Paris [France]: Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu on Friday opened up on her women’s singles loss in the Paris Olympics round of 16, terming it the “hardest of her career” and revealed that she will also take a brief break from the sport.
India’s hopes for badminton medal at the ongoing Paris Olympics suffered a huge setback as ace shuttler Sindhu crashed out in the women’s singles pre-quarters, losing to sixth-seeded Chinese shuttler He Bing Jiao in straight sets 21-19, 21-14. The defeat marked the first time Sindhu failed to win an Olympic medal. In Rio 2016, she won silver and walked away with bronze in Tokyo.
After the loss, Sindhu took to X and wrote about her defeat and pointed out that her journey to the Paris Olympics was marked by some injuries and some time away from the game. But despite all this, she feels blessed to have represented her nation in Paris.
“Paris 2024: A Beautiful Journey but a difficult loss. This loss is one of the hardest of my career. It will take time to accept, but as life moves forward, I know I will come to terms with it. The journey to Paris 2024 was a battle, marked by two years of injuries and long periods away from the game. Despite these challenges, standing here and representing my wonderful country at a third Olympics makes me feel truly blessed,” said Sindhu.
The shuttler also said that she is fortunate to continue competing at the highest level and inspiring a new generation. She also revealed her future plans, aiming to continue after a small break.
“I am incredibly fortunate to compete at this level and, even more importantly, to inspire a generation. Your messages have been a tremendous source of comfort during this time. My team and I gave everything we had for Paris 2024, leaving it all on the court with no regrets. Regarding my future, I want to be clear: I will continue, albeit after a small break. My body, and more importantly, my mind need it. However, I plan to carefully evaluate the journey ahead, finding more joy in playing the sport I love so very much,” she added.
Sindhu started the first set by imposing early dominance over China’s Jiao. She took the first point, but Jiao eventually raced to a healthy lead.
Sindhu eventually caught up to Jiao and made the scoreline level at 12-12. Jiao once again led, but the Indian shuttler upped her ante and restored parity at 19-19. Jiao kept her composure and sealed the first set 21-19.
After showing resilience in the first set, Sindhu looked well set to make a comeback in the game and proceed to the quarter-finals.
However, Jiao’s relentless style of play didn’t allow Sindhu any window of opportunity to make a comeback. The game slowly slipped out of Sindhu’s hands. Jiao capped off an impressive display by securing the second set with a 21-14 win.
This wasn’t the only major upset in badminton that the Indian fans endured on Thursday.
World number three-ranked India pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s run at the Paris Olympics also came to a disappointing end in the quarter-finals.
Despite starting the knockout stage on a dominating note, Satwik and Chirag’s hopes of returning to India with an Olympic medal were eventually crushed. With a 21-13, 14-21, 16-21 loss, Satwik and Chirag bowed out of the Paris Olympics.
In the men’s singles event, Lakshya Sen kept hopes for a medal alive after he ousted his compatriot HS Prannoy in the Round of 16 and moved to the final eight. He will face the 12th-seeded Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in the quarter-final on Friday.