Gifts and money keep mounting for India’s pride at Rio.
P V Sindhu lost the final match in the women’s badminton singles at the Rio Olympic Games to Spain’s Carolina Marin 21-19, 12-21, 15-21, to settle for a silver medal for India.
It’s never easy to beat the world No.1, but all Indians hoped that Sindhu would create history in the Olympic badminton court in the final and bring home the gold. The first set result was in favor of this belief, but the Spaniard had the backing of her experience that helped her to take control of the second and the tie-breaker round to win the final.
Throughout the game, Sindhu was seen calm and composed unlike her Spanish counterpart Marin who was visibly shaken with the huge ground support for the Indian.
When she won the gold, Marin dropped her racquet, fell on the court and sobbed. But even when defeated, Sindhu came down to Marin and lifted up the winner and congratulated her. When the winner was jubilating with her coach, Sindhu picked up the abandoned racquet and placed it inside Marin’s bag – a gesture that reflects the passion, dedication, and reverence that Sindhu gives to the game that made her an Olympian.
Sindhu was born on July 5, 1995, in Hyderabad and the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are all geared up to welcome India’s pride in Rio, when she returns home.
Talking to the media after the final, Sindhu said “What do I say. I’m on Cloud Nine. It’s been a surprisingly great week. I played well, I had some great matches and now, I am Olympic silver medalist.”
When one of the journalists asked her how she feels after two women players bring Olympic glory to India, Sindhu reportedly said, “I understand things will be different, very different from now on. There was Sakshi in wrestling the other day, and some others came close, missing by the closest of points. All I can tell them is, ‘hard luck, but well played.'”
According to The Times of India, Sindhu also said that winning a medal in Olympics was her aim and as that has been achieved, her life will have new meanings. She was quoted saying, “I can already feel it. But for now, I’m just getting used to the idea of ‘Olympic medalist’ next to my name.”
According to reports, corporates, businessmen, and jewelry showrooms from Hyderabad to Vijayawada to Visakhapatnam have announced gifts for the medal-winner in the form of cash and jewels to show their gratitude to the 21-year-old. More than Rs. 2 crores have been announced for her, apart from a BMW car, a Mahindra vehicle, land, apart from perhaps flats from several developers.