PV Sindhu promised to work harder and clinch more medals after she returned to India following her Badminton World Championship triumph in Basel on Sunday.
The Olympic silver-medallist, who outplayed Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara 21-7, 21-7 in a lop-sided final of the big event in Basel, Switzerland, and was mobbed at the airport after she touched down with national coach Pullela Gopichand by her side on Monday night in New Delhi.
“I am really happy, I am very proud of my country. It’s a much-awaited win and I am very happy about it,” Sindhu told reporters. “It hasn’t yet sunk in and we didn’t get much time to celebrate because I had to come back early after the match and then next day take a flight back to India.”
The Hyderabad shuttler promised to work hard and win many more medals with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics less than a year away.
Sindhu was also asked about the moment she got emotional after the medal distribution ceremony in Basel. The five-time world medallist had tears in her eyes when the national anthem played. She had claimed silvers in the past two editions, besides a couple of bronze medals earlier.
“I had tears and there were a lot of emotions, it was a great moment for me. Thanks to all my fans for your blessings, your blessings have brought me here,” she said.
She added: “I can’t express how it felt on the podium. It gave me a lot of confidence to improve and win many more tournaments. I would like to thank my coaches Gopi sir and Kim [Ji Hyun]. They have put in a lot of effort and done a few changes in my game.”
Kim Ji Hyun, a former international from South Korea, joined the coaching staff earlier this year on Gopichand’s recommendation. Gopichand said Sindhu’s gold was special but her past medals at the big event should also never be forgotten.
“It is phenomenal. This wait was definitely long but every medal that she has won is special,” he said.
“We won bronze and silver [in the earlier editions]. The question-mark was over gold. Going into the Olympics with this win is phenomenal. They way she did it was such a pleasure,” he added referring to her dominant performance in the final,” he added.