P.V. Sindhu wrote her name into the history books with a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday.
The badminton star became the first Indian woman to win two Olympics medals, with her latest effort being a follow-up to the silver at the previous Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. In the third-place play-off, the 26-year-old defeated He Bingjiao of China 21-13, 21-15.
It was a clash that the Hyderbadi pocketed with ease. Sindhu set the tempo, dictated the angles and toyed with her rival. And during those brief moments when she seemed over-eager, her coach Park Tae-Sang hinted to her that she should calm down.
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Having lost to Tai Tzu-Ying of Chinese Taipei in the semifinal on Saturday, Sindhu was even more driven to seize the one medal at stake. And it showed as she crafted the contest’s template, a trait that she maintained right through her Olympics’ campaign except in the semifinals against a splendid Tzu-Ying.
Sindhu’s Olympic encore, even if the medal shades are different, has ensured that she would be considered one of the greatest ever Indian sportspersons.