New Delhi: Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Sunday said shuttler PV Sindhu has created a history by winning a gold medal at the BWF World Championships on Sunday.
"Today is a big day for India. PV Sindhu has created a history. She has won the World Championships in the badminton. This is not only for the badminton but for the Indian sports a big big day," Rijiju told ANI.
"We are very proud of Sindhu. I on behalf of the people of India, and on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi extend hearty congratulations to her," Rijiju added.
Sindhu trounced Japan's Nozomi Okuhara 21-7, 21-7 in the final of the tournament and became the first Indian shuttler to win a gold at the event. She outclassed her opponent in a one-sided game in 36 minutes.
In the same event, Indian shuttler Sai Praneeth won the bronze medal after he suffered a loss in the semifinal on Saturday. He became the second Indian after Prakash Padukone to get a medal at the tournament after a gap 36 years.
"Just a while ago I spoke to PV Sindhu and coach Pullela Gopichand so I extended congratulations to both of them. Also, Sai Praneeeth won the bronze medal at the World Championships after 36 long years," Rijiju said.
Rijiju, who himself is monitoring the preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, said Sindhu's feat will act as a morale booster for the Indian Olympics contingent.
"So, the achievement of Sindhu is going to be a milestone for our country. Olympics are 10 months away and before that winning the World Championships is a huge morale boost for the whole Indian contingent," Rijiju said.
"I'm very excited and going to discuss much more to ensure that how champions are to be produced at a very young age. We are going to have multiple academies in the country. We want to see more Sindhu's in the coming years," he said.
He tweeted, "PV Sindhu creates history by becoming the first-ever Indian to claim gold in BWF World Badminton Championships! India is proud of @Pvsindhu1. My hearty congratulations! Govt will continue to provide best support & facilities to produce champions," Rijiju tweeted.
PV Sindhu creates history by becoming the first-ever Indian to claim gold in BWF World Badminton Championships! India is proud of @Pvsindhu1🇮🇳 My hearty congratulations! Govt will continue to provide best support & facilities to produce champions. #BWFWorldChampionships2019 pic.twitter.com/LxWzQirTXh
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) August 25, 2019
Earlier, the 24-year-old has four medals at the World Championships as she bagged bronze in the 2013 and 2014 while in 2017 and 2018 she claimed silver medals.
Sindhu also won the silver medal at the Rio Olympics 2016. This year she appeared in the final of the Indonesia Open where she faced a defeat at the hands of Akane Yamaguchi.
