PV Sindhu's ground-breaking silver at Rio Olympics paved way for India's new badminton era

Four years ago on this day, PV Sindhu bettered Saina Nehwal's 2012 Olympic bronze medal by securing a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. While Nehwal was India's big hope for a medal, Sindhu proved herself with aplomb with two bronze medals at the World Championships in 2013 and 2014. Though Sindhu lost the finals in 2016, she and coach Pullela Gopichand were honoured after returning to Hyderabad, paraded over an open deck double-decker to celebrate their historic silver medal.

Also read | PV Sindhu's magical journey from Hyderabad to Rio Olympics 2016

Sindhu's journey at Rio Olympics 2016

After discovering her love for badminton, Sindhu trained under 2001 All England champion Pullela Gopichand. She won the badminton Asia U-19 title in 2012, beating her rival Nozomi Okuhara, and even beat London 2012 gold medallist Li Xuerui at the China Masters. Following her victory against Xuerui, the 25-year-old shuttler went on to win her Grand Prix Gold title, the first Indian women's singles medal at the World Championships, and her Commonwealth Games bronze. Her second bronze came during the World Championships in 2014 where she lost to Carolina Marin – who beat her during Rio Olympics 2016. 

Sindhu's Rio Olympics 2016 run

Sindhu entered the Olympics while overcoming a stress fracture from 2015. Focusing on one match at a time, Sindhu refused to be bogged down by the pressure of Nehwal being eliminated after her group stage loss to Ukraine's Maria Ulitina. Sindhu faced Hungary's Laura Sarosi and Canadian Michelle Li during the group stage. She defeated Sarosi 21-8, 21-9, followed by a 19-21, 21-15, 21-17 win over Michelle Li, who she had fallen to during the Commonweath Games (2014). Sindhu went to beat Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu-Ying 21-13, 21-15 and Wang Yihan 22-20, 21-19 to reach the semi-finals, where she faced second seed and now-famed rival Okuhara. Sindhu, who had only beaten her Japanese nemesis once, cruised into the finals with a 21-19, 21-10 win. 

Also read | Olympic site used for 2016 Rio games shut over safety issues: Rio Olympics 2016

PV Sindhu vs Carolina Marin: A hard-fought final against Carolina Marin

The final brought Sindhu face to face against then two-time World Champion and World No.1 Carolina Marin. Sindhu held her ground during the opening round with long rallies and a promising start (19-21). However, the Spanish shuttler made a strong comeback, winning the second match in 20 minutes (21-12). Sindhu fell 21-15 during the deciding game. “I never gave up till the very end,” Sindhu said while talking to DNA. “I came back from 16-19 to win five straight points to win the first game. So, it was always playing in my mind that anything could still happen.”

Also read | PV Sindhu is the world's 13th highest-paid woman athlete: PV Sindhu ranking

Sindhu's silver medal made her the face of Indian badminton, changing her life both on and off the court. During a post-game interview, the world champion claimed she gained a lot of confidence following her Olympics run. The Indian star won more medals at the BWF World Championships, the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. In 2019, she took the BWF World Championship gold from none other than Carolina Marin. 

With the Tokyo Olympics scheduled to take place next year, Sindhu is training relentlessly despite the COVID-19 pandemic. She continued to train at home during the lockdown and returned to train at the SAI Pullela Gopichang Academy a few days ago after a four-month-long hiatus. Sindhu will next compete at the Thomas and Uber Cup in Denmark, scheduled for October. 

Also read | Sindhu says was desperate to win World C'ships as fans started calling her 'silver Sindhu': PV Sindhu vs Carolina Marin

(Image credits: PV Sindhu Instagram)