Is Pusarla Venkata Sindhu India's greatest ever athlete in individual sport? That is what everyone was left wondering as the Indian badminton star won a bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games on Sunday to become the first Indian woman, and only the second athlete from the country, to win two individual medals at the Olympics. A reigning world champion, Sindhu had won a silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics – the first Indian woman to do so – and also smashed her way to a gold at the BWF World Championships.
After her disappointing loss to Tai Tzu-Ying in the semifinal on Saturday, Sindhu rewrote history books by defeating China's He Bing Jiao 21-13, 21-15 in the bronze medal game to become only the second athlete after wrestler Sushil Kumar to win back-to-back Olympic medals. The triumph not only got Sindhu her second consecutive medal at the Games but also completed a hat-trick of Olympic medals for India in badminton as Saina Nehwal had won a bronze at the London 2012 Games.
She's won another medal for @WeAreTeamIndia! #IND
Congrats to @Pvsindhu1 – #Bronze medal winner in #Badminton women's singles at @Tokyo2020!#StrongerTogether | #Tokyo2020 | @bwfmedia pic.twitter.com/08MsENSlQC
— Olympics (@Olympics) August 1, 2021
At the Tokyo Olympics, Sindhu had remained one of India's biggest hopes in badminton. While Sindhu had wrestler Sakshi Malik for company in the medal's tally at Rio, this time around weightlifter Mirabai Chanu and boxer Lovlina Borgohain, who is already assured of an Olympic medal, complete the list of Indian medal winners at the Tokyo Games, so far.
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Born on July 5, 1995, in Hyderabad, to parents who were both national-level volleyball players, Sindhu had taken to badminton after getting inspired by the feats of Pullela Gopichand. Winning one tournament after another, Sindhu has never looked back from there.
In 2019, Sindhu became the first Indian to win the prestigious badminton world championships after she beat Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in the final. The win also helped her equal the long-time record of winning five medals at the event which was set by two-time Olympic gold medalist Zhang Ning.
We are all elated by the stellar performance by @Pvsindhu1. Congratulations to her on winning the Bronze at @Tokyo2020. She is India’s pride and one of our most outstanding Olympians. #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/O8Ay3JWT7q
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 1, 2021
"We are all elated by the stellar performance by P V Sindhu. Congratulations to her on winning the Bronze at Tokyo 2020. She is India’s pride and one of our most outstanding Olympians," tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi after Sindhu won the bronze.
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