I had mixed emotions after winning the bronze medal: PV Sindhu

When Sindhu lost the semi-final match, industrialist Harsh Goenka was the first to tweet, “Well played @Pvsindhu1. Medals are not made of gold, silver or bronze but really made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts. And all of these you have plenty. Tomorrow sure will be a better day and 1.3 billion hearts are expectantly awaiting for the bronze.”

And Sindhu proved to the world that she’s worth her weight in gold. What a comeback. “I experienced mixed emotions... This win was the result of four years of hard work,” she said. Describing the Tokyo win as completely different from the one in Rio in 2016, Sindhu said, “Back then I was 22 and did not have any expectations. But this time, there was pressure and expectations, so it was a different experience.”

She shares that it was challenging for her to focus after her semi-final loss. “Since my semi-final match happened during the night, I had to wait till the next evening to play the next game,” she says, adding, “I am glad that we won the medal. My focus was only to get a medal for the country.”

Sindhu wants to dedicate her win to all those who have suffered from COVID-19, apart from her family, coach, and support staff.

Colour doesn’t matter……a medal is a medal: Sindhu's father PV Ramana

PV Ramana, Sindhu’s father, was euphoric about his daughter winning the bronze medal at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics. “I am so proud of the way Sindhu played. Her win at such a prestigious event means a lot for us as a family and as a nation,” says Ramana.

Though he admitted that he was a tad disappointed that she didn’t win gold, Ramana was quick to note that Sindhu had quickly come out of her semi-final loss on Saturday and worked big time for the next match.

“I spoke to her and told her that any medal is a medal, the colour doesn’t matter. I told her to take the semi-final loss in her stride and come back fresh. Sindhu went all guns blazing and was mentally prepared to give more than 100 percent. Her hunger to win the medal was an indication that she’s strong, poised, and determined,” he asserts.

I asked Sindhu to have a cold shower: This was PV Sindhu’s conditioning coach’s advice on the eve of the match for bronze

During the lockdowns in the pandemic, Sindhu spent a lot of time with Srikanth Varma Madapalli, her pillar of strength and conditioning coach, who is glad that their collaborative efforts have turned fruitful.

Commenting on her medal win, he says, “Sindhu’s mental prep was instrumental to this. After she lost the semi-final, I wanted her to be at ease and not worry too much. I wanted her to have a good night’s sleep so that she could be fresh for the next day’s match,” he explained.

Asked what advise he had given Sindhu ahead of the bronze medal clash, Srikanth replies, “I asked her to get into the pool or have a cold shower, because that eases out stress and anxiety.”