Decoding PV Sindhu's impressive run at Olympic Games
India's ace shuttler PV Sindhu missed out on a medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The badminton star bowed after losing to China's He Bingjiao in the round of 16 of the women's singles event. Bingjiao, placed ninth in the BWF Rankings, won the clash, 21-19, 21-14. Meanwhile, Sindhu missed out on her third Olympic medal. Here we decode her journey at Olympic Games.
Sindhu missed out on this milestone
The loss to Bingjiao marked Sindhu's 15th match at the Olympics (singles event). This was just her third defeat. She has tallied as many as 12 wins. While she clinched a historic silver in the 2016 Rio Games, Sindhu returned with a bronze in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She missed out on becoming the first-ever Indian athlete to win three individual Olympic medals.
Campaign in the 2016 Games
The then 21-year-old Sindhu was brilliant against Hungary's Laura Sarosi in her first match at the 2016 Games, beating her 21-8, 21-9. The shuttler then got the better of Canada's Michelle Li, claiming a 19-21, 21-15, 21-17 victory. Sindhu cruised past Chinese Taipei's Tai Tzu-ying 21-13, 21-15 in the pre-quarters. She reached the semis after defeating China's Wang Yihan (22-20 and 21-19).
Historic feat for Sindhu
Japan's Nozomi Okuhara, the then second seed, fell to Sindhu in the semi-final (21-19, 21-10). However, the Indian ace lost to the then world No. 1 Carolina Marin in a bravely-fought final (19-21, 21-12, 21-15). Nevertheless, Sindhu became the first Indian woman to secure a silver medal at Olympics. She also became the youngest Indian to win an Olympic medal.
Bronze in the 2020 event
The 2020 Tokyo Games saw Sindhu dominate Israel's Ksenia Polikarpova in her opening round clash, winning 21-7, 21-10. She then beat Hong Kong's Cheung Ngan (21-9, 21-16). In the next match, Sindhu overcame Denmark's Mia Blichfeldt (21-15, 21-13). Sindhu prevailed in the quarter-final clash against Japan's Akane Yamaguchi (21-13, 22-20). However, she was handed a defeat by Taiwanese Tai Tzu-ying in the semis.
Win against Bingjiao
After suffering a 18-21, 12-21 defeat in the semi-final, Sindhi met none other than He Bingjiao in the bronze medal match. Sindhu was dominant throughout the match as she outplayed the Chinese toward the end, winning the duel 21-13, 21-15.
Her campaign in the 2024 event
The 29-year-old made a winning start in the 2024 Games, claiming a straight-game win against Maldives' FN Abdul Razzaq in the first round (21-9, 21-6). She then humbled Kristin Kuuba Estonia in another straight-game triumph (21-5, 21-10). Though Sindhu topped Group M, Bingjiao ended her campaign in the round of 16 match.
Sindhu penned a heartfelt note
Following the loss to Bingjiao, Sindhu took to X and penned a heartfelt note. She termed her Paris Games exit as "one of the hardest defeats" of her career. "The journey to Paris 2024 was a battle, marked by two years of injuries and long periods away from the game," she wrote. "Regarding my future, I want to be clear: I will continue."
