Hyderabad: India's shuttler PV Sindhu's accomplishments are the stuff of dreams. Having won two back-to-back medals at the world's biggest sporting event, the Olympics, she tells Etv Bharat over the telephone -- it's not over yet.
But stresses on hard work and having short-term goals. With multiple tournaments around the corner, the Olympic medallist talks about her training, skills-sets required to achieve goals, and what happened when she lost the semi-finals to Tai Tzu-Ying at the Tokyo Olympics.
Excerpts:
Q. What difference has it made after clinching another medal at the Olympics?
A. I am happy that I have two Olympic medals back-to-back. It does give me a lot more confidence because getting an Olympic medal is not easy. Getting two medals makes me push myself, even more, to go much higher.
Q. Your accomplishments are the stuff of dreams. What now? Tell us what keeps you motivated to step out, train and give your best every single day?
A. Yes, I have accomplished what I set out to do, but it's not just over with this. There is a long way to go. It does give me a lot of motivation. Looking forward, there are a lot of tournaments coming. I definitely want to get some medals this year. There is still a long way to go even though I have achieved my dream.
To achieve something, you have to keep training hard every single day and give your hundred percent. Hard work only can take you to success where you always want to be number one and win all the matches. For that to happen, you have to train hard and keep going at it.
Q. Any regrets for not being able to clinch Gold at Tokyo?
A. When I got my first medal, it was something which was unexpected. Getting a silver was definitely a big thing. Again, winning back-to-back medals is also not easy. In fact, after playing the semifinals and then playing for third and fourth place for the Bronze medal match is much harder. After losing and coming back stronger is extremely hard and getting that medal made me even happier. I have given my best. I played my best. I never really thought that I lost gold but I was happy that I tried hard and got a medal at the Olympics. But, definitely, why not? I will be playing another Olympics and I would want to do well and get another medal. For that, I will give everything I have.
Q. What was the best compliment you received after winning Bronze at Tokyo Olympics?
A. A lot of people congratulated me, showed me love and congratulatory messages were there. Everyone told me, it's not easy to get to successive medals, especially in Tokyo, and play after the semi-finals. It was, even more, harder is what they said. They also understood how hard it is to come back from a loss. My coach also told me that there is a lot of difference between the third and the fourth. That hit me. A lot of people told me that.
Q. They say you are a big match player... what happens during big tournaments?
A. (Laughs)
I just work hard for every tournament. It's well and good if I am called a big match player. But I play every match in a certain way. I take it in a positive way when people tell me that I am a big match player. I train the same for every tournament. It's that simple for me. When you go into a competition, you have to go with a mindset that you can win against anyone. You should have that belief because you play so hard that you should have that confidence in yourself that you can do well. And at that point in time, whoever plays the best is the winner.
Q. What makes the challenge of Akane Yamaguchi, who has been put in the same group at All Englands, one of the toughest in the world to face?
A. Before Yamaguchi, each round matters a lot starting from the first round. It won't be easy because there is a player from China and after that Thai and Japanese girls are there. I need to work hard from the first point and the first game. I am not looking until the quarterfinals. Before that, I will have the German Open and then All England. Each round matters to me a lot. It's just one match at a time for me.
Q. Aiming for Gold at the Paris Olympics?
A. Yes, definitely aiming for a medal in Paris. I need to work hard for that to happen. There is a lot of time but before that. I have some short-term goals where I would like to do well. I am aiming for the best this time. I hope I do well in Paris.
Q. What would be your message to youngsters who are starting out? Is this the best time to play badminton in India?
A. I have seen a lot of youngsters. I played two tournaments in India and I have seen young players who are doing really well. There is a lot of potential and they should be guided very well. Parent's support is the most important. It's not just a couple of months but it's years of hard work when you are starting out. Some get success at a very early age while for others, it takes time. Self-belief should always be there that you can do well. You have to keep working hard accordingly. You have to be smart enough to understand what's going on. Parents will always be there to guide their children. They also have to guide them in the right way. They need to work on their technique and skill in the right way. There is a lot of potential and you will see a lot of youngsters coming in.
Ayushmaan Pandey
