Rio Olympics badminton silver medallist P.V. Sindhu says she had a dream phase in Rio for the whole week which culminated in the women’s singles final appearance against World No. 1 Carolina Marin on Friday night.
“Yes, I played the best game of my career and, more importantly, consistently right through the Olympics,” Sindhu told The Hindu from Rio before leaving for India.
Living up to expectations“I must thank Gopi Sir for all the planning before the matches and I am I glad that I could live up to his expectations. I never felt the pressure of being in my maiden Olympics.
“The aura was amazing and it was a great feeling to move around in Rio though we did not get enough time to spend long hours out there,” the 21-year-old champion shuttler remarked.
FocusedSindhu said she could stay focused in all the matches only because she was able to shut herself out from everything. “Once I entered the court, my only job was to get the better of the opponent,” she said.
“I don’t think I can pinpoint any particular match as the turning point. The whole approach was to take it match by match,” the two-time World championship bronze medallist remarked.
Was there any pressure once Saina Nehwal and K. Srikanth were out of the reckoning?
“Not really! I was aware of the expectations, but luckily I could stay focused,” she said.
“This is a dream come true, that too in my first Olympics. Could have been better if it were a gold,” she said.
“Well, no regrets. The thing is I did my best and got what was destined,” Sindhu said, adding that the first time she had thought of being in an Olympics was when watching Saina Nehwal in action.
She dedicated the medal to her coach and parents (P.V. Ramana and P. Vijaya).
“And, I must thank all those millions of supporters. I am eager to return to my parents and share my moments of triumph,” she said.
Defining momentWhat was the most defining moment at Rio?
“Without doubt, standing on the podium and receiving the silver with the tri-colour flying high,” Sindhu said.
