Sports

From Rio 2016 to Tokyo 2020: PV Sindhu's journey in making a glorious history!

By alagu, 02 August, 2021
PV Sindhu, Tokyo Olympics 2021, Olympics, India

"It makes me feel really happy because I have worked hard so many years. I had a lot of emotions going through me - should I be happy that I won bronze or sad that I lost the opportunity to play in the final? But, overall, I had to close off my emotions for this one match and give it my best. I think I have done really well. It's a proud moment getting a medal for my country"- These were the words that PV Sindhu had to say after scripting glorious history, that will stand tall forever and will lubricate young women in chasing their dream sport in a cricket-addicted country.

PV Sindhu expressed that winning the Bronze medal in Tokyo Olympics was tougher than winning a Silver at the 2016 Rio Games. Yes, her response fits where she stands now. Carrying the dreams of billions would be heavy and tough than carrying the 'gold'en dream. When she was part of the Indian contingent at the 2016 Rio Games, Sindhu was one of the young athletes of a sport that wasn't keenly noticed by the country. She was 21 when she made her debut in the Olympics in the Brazilian city.  

India has sent the largest contingent to the 2016 Rio Games and Sindhu was not in sight of India's eye as a medal contender. The whole country was expecting a breakthrough from Saina Nehwal while Sindhu was on a card as a debutant who could make her Olympic presence to study a global event to become the strongest contender in the upcoming seasons. However, what actually happened is different in its entirety, and Sindhu has proven that she is not here to learn but to create history through her stellar performances in her first Olympics and suddenly became a promising Badminton sensation of the country. 

While most expected Nehwal has exited the race for a medal after conceding a defeat to Ukraine's Marija Ulitina, it was Sindhu who presented a glorious victory by becoming a hope for millions back in the country. She never had lost her grip on the winning momentum in the Rio Olympics and drawing global attention, Sindhu won the Silver medal in Badminton and had become the first Indian woman to win Silver in Badminton. The Rio Olympics was one of the setbacks for India at the sports arena as despite sending the largest contingent, the country returned home with only two medals, one of which was from PV Sindhu. 

It was PV Sindhu's moment as her pictures with the Silver medal and honouring the tricolour have stormed the internet after the 21-year-old carved an inevitable history in the Indian Olympics. Winning a medal from being an unrecognized athlete from not a popular sport in India, Sindhu's journey in the Rio games had become a phenomenon and put the country in a state of imperativeness in concentrating on all the games to augment its play in the Olympics. For young women in the country, Sindhu's sparking victory and medal had a lot to inculcate in their lives. 

With a victory in the Rio Games, Sindhu has begun to engineer her path as she rose to a badminton superstar. Besides her age, PV Sindhu in 2020 has shaped her with several remarkable ingredients than PV Sindhu in 2016. Four years later, she was one among hundreds and when she landed in Tokyo, she was one among a very few athletes with a tag to be watched out for. It's obvious that there will more challenges and expectations after a milestone and Sindhu hasn't enjoyed exception and it was one of the reasons why she has said that winning bronze at Tokyo was tough than winning Silver at Rio. 

Sindhu was a national sensation in badminton and she carried the dreams of billions as a probable medal contender. She was in fact one of the women athletes that India was keen to hunt the medals. Sindhu has gone to Tokyo as a World No 7 and with the awareness that she would be taking on some of the world's best shuttlers ahead of her. Amid fulfilling the dreams of millions, she had chased her golden dream and to stand high on the podium. The audacity that she had from her very first game gave big hope to India that she is going to finish big. What changed her in five years? 

After winning the first match in the Tokyo Olympics, Sindhu has said that she has worked on her aggression in the past five years and she has promised a very different version of herself. She also has displayed a trait of controlling her emotions in delivering what's been expected from her. After registered her first victory in Tokyo, Sindhu said, "Mentally, physically, and experience-wise, a lot has changed. Coming to Tokyo is completely different; back then there were no expectations." 

She said, "I know that I have worked hard and given all my heart all of these years and I think it's time to show now. I have been working on my aggression and my technique and you will see a different Sindhu. I am sure I am going to miss the crowd and spectators but I am very sure everybody back home is giving me that support and showing me their love and hoping for the best to happen." A week later, she has proven that she was right by displaying the finest sportstar in her. 

Like the rest of the Indian athletes, Sindhu had battled for the best in Tokyo and she kept her campaign going with consecutive victories until Saturday. Sindhu has faced a defeat in the semifinals for the first time in the tournament. It was indeed a big debacle as she has lost her race to the finals. But, she wasn't out of the race. While there was a glitch in her performance that has cost her finals, Sindhu has had a strong prospect of making history. 

On Sunday, she had faced China's He Bing Jiao in the Bronze medal match and if she wins, she will become the first Indian woman to win two Olympic medals in consecutive tournaments. The pressure was on her as she was facing a must-win match to write history by sharing the medal podium. The entire nation was watching Sindhu's match on Sunday and it was a nail-biting game as more than a medal from Sindhu, India is in a state that it needs a medal. Sindhu was all there for India and she neither lost her hope nor disappointed the country. 

In a match that lasted for 53 minutes, Sindhu has dominated her Chinese rival and eventually, made her country proud by defeating He Bing Jiao and winning the second medal for India and her second medal in the Olympics. With the outstanding victory, Sindhu has been bestowed with the Bronze medal in women's individual badminton competition and brought cheers for her country for the second consecutive time, etching a history by becoming a prominent woman athlete of India at the Olympics. 

With her victory, India has got three medals in Tokyo and all three are from women. While the two medals -Silver (Mirabai Chanu) and Bronze (PV Sindhu) were awarded, boxer Lovlina Borgohain has assured the medal and her match on August 4 would reveal where she will stand on the medal podium. Sindhu is the first woman to win two Olympic medals and the second Indian athlete to attain such a feat after wrestler Sushil Kumar - who was the first Indian to win two Olympic medals - Bronze in the 2008 Beijing games and Silver in the 2012 London games. 

Though there was intense pressure on her on Sunday compared to the scale at the 2016 Rio games, Sindhu has greatly managed and after triumphing over her Chinese rival, Sindhu said that there were a lot of emotions going through her head after losing the semifinals to Tai on Saturday but she worked hard to focus on the job at hand. Sindhu rose to popularity at the international level when she won the Asian Championships Bronze medal in 2014.

She has won Gold once, Silver, and Bronze twice each at the World Championships, and also won three medals once at the Commonwealth games. For her unparalleled contribution towards Badminton, Sindhu was honoured with Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, and Arjuna Awards by the Indian government and after she won the Bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, the Indian government has announced Rs 30 lakh cash prize for her while the government of her home state of Telangana has announced Rs 50 lakh cash prize to celebrate her for honouring the country at the international stage. From Rio 2016 to Tokyo 2020, Sindhu's journey to making a glorious history has been remarkable and impressive and she indeed has miles to go!

 

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