Unknown facts about World Champion P. V. Sindhu

Pusarla Venkata Sindhu flashed in the worldwide media amidst cheers when she bagged the most coveted gold medal for woman’s singles in BWF World Championships 2019. Interestingly, Sindhu is the first Indian to land in front of the podium during the most prestigious world meet. As the whole of India looks to her with pride, here are a few interesting facts about PV Sindhu you might not have known.

Family and early life of PV Sindhu

PV Sindhu was born on July 5, 1995 in Hyderabad. Her parents P. V. Ramana and P. Vijaya were both professional volleyball players. Her father PV Ramana had bagged the highly prestigious recognition of Arjuna Award for his outstanding achievement in volleyball.

Inspired by Pullela Gopichand

Sindhu has time and again said her main inspiration is Pullela Gopichand, a former Indian badminton celebrity. Taking to this sports at a very young age of eight, Sindhu drew inspiration from Gopichand’s success in 2001 All England Open Badminton Championship, when Gopichand won the tournament by defeating Chen Hong 15-12, 15-6.

Strenuous efforts of PV Sindhu

Sindhu is highly hardworking when it comes to her passionate sports. She would work with her coach right from 4.15 am everyday on a continuous basis over the past three years. During her early days of practice, she used to travel about 60 kms to reach the training center in Hyderabad on a daily basis.

Arjuna award recipient

Sindhu has won the most famed Arjuna Award at a very young age of just 18. In order to attend the Grand Prix at Lucknow, Sindhu had to miss her very dear sister’s marriage ceremony.

Other awards and honors

In 2013, Sindhu emerged as the first Indian woman to win a medal at the World Championships for singles. In 2015, she was credited with Padma Shri Award, the fourth highest civilian award of India. She figured among the top 20 in the world of badminton as per the rankings published by the Badminton World Federation.

Learnt the basics of the game under Mehboob Ali

In Secunderabad, Sindhu learnt the basics of her passionate game under the guidance of Mehboob Ali at Indian Railway Institute of Signal Engineering and Telecommunications. Eventually she joined Gopichand’s team.

She sacrificed her favorite dishes to keep herself fit

Under the able guidance of her coach Gopichand, she came forward willingly to give up her most favorite dish Hyderabad biriyani chocolates which she loved the most. She took these steps only to keep herself fit. Such was her dedication and passion for the game.

Loves swimming and Yoga

Sindhu has said she had fallen in love with swimming and Yoga, which she felt as the pillars to support her with her life with badminton. She found them highly useful to enhance her fitness both physically and mentally.

Has a dauntless spirit that paved road to her success

It was her dauntless spirit that paved way to her success. While describing her dedication for sports, Gopichand, her coach remarked, “The most striking feature in Sindhu’s game is her attitude and the never-say-die spirit.”