How PV Sindhu Became The First Indian to Win a Gold Medal at World Championships

Having earned a silver in both 2017 and 2018 World Championships, PV Sindhu made history on Sunday after winning the first-ever World Championships Gold, beating Nozomi Okuhara of Japan 21-7, 21-7. With the triumph, she became the first Indian to have achieved that feat and also sidelined all the criticism that has been aimed at her in the last couple of years.   

“This is my answer to the people who have asked me questions over and over. I just wanted to answer with my racket and with this win – that’s all,” Sindhu was quoted as saying by the Badminton World Federation’s official website. 

“I felt really bad after the first World Championships final and last year I was angry, I was sad. I went through all my emotions, asking ‘Sindhu, why can’t you get this one match?’ but today came and I told myself to play my game and not worry – and it worked out,” she added.

“Honestly, I was expecting a long battle, given Okuhara’s reputation. But, I am glad that I could peak at the right time and never really let the lead slip away. I never felt any pressure before entering what was my third final. I just wanted to give my best shot and didn’t bother whether I would win or not when the final started. The best part is there were very few unforced errors and it was a near-perfect game.”

PV Sindhu, who likes to let her racket do the talking, gave an apt reply to every criticism she dealt with in all these years. The Badminton star finally broke the jinx and became the World Champion after beating Nozomi Okuhara in the finals on Sunday. 

Perhaps, it was not just about the title for Sindhu who crumbled a familiar opponent and the former Olympic Champion Zhang Ning on Sunday, finishing the game in just 38 minutes. 

Sindhu earlier lost twice in the finals of the World Championships. Besides that, she also ended as second-best at Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and the Jakarta Asian Games. 

In the last few years, the Indian badminton player has faltered at the biggest stages, with some renowned publications presenting her with a Choker tag, to which she vowed to respond with her racket.

Then How Did She Turn The Fortunes This Time?
Given the fact that Sindhu faltered twice in World Championships finals and also in Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, very few had pinned hopes on her. However, on Sunday, Sindhu defied all odds and won India their first-ever World Championship title. 

Perhaps the victory against Zhang Ning has a lot to do with the appointment of Kim Ji-Hyun as the guiding light for both PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal. 

Post Sindhu’s semi-final win against Tai Tzu Ying on Friday, coach Kim Ji-Hyun pointed out a lot of deficiencies on Sindhu’ style of play which contributed to her defeats in big games. 

“The way she plays, I feel it’s not smart enough. I mean, at the top level, you have to be smart. It has to be a combination, like your technique, and hitting and mentality,” Kim told the BWF World Championship’s official website.

“There are so many skills she has to work on, especially net skills and deception. Step by step. We’re working on skills, and changing tactics, as you can’t use the same tactics over and over again. If you play the same kind of game, you won’t have a chance,” she added in her interaction with BWF website. She added. 

On Sunday, Sindhu looked a different player, coming out with an all-attack approach. She looked calm and smashed the Chinese player out in the final of 2019 Women’s singles World Championships, held in Basel. 

Kim Ji-Hyun worked on Sindhu’s wristy shots, along with the learning techniques to keep her opponent under pressure. All those practice sessions have paid off as the South-Korean coached too heaped praise on PV Sindhu, post her World Championships triumph. 

Sindhu too didn’t shy a bit to shower praise on her coach Kim Ji Hyun for the triumph. 

“I really focussed this time and of course now I have a new coach — Miss Kim. I’ve been training under her for the past couple of months and certainly, I have improved a lot under her. I am really very thankful to her,” she told reporters after her win.

Cheif coach Vimal Kumar also showered praise on Sindhu performance in the 2019 World Championships. 

“She was just so dominant and completely outclassed Okuhara. She was unplayable in most of the matches. The way she was moving, she was very confident and her approach to the net was really good. She was really pushing the shuttle to the back of the court and kept Okuhara guessing. She never gave Okuhara the rhythm. Sindhu was also fast and used the conditions inside the court well,” said former player and chief coach, Vimal Kumar.

PV Sindhu’s next goal would be winning India a medal in the Olympics, scheduled to be held in Tokyo.

“Tokyo 2020 is not so far, but right now it’s just step by step for me. I just want to enjoy this moment and not think about anything else,” Sindhu said.

“It’s a very special moment. It’s my mom’s birthday today and I dedicate this medal to her. I’ve been waiting for this medal for a very long time because every time it gets over with a silver, and I wait for another year. Finally, I made it and I really can’t wait to go back to India now,” the ace shuttler added.