India's badminton star PV Sindhu's Story of Success

At such a young age, Sindhu has forged an impressive record over her athletic career that ranges from her all-India junior major ranking badminton tournament win to her gold medal victory at the Badminton World Championships. Her medal tally spawns several tournaments and her path is replete with record-breaking milestones.

Early Life and Background

Hailing from a family of athletes, PV Sindhu was born on July 5, 1995, in Hyderabad. P. V. Raman, her father, and P. Vijaya, her mother, used to be national volleyball players. Her father was a part of the Indian volleyball team that clinched bronze at the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul. He was also awarded the Arjuna Award in 2000 for his performance in the sport.

Despite her parents being volleyball icons, Sindhu chose badminton. She started playing the sport at the age of eight under the guidance of Mehboob Ali. She found some much-needed exposure at the badminton courts of the Indian Railway Institute of Signal Engineering and Telecommunications in Secunderabad. After that, she trained at the Gopichand Badminton Academy and won important titles as a child.

At 14 years of age, Sindhu walked into international badminton and won a bronze medal at the 2009 Sub-Junior Asian Badminton Championships in Colombo. She entered the top 20 of the BWF World Ranking in September 2012, when she was 17 years old. She was inspired by Pullela Gopichand, 2001 All England Open Badminton Champion.

Achievements in PV Sindhu’s Badminton Career

PV Sindhu has countless titles to her credit. From 2013 to 2015, she appeared in every world championship and won a medal. She stands as the second woman after Zhang Ning to secure five or more medals at the World Championships. In 2013, the now 26-year-old shuttler won a bronze medal at the World Championships. The same year, she received the Arjuna Award, one of the greatest sports honors for an Indian.

The Hyderabadi legend also became the first Indian to win two back-to-back medals in the BWF World Badminton Championships. She represented India in the 2016 Summer Olympics and became the first Indian player to reach the final but didn't win. At the Iran Fajr International Badminton Challenge, she bagged silver in the women's singles category.

P. V. Sindhu became the second Indian player after Saina Nehwal to win the Thai hot China Open by defeating Nozomi Okuhara in the final. No other Indian woman before her has ever won a gold medal at the Olympics. In 2016, she became the youngest and the first female Indian sportsperson to win a silver medal at Rio Olympics. She was awarded the Padma Shri Award in 2015 and also won the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year title on March 8, 2020. As of 2022, she is ranked number seven in the world and is expected to rise in the coming days.