Support system behind Sindhu’s medal journey

Suchitra Academy played a big part in her success

August 02, 2021 04:19 am | Updated 07:43 am IST

Helping hands: P.V. Sindhu along with physio B. Evangeline, Pradeep Raju of Suchitra Academy and fitness trainer Srikanth Verma at the academy. File

Helping hands: P.V. Sindhu along with physio B. Evangeline, Pradeep Raju of Suchitra Academy and fitness trainer Srikanth Verma at the academy. File

It was a moment of delight at the Suchitra Academy. Pradeep Raju, Praveen Raju, trainer Srikanth Verma and the young badminton players, who had sparred with P.V. Sindhu in the lead up to the Tokyo Olympics, have played an important role behind Sindhu’s bronze medal-winning feat at the Tokyo Olympics.

“Yes, we were definitely disappointed after Sindhu’s loss to Tai Tzu-ying in the semifinal. Now we’re glad that she pulled off another memorable performance,” said Pradeep, who has been working with Sindhu’s coach Park Tae Sang since February this year.

“Sindhu has been with us since 2017. When she started her quest for the Olympic gold after her below-par performances in the three tournaments in Thailand, including the Super Series final, she wanted to prove a point to herself and the world,” said Pradeep.

“From the Suchitra Badminton Academy, the senior-most strength and conditioning trainer and a physio travelled with Sindhu,” Pradeep said. “We have given inputs to the strength and conditioning team, and she is now faster and leaner. She had match simulations where she played from positions like 16-0, 17-20, 18-20. If you see this helped her against Akane Yamaguchi in the quarterfinal in the first game,” Pradeep said.

“We ran video analysis on her game and all her possible opponents to ensure she understands and adapt very easily to every style of play,” Pradeep said.

“Despite pandemic throwing the tournament structure haywire, it worked in Sindhu’s because it gave her enough time to learn new strokes like slow drop and the half-smashes,” he said.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.