New Delhi: India’s chief national coach Pullela Gopichand believes two-time medallist PV Sindhu will make a mark at Paris Olympics despite inconsistent form and injuries that had blighted her build-up to the tournament.
Sindhu claimed silver at Rio 2016 and bronze at Tokyo 2020 but struggled with a stress fracture on her left ankle during the 2022 Commonwealth Games and was beaten in the opening rounds of tournaments far too often in recent times.
But Gopichand believes she has it in her to gather herself in the tournament that matters and produce her best.
“I do believe that she has a bright chance. She has draw against the Chinese duo of Xi Bing Jao and Chen Yu Fei and she has done well against both these players in the past. And, I do expect she will deliver at this Games again,” Gopichand told PTI.
The former All England winner has also expects much from men’s doubles specialist Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.
“The Olympic Games is going to be very tough but we have had a good preparation. Mathias Boe (men’s doubles coach) has been there as a coach. They (Satwik and Chirag) have been training in Hyderabad and here also we have had good training in the morning with the Chinese Taipei team. We have a couple of sessions more before they get on to the matches, but, overall, happy with their preparations.
“Both Satwik and Chirag have played 6-8 years of big badminton, which is at the highest level and I know they have the experience to prepare for an event like this,” Gopichand added.
Inspired to see our shuttlers gearing up and practicing hard to give their best in #ParisOlympics2024!
With a team as strong & determined as ours, the hopes & prayers of millions of Indians stand tall with them. Let’s cheer our champions on to victory! #Cheer4Bharat pic.twitter.com/bek5cL1fyT
— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) July 24, 2024
When asked to predict how many medals Indian can win in badminton, Gopichand shied away from mouthing a number, insisting that players should concentrate on preparing themselves rather than dwell on the outcome.
“I don’t think we are really talking about it (medals). For all of us, I think it is important to keep the preparations simple and keep the small things in preparedness ready, like whether it is food, whether it is sleep, whether it is their warm-ups and cool downs, mental training all of them,” he said.
“Every player who has come here has come here because they actually played for a long while. There are players who are really at the top, they know what to do at the big stage. I think it is important to keep it simple and then focus on the process and not worry too much about the result.”
PV Sindhu claimed silver at Rio 2016 and bronze at Tokyo 2020 but has struggled since suffering a stress fracture on her left ankle during the 2022 Commonwealth Games Badminton Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
