India’s hopes for a badminton medal at the ongoing Paris Olympics suffered a significant setback as ace shuttler Sindhu crashed out in the women’s singles pre-quarters, losing to sixth-seeded Chinese shuttler He Bing Jiao in straight sets, 21-19, 21-14. This defeat marked the first time Sindhu failed to win an Olympic medal; she won silver in Rio 2016 and bronze in Tokyo.
After the loss, Sindhu took to X (formerly Twitter) to discuss her defeat, noting that her journey to the Paris Olympics had been challenging due to injuries and time away from the game. Despite these obstacles, she feels blessed to have represented her nation in Paris.
Paris 2024: A Beautiful Journey but a Difficult Loss ❤️
This loss is one of the hardest of my career. It will take time to accept, but as life moves forward, I know I will come to terms with it.
The journey to Paris 2024 was a battle, marked by two years of injuries and long… pic.twitter.com/IKAKu0dOk5
— Pvsindhu (@Pvsindhu1) August 2, 2024
“Paris 2024: A beautiful journey but a difficult loss. This loss is one of the hardest of my career. It will take time to accept, but as life moves forward, I know I will come to terms with it. The journey to Paris 2024 was a battle, marked by two years of injuries and long periods away from the game. Despite these challenges, standing here and representing my wonderful country at a third Olympics makes me feel truly blessed,” Sindhu said.
The shuttler also expressed her gratitude for continuing to compete at the highest level and inspiring a new generation. She revealed her future plans, stating she intends to continue after a short break.
“I am incredibly fortunate to compete at this level and, more importantly, to inspire a generation. Your messages have been a tremendous source of comfort during this time. My team and I gave everything we had for Paris 2024, leaving it all on the court with no regrets. Regarding my future, I want to be clear: I will continue, albeit after a small break. My body, and more importantly, my mind need it. However, I plan to carefully evaluate the journey ahead, finding more joy in playing the sport I love,” she added.
Sindhu began the first set by asserting early dominance over Jiao, but the Chinese player eventually pulled ahead. Sindhu managed to level the score at 12-12 and again at 19-19, but Jiao’s composure led her to win the first set 21-19. Despite showing resilience, Sindhu struggled to make a comeback as Jiao’s relentless play secured the second set 21-14.
Thursday also saw another major disappointment for Indian badminton fans as the world number three-ranked pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were knocked out in the quarter-finals. After a strong start, they fell 21-13, 14-21, 16-21, ending their Olympic run.
In contrast, Lakshya Sen kept India’s medal hopes alive by advancing to the quarter-finals after defeating HS Prannoy in the Round of 16. Sen will face the 12th-seeded Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in the quarter-finals on Friday.
(With ANI Inputs)
