Super Sindu’s Superlative performance at Rio Olympics

Pusarla Venkata Sindhu (PV Sindhu) given her best in the finals at the highest stage and made everyone feel proud and caught the imagination the nation of billion people celebrating and distributing sweets.   These celebrations hitherto reserved only to cricket.  On her way to final she has to overcome stiff opposition of players higher ranked than her in quarter and semi finals.    Winning Gold would have been icing on the cake but there should not be any disappointment is losing to the number one specially as the match was taken to the third set. She ended being the youngest Olympic Silver Medalist at 21 years in her first appearance in Olympics

Sindhu played as woman possessed and showed one of the most aggressive play ever displayed by any Indian badminton player against word 2^nd ranked Japanese Nozomi Okuhara to storm into finals of badminton.  In the first match which was keenly contested match and went to the wire, she held her nerves to win 21-19.   In the second set she was a different player all together right through attacking and smashing and not giving any opportunity to Nozomi to recover to gain her composer.   After the break at equal 10-10, the game took a different turn by the relentless aggression by Sindhu.   One need to look into record books if ever there was an occasion before in a semi final match of an Olympics, a player winning 11 points on a trot.   Such was the domination, court coverage and smashing that one found Nozomi floored many times hopelessly and looked to have surrendered objectively. 

The young Sindhu has exhibited great sense of sportsman spirit by going to the Marin and congratulate her unlike the opponent of Sakshi who created ugly scenes after losing the match. 

Apart from giving well deserved credit to Sindhu, a lion share of credit should go to her parents P V Ramana and P Vijaya, both former professional volleyball players and her coach Droyanacharya awardee winner Pullela Gopichand. The service rendered by Pullela Gopichand to the sport of  Badminton in identifying and picking up young talent when they are nobodies and nurturing them with single minded devotion and turning them into world champion is unparallel.   He is a visionary and set up `Pullela Gopichand Bandminton Academy’ in Hyderabad raising funds by mortgaging his own house and with the liberal donation of Rs. 5 crores by industrialist Nimmagadda Prasad, with a condition to win Olympic medal for India, which condition Gopichand has fulfilled few times now through Saina earlier and Sindhu.

Expression of great sense of gratitude:

In the post match interview with media after Semi finals, parents of Sindhu, specially her father Ramana, has expressed his sense of gratitude profusely to Gopichand for his relentless and restless efforts by him.   He has not taken the name of his daughter without taking the name of Gopichand and this is what he has to say about Gopichand and his academy.  

1. Gopichand spotted Sindhu very young and has seen potential in her to win an Olympic medal for India.  
2.  Once he is convinced about the talent, then he takes the sportsperson completely in his fold giving his more than 100 percent
3.   He reaches the academy by 4 am daily and stays there till evening, participating in practice matches throughout the day
4. He does not miss attending the academy even when not keeping well running cold and cough and a very hard task master but very calm and composed
5. Apart from Gopichand, his mother also reaches academy in the morning and takes care of the needs of the players
6.  Gopichand’s son has helped Sindhu practice dribbling for a Rio games.
7. Initially Sindhu, though energetic and technically sound, was found to be lacking in aggression.   Despite repeated advice she could not develop aggression.  One day when she came for practice, Gopichand asked her to stand in the middle of the court and scream loud, when she could not do it, she was not allowed to play that day till she did it.   What a  farsightedness of Gopichand. In the semi finals it is that aggression which came to her rescue in dominating opponent

1. Sindhu, like many sportspersons belongs to middle class family, showed nerves of steel in travelling 56 kms daily to reach the academy and putting heart and soul in practice to reach this position.

The Guru-Shisya Parampara

One thing common in every achiever in all walks of life specially in sports is supportive parents and a selfless and committed Guru (coach).  In our scriptures the role of Guru was glorified but some way down the line in modern era development, in every walk of life, we stopped respecting giving the due credit to the role of Guru in our learning and progress. But thankfully in sports this Guru-shisya parampara is being religiously followed. Every sport person has an inspiring story to tell about their Gurus and their selfless devotion of the Gurus.  With barely any support, availability of training facilities, these budding players from poor/middle class families from small towns have to fall back on upon these Gurus/coaches.

What this achievement should change

·         Our sports administration authorities should wake up and start thinking about all sports/games and get rid of their addiction about cricket

·         India, specially the state of Haryana, should learn that a Girl child is a God’s gift

·        The girl power should be acknowledged and they should be encouraged in whatever they want to pursue even if it is non conventional sport like wrestling

·        The facilities, popularity and more specially the reward for all these sports/games should be at par with cricket players.

·         Corporates should come forward to doll out sponsorship the way they do it for cricket

·         Coaches like Pullela Gopichand should be honoured and rewarded handsomely

      The nation is proud of Sindhu and Sakshi

      S. Prabhakar

19^th August, 20