PV Sindhu won her fifth World Championships medal — joint-most for a woman singles player with Zhang Ning of China — to go with the two successive silvers and a couple of bronze medals.
PV Sindhu defeated Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara in straight games by 21-7, 21-7 to win the BWF World Championships 2019 in Basel on Sunday, and the elusive gold medal after having to settle for silver in the last two years. The 24-year-old also became the first Indian to win a gold medal at the BWF World Championships.
Two years after being robbed of the gold by Okuhara in an epic 110-minute final at Glasgow that went down as one of the greatest battles in badminton history, Sindhu finally exorcised the ghost of that heart-wrenching loss with a win over the same opponent. The match lasted for just 38 minutes in what was a show of sheer dominance and power by the towering 24-year-old Indian.
The stupendously talented @Pvsindhu1 makes India proud again!
Congratulations to her for winning the Gold at the BWF World Championships. The passion and dedication with which she’s pursued badminton is inspiring.
PV Sindhu’s success will inspire generations of players.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 25, 2019
It was Sindhu’s fifth World Championships medal — joint-most for a woman singles player with former Olympics and world champion Zhang Ning of China — to go with the two successive silvers and a couple of bronze medals.
Must Read: Top 10 Best Badminton Players of All Time
“Last time, I lost in the final, before that also I lost in the final, so it is a very important win for me. I want to thank the crowd for supporting me. I won it for my country and I am very proud of being an Indian,” said Sindhu.
“A big thanks to my coach Kim and Gopi sir and my supporting staff and I dedicate this win to my mom, it’s her birthday today,” she added.
Hyderabad: Family of PV Sindhu celebrates after she became the first Indian to win BWF World Championships gold medal in Basel, Switzerland. #Telangana pic.twitter.com/TgqAY9e3ea
— ANI (@ANI) August 25, 2019
In the second game of the match, she channelized her momentum of the first game and got two quick points. Okuhara replied in kind and tried to set off a comeback, but her unforced errors gave Sindhu another massive 11-4 lead. From there, the Indian made a couple of errors but she kept the tide with her with a powerful smash towards the end.
Sindhu grabbed the match point when Okuhara went long again and sealed the title with another superb return before throwing her hands in the air in celebration.
Congratulations to @Pvsindhu1 on becoming the first Indian to win the #BWFWorldChampionships. You make every Indian proud. Keep winning
প্রথম ভারতীয় হিসাবে বিশ্ব ব্যাডমিন্টন খেতাব জেতার জন্য @Pvsindhu1 কে অভিনন্দন। সারা দেশ আজ তোমার কৃতিত্বে গর্বিত। জিততে থাকো*
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) August 25, 2019
Prakash Padukone became the first Indian to win a medal in World Championships with a men’s singles bronze in the 1983 edition while Saina Nehwal bagged a silver and a bronze in 2015 and 2017 respectively in women’s singles.
Sindhu has also won Olympic silver in 2016 Rio Games, silver at Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, an Asian Games silver at Jakarta and the BWF World Tour Finals last year.
With Sindhu’s gold and Praneeth’s bronze in this edition, Indian shuttlers also continued the six-year streak of winning at least one medal in the prestigious event.
Leave a Reply