India’s PV Sindhu won a historic gold medal at the BWF World Championships after defeating Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara 21-7, 21-7 in the women’s singles final on Sunday in Basel, Switzerland.
She has been celebrated throughout the country for the monumental win and even said that she wished that she could bring more medals home. PV Sindhu received a heroic welcome after her accomplishments with swarming press at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. The 24-year-old comes from a family of athletes and has been playing badminton since the age of 8 after being inspired by the 2001 All England Open Badminton Champion, Pullela Gopichand. This was her third consecutive world champions and her first win gold medal.
Sindhu was greeted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju upon her arrival in India. PM Modi called her “India’s pride” at their meeting and Kiren Rijiju awarded Sindhu with a Rs 10 lakh (RM4.2 million) cheque. Sindhu was joined by Badminton Association of India president Himanta Biswa Sarma, coaches Pullela Gopichand and Kim Ji-Hyun and Sindhu’s father PV Ramana, a former bronze medallist in volleyball at the 1986 Asian Games.
Sindhu’s win has pushed India to No 1 ranking in the world of badminton.
