Proud To Be Indian World Champion P.V. Sindhu Returns To Grand Welcome

Every proud Indian would have their head held high when they talk about P V Sindhu today. The female badminton player, who hails from Hyderabad became the World Champion in the sport after she won the finals against Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara with an easy 21-7, 21-7. Her achievement is considered to be a historic moment for India, since it’s the first time any Indian has won a gold medal at a world championship! This is truly a moment of pride for the whole nation indeed.

After winning the title at the BWF (Badminton World Federation) World Championship held at St. Jakobshalle in Switzerland on Sunday, she arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. Sindhu returned to a grand welcome and fanfare, filling her with joy and pride. And why not? Sindhu lost the final twice and had to settle for silver in the past two years and this time, she was unstoppable. She was subjected to strong criticisms owing to her defeat in the previous editions of the championship and with this victory, she not only won the tournament, but also, the hearts of millions of fans all over the world.

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I’d like to thank everyone, thanks to all my fans for blessings. I will work more hard and get many more medals. A much-awaited win, missed it two times but I finally did it,” she said to the media at the airport. “A great moment for me. I am really very proud to be an Indian,” she added. After this victory, Sindhu became the highest medal-winner in the history of world championships (joint) along with Zhang Ning, the former Olympic champion from China.  Read on to know more about P. V. Sindhu.

The Racket From A Volleyball Family

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Did you know that P.V. Sindhu’s both parents were national-level volleyball players? Her father, P.V. Ramana and his team even won a bronze medal in the 1986 Asian Games, which was held in Seoul, South Korea. He received the Arjuna Award for his contribution to sports, in the year 2000. Also, P.V. Sindhu’s sister P.V. Divya played handball at the national level. However, she didn’t want to pursue her career in sports, and went on to become a doctor later on.

Even though her father and mother P. Vijaya were volleyball players, Sindhu was always interested in badminton. She began to play badminton when she was only eight! Sindhu was inspired by Pullela Gopichand’s performance, which led him to become the All England Open Badminton Champion in 2001. After learning the basics of the sports from her first coach Mehboob Ali in Secunderabad, she got trained at the badminton academy which is run by Pullela Gopichand.

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After joining Gopichand’s academy, Sindhu won many titles in the under-10 years category. Since then, it was a climb that only went uphill for Sindhu. By the time she was playing in the under-14 category, she won a gold medal at the 51st National State Games in India. Gopichand has always appreciated Sindhu in many interviews and encouraged her talent. As his 24-year-old student is now the holder of the World Champion title, Gopichand is all praises for her.

“It has been a fantastic victory and a very important one for Sindhu. I knew she had a chance of winning the title this time by looking at the manner in which she has been training in the last few months and also the way she was playing in the last few months,” Gopichand said in an interview after Sindhu’s historic victory. “Now, our aim is to get ready for the Olympics, which is just a year away. She will be featuring in several Super Series tournaments, but we have to work hard towards winning another Olympic medal,” he added. Gopichand is currently the Chief National Coach for the Indian badminton team.

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Let’s not forget the fact that Sindhu is from a nation where women aren’t really encouraged to become active in sports. Since she had encouraging parents and wonderful coaches to support her talent and hard work, she made the whole country proud. However, can you imagine how many Sindhus our nation would have lost due to the gender roles and stereotypes that confine them in a space that is light years away from sports? A girl child’s sports career is often limited to her school days, because after that she either has to get married, or go become someone the society is asking her to.

Along with the bias from family and people in the close circle, girls have to deal with bias in the field of professional sports, as well. If you ask any girl who considers sports as more than just a hobby, she would probably have a lot to say about the way people discourage her. With the pride that P.V. Sindhu has brought to our country, we hope that more and more girls are encouraged to enter professional sports and athletics. Are you thrilled about P.V. Sindhu’s victory? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.

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