PV Sindhu’s Korean coach Kim Ji Hyun resigns for personal reasons

World champion PV Sindhu has faced a setback. India's women's singles coach Kim Ji Hyun resigned from her post due to a family emergency. The announcement came a day after Sindhu was supposed to come back from her early exit in the China Open. She is to resume her pursuit for the BWF World Tour Title at the Korea Open Super 500 tournament.

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PV Sindhu’s coach Kim Ji Hyun forced to leave due to medical emergency

South Korean coach Kim left for New Zealand to take care of her husband. He suffered from a stroke a few weeks ago and might require surgery. According to her source, Kim herself was not a hundred percent sure of her return. Now, it has been confirmed that she will not be returning as Sindhu’s coach.

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The 45-year-old Kim has played a crucial role in PV Sindhu winning the World Championship earlier this year. Sindhu triumphed over Nozomi Okuhara (21-7, 21-7), earning her first gold and fifth overall at the Badminton World Championships. Sindhu thanked Kim for her coaching, admitting that she had improved under her. The former Korean international was roped in as the women’s single coach in March this year. Kim, along with national coach Pullela Gopichand, helped PV Sindhu improve her game for the tournament. During her interactions after defeating Okuhara, the ace Indian shuttler talked about how Kim had helped her make positive changes in her game.

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The Korean coach had built a good rapport with Gopichand and the team back in India. Her resignation has put pressure on Gopichand, who will now have to accompany Sindhu for upcoming matches. Gopichand had admitted in an interview that Kim being present was an additional help, as he has multiple players to look after, especially during big tournaments. As the Tokyo Olympics are just 11 months away, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) will have to look for a coach who can replace Kim.

(Image credit: BWF)

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