This is a dream come true, says PV Sindhu

On Monday, P.V. Sindhu was basking in the afterglow of an Olympic silver medal, and revelling in the fact that she just fulfilled a longtime dream of hers — to win an Olympic medal.

“I never really thought I would play in the final,” Sindhu said, adding: “But I believed in myself; Gopi sir had faith in me, and my dream of an Olympic medal came true,” the 21-year-old said.

“My parents, my coach sacrificed so much. It’s only because of them I got to where I am,” Sindhu added.

“It was my first Olympics, so I was both nervous and excited. Nobody expected me to win a medal, but I prepared well for each match, strategised perfectly, so I’m happy with the way I played,” she said.

Sindhu captured the imagination of a whole nation when she became the first Indian shuttler to enter an Olympic final, and won many hearts when, after losing, she gave a warm hug to Carolina Marin, congratulating the Spaniard.

“There will always be aggression on the court, but that rivalry only lasts as long as the match would. Once the match finished, we went back to being good friends. Marin played really well that day, and deserved the win. It was her day,” Sindhu said.

Things got a bit awkward when a reporter brought up a recent online debate where a few caste groups claimed Sindhu as one of their own after her Rio show. Coach Pullela Gopichand was quick to interject. “I would say she belongs to India. Just look at how many state governments have come forward to reward Sindhu for her achievement,” he said.

When asked if the role of women in sport has changed, Sindhu said:

“Things have changed for women in sports, especially in India. We still have a long way to go, but women won medals for us at the London Olympics, and this time, only women won medals for India,” she said to a smattering of applause.

Finally, Sindhu said she would always be grateful to Gopi for investing so much time and energy in her. “Gopi sir has done so much for me. He has so many players to take care of, so many juniors.

“It has been more tiring for him than me, I can tell you that much. I must be grateful to him for all that he’s done.”

Sindhu will, on Tuesday, go to Vijayawada where the government of Andhra Pradesh will felicitate her.