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Published 09:57 IST, December 24th 2019

PV Sindhu's father lashes out at Korean coach for calling Indian ace 'heartless'

PV Sindhu's former coach Kim Ji Hyun has called out Sindhu for being 'heartless' and went on to say that she only needed her while training. Read to know more.

Reported by: Jatin Malu
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PV Sindhu
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Women's badminton world champion PV Sindhu has made a name for herself in the sport not just for her talent but also for her sportsmanship. On numerous occasions, the 24-year-old Hyderabadi's sporting spirit on the court at the end of matches that have even ended in heart-breaking losses has been lauded by the badminton community. Sindhu's heartwarming gesture in the 2016 Rio Olympics final where she crossed the court after losing the final point. She picked up the racket that had been thrown aside by the winner and her arch-rival Carolina Marin and placed it near Marin's kit-box. Sindhu helped the tearful Spaniard to her feet, warmly congratulating her on the gold medal win.

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PV Sindhu is heartless: Kim Ji Hyun

However, Sindhu's former coach, Kim Ji Hyun from Korea has sensationally called out the Indian star for being 'heartless' and accused of her of only being bothered about needing her for training. In an interview, which was uploaded on YouTube by a channel named "장기린의 배드민턴", Ji Hyun was asked about PV Sindhu and her stint in India. The Korean replied that she did a lot of personal training with Sindhu, whose main attributes were running well and playing powerful shots. Yet surprisingly, she says that Sindhu does not have many skills to boast about.

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Ji Hyun revealed that before they went to the World Championship this year, she got terribly sick. So, she went to the hospital and got IV (Intravenous) five times, but nobody came to see her. The former coach added that Sindhu only asked her when was she coming back to coach her and did not even bother to ask about her health. 

Ji Hyun also went on to narrate an incident that happened after Sindhu's victory in the World Championship. She claims that they were supposed to come back to India together as well. Yet Sindhu asked her to travel separately as she was supposed to receive some prizes. It was only after the Korean sarcastically asked her about abandoning her after winning that Sindhu supposedly asked her to stay on for the awards ceremony. 

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Amidst all these accusations, PV Sindhu's father PV Ramana, who is a former national volleyball player, hit back at Ji Hyun. He responded that initially his daughter had no idea about the Korean's health deteriorating to such an extent and bothered to call her up the moment she was found missing from the training sessions. He also mentioned that Sindhu had always acknowledged Ji Hyun's role in her victories and development as a player. Lastly, he accused the Korean of abruptly exiting Sindhu's team for joining a club in Taiwan within four months of the incident.

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Updated 11:54 IST, December 24th 2019