When Saina Nehwal won bronze in the London 2012 Olympics, few would’ve expected another badminton player, then ranked in the top 30, to eclipse Saina’s legacy. 12 years later, Pusarla Venkata Sindhu has done that and much more. Sindhu now stands as one of only two Indians to ever win two individual Olympic medals, and enters Paris 2024 aiming to become the first Indian ever to win three. Come the end of the Paris Olympics, Sindhu could well go down with a greater legacy than any Indian athlete ever.
Born to national volleyball players in Hyderabad, Sindhu grew under the tutelage of former Indian badminton star Pullela Gopichand, the same place where Saina also trained. But in 2014, as Saina left the Gopichand Badminton Academy, Sindhu replaced her as the face. Not too long after, she would be replacing Saina as the face of Indian badminton altogether.
Saina came into Rio 2016 as the higher-seeded Indian. But Sindhu trumped the odds, going all the way to the final. As India endured a disappointing Olympics – securing only two medals, four less than London 2012 – Sindhu’s silver medal shone bright. She even won the first set against World no. 1 Carolina Marin, but fell short in the end.
Seeded sixth for Tokyo 2020, Sindhu lost her semi-final despite not having dropped a set before the game. Nonetheless, she bounced back to win bronze, making it two Olympic medals.
Sindhu racked up several medals after 2016, peaking with gold at the 2019 BWF World Championships, becoming the only Indian badminton player to ever achieve it. In 2018, Sindhu won gold in the mixed team event at the Commonwealth Games. Four years later, Sindhu won gold in the women’s singles event, and also completed a collection of winning a medal of every colour at the CWG. To date, she boasts five medals each at the World Championships and the Commonwealth Games.
Ranked 13th in the world heading into Paris 2024, Sindhu is no more an overwhelming favourite. She may not even be India’s brightest badminton hope, with men’s doubles duo Satwik-Chirag making waves. But she has the experience of delivering on the biggest stage, and the opportunity to win the third colour of medal at the Olympics too.
