‘She lost the gold but won a million hearts’

P.V. Sindhu’s parents showed grace and composure in acknowledging that Spanish girl Carolina Marin was the deserving winner.

Speaking after the final, P.V. Ramana, the father, said they were all happy with the performance of Sindhu — the youngest silver medallist ever from India in Olympics.

“We all knew that Marin would be a tough opponent and Sindhu had to really play well to win the gold. But, we are not dispirited and feel great that India won its first silver in Rio,” said Ramana.

“Marin’s court coverage was splendid and I believe that Sindhu should learn how to scream and shout to come back into the game. That is a key element at this level,” said Ramana, himself a former Asian Games medallist in volleyball.

“This is the first Olympics for Sindhu and she is coming back with a silver. What more we can ask for?” he added.

“We thank each and every Indian for their great support to Sindhu’s campaign. She may have lost today’s final but she won the hearts of millions,” said Ramana.

“We promise you that Sindhu would come back even stronger in the days to come to match the kind of standard Marin has shown today and win an Olympic gold next time,” he added.

Sindhu’s mother Vijaya said that there was nothing to feel disappointed though a golden finish would have been a perfect ending. “We take pride in our daughter’s performance as we were aware that it was never going to be easy in the final,” she said.

Both of them thanked chief national coach P. Gopi Chand for his “monumental effort” in guiding Sindhu to a silver.