'Nari Shakti' in Paris: Sindhu, Nikhat and Manika advance

The seasoned P V Sindhu and debutant Nikhat Zareen held out promise for more podium finishes going forward as women athletes dazzled in India’s account-opening performance on the second day of the Olympic Games on Sunday.

- 

Sindhu off to winning start

Chasing a third successive Olympic medal, Sindhu showed just why she is entitled to the tag of ‘national treasure’ in Indian sports.

She was all class in a resounding straight games win over Maldives’ Fathimath Abdul Razzaq in their opening women’s singles group stage match in Paris.

The gulf between the two players was evident as Sindhu took just 29 minutes to dispatch her lower-ranked opponent 21-9 21-6 in the Group M fixture.

The 29-year-old, who is being coached by the legendary Prakash Padukone this time, revealed how ‘Yoga’ has been helping her keep her mind steady.

“It is very important to be mentally strong. You at times don’t know what is happening...I have tried to be positive, I keep myself calm and do yoga,” she said.

Also moving ahead was debutant HS Prannoy with a straight-game win over lesserranked Fabian Roth of Germany in the men’s singles competition.