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P. V. Sindhu

Overview

Pusarla Venkata Sindhu, popularly known as P. V. Sindhu, is an Indian professional badminton player from Hyderabad, Telangana. She is widely regarded as one of India's most successful athletes in international sport, having become the first Indian to win a silver medal in badminton at the Olympic Games and the first Indian woman to win two individual Olympic medals. In 2019, she became the first Indian to be crowned World Champion at the BWF World Championships.

Key Facts

Full name Pusarla Venkata Sindhu
Born 5 July 1995, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (now Telangana), India
Sport Badminton
Event Women's singles
Handedness Right
Coaches Pullela Gopichand (long-time mentor); has also trained under Park Tae-sang and others
Olympic medals Silver (Rio 2016), Bronze (Tokyo 2020)
World Championship Gold (2019), Silver (2017, 2018), Bronze (2013, 2014)
Major civilian honours Padma Shri (2015), Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (2016), Padma Bhushan (2020)
Parents P. V. Ramana and P. Vijaya (both former volleyball players)

Background

Sindhu was born to P. V. Ramana and P. Vijaya, both of whom represented India in volleyball. Her father, Ramana, was a member of the Indian volleyball team that won the bronze medal at the 1986 Asian Games and was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2000. Despite her family's volleyball background, Sindhu took up badminton at an early age, drawing inspiration from the success of Pullela Gopichand, who won the All England Open in 2001.

She began training under Mehboob Ali at the badminton courts of the Indian Railway Institute of Signal Engineering and Telecommunications in Secunderabad before joining the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad, where Gopichand became her primary coach.

Career

Early career

Sindhu began making her mark at the junior level in the late 2000s. She won the under-10 title at the 5th Servo All India Ranking championship and the under-13 title at the Pune Sub-Junior Nationals. She represented India at the 2009 Sub-Junior Asian Badminton Championships in Colombo, where she won a bronze medal.

Breakthrough years (2012–2015)

In 2012, Sindhu won the Asia Junior Championships title and broke into the top 20 of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) world rankings. Her senior career took off in 2013 when she became the first Indian woman to win a singles medal at the BWF World Championships, claiming bronze in Guangzhou. She repeated the feat at the 2014 World Championships in Copenhagen.

She was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2013 and the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour, in 2015.

Rio 2016 and global recognition

At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Sindhu reached the women's singles final, defeating players such as Wang Yihan and Nozomi Okuhara along the way. She lost the final to Carolina Marín of Spain but became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic silver medal and, at the age of 21, the youngest Indian to win an individual Olympic medal at that time. Following the Games, she was conferred the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India's highest sporting honour.

2017–2019: World Championship triumph

Sindhu reached the finals of the BWF World Championships in 2017 and 2018, finishing as runner-up on both occasions. She won the BWF World Tour Finals in 2018, becoming the first Indian to do so. At the 2019 World Championships in Basel, she defeated Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in the final to become the first Indian to win gold at the event.

Tokyo 2020 and beyond

At the rescheduled 2020 Tokyo Olympics held in 2021, Sindhu won the bronze medal in women's singles, defeating He Bingjiao of China in the play-off. With this, she became the first Indian woman and only the second Indian individual athlete (after wrestler Sushil Kumar) to win two Olympic medals.

She has continued to compete on the BWF World Tour, winning the Singapore Open in 2022 and the Commonwealth Games gold medal at Birmingham 2022. She has also won medals at the Asian Games, Asian Championships, and Commonwealth Games across her career.

Major Achievements

  • Olympic Games: Silver (2016 Rio), Bronze (2020 Tokyo)
  • BWF World Championships: Gold (2019), Silver (2017, 2018), Bronze (2013, 2014)
  • BWF World Tour Finals: Champion (2018)
  • Commonwealth Games: Gold in women's singles (2022) and mixed team (2018); silver in women's singles (2018) and mixed team (2014)
  • Asian Games: Silver (2018) and bronze in team events
  • Asian Championships: Bronze medals in multiple editions

Honours and Recognition

  • Arjuna Award (2013)
  • Padma Shri (2015)
  • Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (2016)
  • Padma Bhushan (2020)
  • BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year (2020)

Personal Life and Other Activities

Sindhu holds the position of Deputy Sports Manager with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL). She has been involved in various endorsement deals and is regularly listed among the highest-earning female athletes globally by publications such as Forbes. She has also engaged in philanthropic work, including initiatives related to youth sports development.

Significance

Sindhu's career has been pivotal in raising the profile of badminton in India, alongside players such as Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth. Her success at the Olympics and World Championships has inspired a generation of young Indian players, particularly women, and has contributed to the growth of professional badminton infrastructure in the country, including private leagues such as the Premier Badminton League.

References

  • Badminton World Federation (BWF) – Player profile and tournament records
  • International Olympic Committee – Olympic athlete database
  • Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India – Padma Awards announcements
  • Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India – National Sports Awards
  • Commonwealth Games Federation – Results archive