PV Sindhu: ‘Winning the Olympic gold is the ultimate aim’
[ad_1]
Shuttler PV Sindhu has one ultimate purpose: to complete the job she left incomplete at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Her journey although is not going to be straightforward…
Two phrases: “I Retire”. On November 2, a social media publish bearing this message on its cowl went on-line and did what it was anticipated to: make folks sit up and take discover.
Typically, this is the type of clickbait entrepreneurs use. However, it got here from the Twitter and Instagram feeds of ace shuttler PV Sindhu, fuelling conjecture. Many genuinely, even when momentarily, believed that the 2016 Olympics silver medallist was calling time on her profession.
“I know I gave a bit of heart attack to everyone,” Sindhu laughs. The sixth-ranked shuttler is in London getting ready to mark her return to the court docket at the Asian leg of the BWF World Tour to be held in Thailand in January 2021.
Germ alert
Of course, the 25-year-old knew what she was doing when she uploaded the message. She says she was solely retiring “from the negativity, the constant fear, uncertainty” and “a complete lack of control over the unknown” — all of which she attributed to the pandemic outbreak in the publish. What many didn’t know was that it was additionally a refined advertising and marketing marketing campaign, as Sindhu represents Hindustan Unilever’s Nature Protect model.
“It is important for all of us to take care of ourselves. Everybody is travelling and stepping out. It is more important now to stay safe and be healthy,” says Sindhu, connecting over Zoom from England, the place she is presently stationed.
Now coaching at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI), she says she needed to forego coaching for as much as 5 months throughout lockdown, and when she resumed, it was laborious to not be paranoid about being surrounded by sweating athletes. “When I’m training, or when I sit on benches, place the racquet on the floor and pick it back up, I need [sanitising] wipes. I’m also the type of person who is very particular about hygiene and safety,” she says.
PV Sindhu is the model ambassador of Hindustan Unilever’s Nature Protect model of merchandise
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Sindhu left halfway from the camp at the SAI Gopichand National Badminton Academy in Telangana final month to move to London, a transfer that generated a buzz since this was the first full-fledged preparatory camp performed for elite athletes publish lockdown. Sindhu reaffirms that her keep at GSSI, which shall be for a couple of extra weeks, will assist her analyse her physique.
“While playing tournaments, I don’t get much time to undertake these tests. Now is a good opportunity to train and know my body condition, what is going on and what I need to do to improve. GSSI is taking care of my nutrition, doing sweat analysis and watching the calories that I intake. As you know, understanding nutrition is an important thing for athletes,” Sindhu provides.
Since Sindhu’s arrival on the scene, and particularly after her gold medal conflict with Spaniard Carolina Marín at the Rio Olympics, which the latter gained, badminton’s reputation in the nation has soared considerably, virtually in parallel with the shuttler’s fortunes. Sindhu believes that the nation is on the proper observe when it comes to selling the sport, and that the Government of India via initiatives resembling Khelo India, has been organising the platform for younger sportspersons to utilise and profit from.
Chasing victory
“Even corporate sponsorships have improved. I, myself, am sponsored by the Olympic Gold Quest, and they have done so since I was 14. It matters if a sportsperson wants to go abroad and train or play tournaments. There are also others like the GoSports Foundation. I know there still are people who may get fewer opportunities, but once somebody gets one, what they do with it is up to them. He/she has to work really hard to become an elite athlete,” she remarks.
For Sindhu, nevertheless, the purpose stays the similar because it was in 2016 — the Olympic gold medal. She considers the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as a blessing in disguise, because it has given her time to work on, enhance and ideal her approach. “I got a lot of time to innovate on my shots. You are going to see a PV Sindhu who is unique and different competitively at the 2021 Olympics,” she says, brimming with confidence.
The combat to get there is not going to be straightforward. Many elite athletes stand in her approach; she identifies Carolina Marín and Taiwanese participant Tai Tzu-ying as her major challengers. “The top 10 players are all of the same standard from a competitive view point. So what really matters is how we manage to perform on that particular day. Of course, it is the Olympics and everyone will be keen on giving their 100% and playing their best in every game. The pressure will be different,” she says.
That final comment is a reminder of how a lot she has grown as a sportsperson, and likewise a marker of the quantity of hope this nation will pin on her when she steps onto the courts in Tokyo. “Compared to 2016, the responsibility and expectations are a lot,” she says, letting out a nervous smile. The pandemic will occupy a nook of her thoughts. “It will be tough for the International Olympic Committee to pull off a bio bubble at the Games because it is a big event, and we must all take care,” she says. “But I will go with a mindset of getting the gold. That is the ultimate aim.”
[ad_2]
