on badminton as well. With Saina’s early exit making the headlines, Sindhu quietly continued to get the job done in the background.
After easing past Laura Sarosi in her first match, PV Sindhu survived a hard-fought clash against Michelle Li in a 19-21, 21-15, 21-17 victory to enter the last 16. Buoyed by momentum on her side, Sindhu clinched a crucial victory against Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu-ying 21-13, 21-15 in the pre-quarters. Suddenly, Indian fans had someone to root for in what had been a disappointing Olympics up to that point. Her impressive run continued as she got the better of Wang Yihan, for the second time in two years, 22-20, 21-19, to reach the semi-finals.
Her semifinal opponent was second seed Nozomi Okuhara, who Sindhu had only beaten once at that point. With the entire country glued to their television screens, the Hyderabadi shuttler produced an inspired performance to win the match 21-19, 21-10. An Olympic medal was guaranteed and the medal will also be an improvement to the bronze won by Saina at the 2012 Games.
The final was against her fierce nemesis Carolina Marin, who was then two-time World Champion and World No.1. The topsy-turvy gold medal match lived up to the billing as Marin, known for her aggressive style, was setting the pace like she always does. But, the Indian was equal to the challenge. Sindhu, who was trailing 16-19 at one point, produced a remarkable fightback and took five points on the trot to claim the first game in 27 minutes.
She was almost there and the entire nation was already in a celebratory mood. But, Marin justifying her tag as the favourite for the gold, came back impressively to win the second game 21-12. In the third, Sindhu was always chasing the Spaniard and in the end, it turned out to be a step too far for the Indian shuttler.
Sindhu may have missed out on the coveted gold medal, but she still shone brightly with the silver medal. The entire country celebrated her achievement. She quickly became the talk of the town, with accolades pouring in from all directions for the Hyderabadi shuttler.
The Indian shuttler carried on that impressive form to keep creating historical feats, with the 2019 World Championship title standing out among the others. In the ongoing Tokyo Olympics, PV Sindhu will be eager to turn the colour of her medal from silver to gold. Sindhu will try to outperform herself in Tokyo, with the support of the entire country behind her.
