Sindhu recalls success set-up at home
Of all the receptions she has received since winning the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, this one was special. Home is indeed where the heart is, and Hyderabad showered lots of love on P. V. Sindhu as she walked out of the airport holding her precious prize, beaming all the way.
She lapped it up like never before, her radiant smile staying plastered on her face.
Later, she thanked everyone who played a part in her success and everything that went right for her.
“I have missed so many people during the Olympics — fans, friends, family. However, their wishes and blessings got me through. Thank you,” she said on Wednesday.
She made special mention of her coach Park Tae-sang, who, “sacrificed a lot to be with me over the last year.”
“Because of the pandemic he could not even visit his family in South Korea and spent almost all his time here. Hats off to his hardwork and dedication,” Sindhu said.
“We always wanted a medal at Tokyo and that dream has come true. This medal gives me a lot of motivation, support and inspiration,” she added.
Sindhu credited her physical fitness “to trainer Srikanth and physio Evangeline from the Suchitra Academy,” as also its owners Pradeep and Praveen Rajus “for organising training and recovery sessions besides providing players with different skillsets as sparring partners at practice.”
“The government and the sports authorties too have been very helpful in promptly providing facilities and granting permissions to practice at the Gachibowli Stadium during the pandemic,” Sindhu added.
“I have also got lucky because my parents have been sportspersons (both are volleyball players).
My father has used his experience to guide me. There is a huge eco system behind a champion and the whole team has been supportive. I am thankful to everyone in the set up,” India’s double Olympic medallist said.
Asked to recap her sporting journey, the 26-year-old said: “There have been lots of ups and downs personally and professionally that have added to my learning and experience. When I started playing, I had short term goals. Once I began achieving them I set higher ones... getting an Olympic medal was right up there. And it happened in Rio 2016. The silver medal changed my life and a lot has happened in these five years. I won some, lost few but learnt from all these.”
Then came the pandemic, which changed a lot of things “but it was important to stay calm and composed and keep working hard.”
“Since there were not enough tournaments that were being conducted because of the pandemic, we (Sindhu and her coach) had to focus on skill and technique, which we improved and proved at the Olympics,” she explained.
Skill apart, there was battle of the mind also to be dealt with. “Mental strength is very, very important because after Rio the expectations and responsibilities were a lot more,” the world champion added.
Only the world No.1 ranking and Olympic gold are missing from her resume, and Sindhu assures she’s striving.
However, right now, “there is a lot to prepare for. I have a couple of tournaments coming up and then there are the Commonwealth and Asian Games.”