Tokyo: India’s PV Sindhu defeated Chinese He Bingjiao 21-13, 21-15 to win a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday. She thus becomes the first Indian woman to win back-to-back Olympic medals.
Sindhu dominated from the start racing to a 5-1 lead within no time in the first set. But the Chinese used her strategy especially her ability to slow down the game to level at 8-8. However, Sindhu, the reigning world champion, roared back into the game using her cross-court smashes to a great extent to win eight match points to lead 20-12 and eventually the set.
21-13, 21-15 and 53 minutes of play –
This is all #IND's PV Sindhu took to win the 🥉 against He Bing Jiao of #CHN in the women's badminton singles 🏸
Congratulations, champ! 🙌#Tokyo2020 | #UnitedByEmotion | #StrongerTogether @Pvsindhu1 pic.twitter.com/TMGQjc4xj0
— #Tokyo2020 for India (@Tokyo2020hi) August 1, 2021
The second set was no different as the Indian dominated from the onset against Bingjiao. Although the Chinese broke Sindhu’s defense on few occasions, it wasn’t enough for the Indian to go home with a bronze.
Earlier, Sindhu lost her semifinal encounter against Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu-Ying 18-21, 12-21. Tzu-Ying will face another Chinese Chen Yufei. “It makes me feel really happy because I’ve worked hard for so many years. I had a lot of emotions going through me – should I be happy that I won bronze or sad that I lost the opportunity to play in the final?” Sindhu said after the game.
“But overall, I had to close off my emotions for this one match and give it my best, my all and think about the emotions. I’m really happy and I think I’ve done really well. It’s a proud moment getting a medal for my country,” she added.
“I’m on cloud nine. I’m going to enjoy this moment. My family has worked hard for me and put in a lot of effort so I’m very thankful. And my sponsors have given me their best so I’d like to thank them and enjoy the moment.”
Coming from a setback the previous night, Sindhu stated she was fresh against Bingjiao. “I was a fresh game altogether, we both had losses yesterday and came back. For us, it was very important in getting a medal for the country and at the Olympics. It’s not easy. It’s a big thing. There were really long rallies but I had to be patient and calm. Even though I was leading, I did not relax,” she added.
