P.V. Sindhu Aiming High

The rise and rise of P.V. Sindhi

- Amarnath K. Menon

She is just 24. And despite her already stunning achievements, Pusarla Venkata Sindhu’s best is likely yet to come.

Though she had reached the finals of the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) World Championships twice before—in 2017 and 2018—she lost on both those occasions. This time around, on August 25, 2019, it took her all of 37 minutes to become the first Indian world champion in the sport. On the day, noting she was the third female player to ever reach the BWF championship final three times in a row, the knowledgeable crowd at St Jakobshalle arena in Basel, Switzerland, egged her on, believing she richly deserved to be the winner. And that her victory came outplaying Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara—ranked No. 4 in the world, to whom Sindhu lost the 2017 final at Glasgow, in Scotland—must have made the victory that much sweeter.

“When the match got over, I said [to myself], ‘Okay, it’s is over’,” says Sindhu. “I was calm, and I did not shout. It was a special moment for me—I had done it! After the last point, I had tears in my eyes. Finally, after four attempts [at becoming world champion, counting the Rio Olympics], I had done it!” Sindhu recalls the immense satisfaction she felt that day, her crowning moment of glory, when she stood tall on the court, looking skywards, with both hands raised. For Sindhu, this is a fresh start. She has her sights set higher still—on the glittering gold at the Tokyo Olympics next year.