The entire nation was on its feet when PV Sindhu battled Carolina Marin in the final of the 2016 Rio Olympics. The chance to win the first-ever gold in Badminton at the Summer Olympics blew away after Marin walked away with the top award, only to leave Sindhu and the entire nation devastated.
The loss in the final didn’t deter the 26-year-old as she dominated the court for a few years after that night in Rio. 2 Silver & 1 Gold Medal at the World Championships, a silver at the Asian & Commonwealth Games & tonnes of trophies at the BWF series events helped Sindhu climb to the number 2 rank in the world championship. Sindhu was inching towards total dominance but things took a nosedive. Apart from the World Championship Gold in Basel, Sindhu had an exceptionally poor 2019 with just 1 final and 2 semi-finals in all the tournaments she played.
But in 2021, Sindhu wants a turnaround. Since she is the only one from India to qualify in the women’s singles event at Tokyo Olympics, Sindhu wants an upgrade from her last performance at the Summer Games. With Carolina Marin, the defending Olympic Champion pulling out of the race, Sindhu is one of the top medal prospects on the court.