Game, Set, Match

By on March 17, 2020
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From picking up the badminton racket at the age of 8 to winning the coveted title of World Badminton Champion at 24, Pusarla Venkata Sindhu has come a long way at a relatively young age. This only means, India is in store for some exciting wins in the future, courtesy of the badminton wizard. PV SINDHU talks to VIVA GOA in an exclusive interview about her dream: Tokyo Olympics 2020 and much more

Ace badminton player Pusarla Venkata Sindhu created history by winning the gold at the World Championship in Basel, Switzerland, dominating her Japanese counterpart Nozomi Okuhara in 2019. The sight of the Indian tri-colour flying high and the national anthem playing in the background made her eyes well up as she stood before the crowd. 

In earlier tournaments, Sindhu had clinched two silver and two bronze medals making the gold her long-awaited and much-deserved win. Over the years, she has trained herself to be in great form and the final bout in 2019 showed her firm grasp over the match. 

A recipient of the highest sports honour Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, the ace shuttler was bestowed with the Padma Bhushan, in January 2020.

Born in Hyderabad in 1995 to PV Ramana and P Vijaya, both national level volleyball players, Sindhu started playing badminton from the age of eight. Her fascination for badminton saw her take up the sport professionally from age 13. 

Former Indian badminton player and chief national coach P Gopichand inspired her interest in the sport.  

She made her international badminton debut in 2011 and has been winning laurels for India ever since. The Arjuna awardee broke into the top 20 of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) world ranking in September 2012 at the age of 17. 

Now 24, the badminton wizard became the only Indian to feature in the BWF World Tour Finals in 2019 where top shuttlers of the world compete for the title. 

Her goal is to clinch the gold at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics 2020. The BWF World Champion 2019 is currently working on her strokes and on keeping herself mentally and physically fit.

Her dedication to the sport has left several young shuttlers in awe. The reining badminton champion recently won the ESPN’s Female Sportsperson of the Year award for a third consecutive time, and was named both Sportswoman of the Year (Racquet Sports) as well as Sportstar of the Year at the 2020 Sportstar ACES. 

Besides being a full-time sportsperson, Sindhu’s social media game is on-point too. She is very active on various platforms and is usually seen posting her rigorous workout regimes. The youth icon has quite a fan following on social media, with 2.8 million followers on Twitter, 1.6 million followers on Instagram and 1.3 million followers on Facebook. 

PV Sindhu is unstoppable and her performance in the games ahead will only prove her talent. 



Read the full article in 'Viva Goa' magazine copy.

Viva Goa magazine is now on stands. Available at all major book stalls and supermarkets in Goa.

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