TOKYO: Reigning world champion PV Sindhu on Monday said she was completely blank after winning a second successive Olympic medal and it took her a while to realise the enormity of her historic achievement in the ongoing Games.
The 26-year-old Indian on Sunday etched her name among the all-time greats after winning badminton's women's singles bronze medal to add to the silver she won at Rio de Janeiro five years back. She became the first Indian woman and second overall from the country to achieve the feat.
"...I was blank, my coach was in tears, it was a big moment, I hugged him and thanked him. I didn't know what to do for 5-6 seconds, I shouted so all emotions came together at that moment," she said during a virtual press conference.
In the third-place play-off, Sindhu beat China's He Bing Jiao. The win came after a painful loss in the semifinals to world no 1 Tai Tzu Ying.
Sindhu said coach Park Tae-sang's encouragement helped her to recover from the semifinal loss and claim the bronze for the country.
1/7:Sindhu first Indian woman to win two Olympic medals
<p>PV Sindhu became the first Indian woman to win two Olympic medals, securing a bronze after a straight-game win over world no. 9 He Bing Jiao of China in the badminton women's singles event at Tokyo Olympics. (PTI Photo)</p>
2/7:Sindhu is the reigning World champion
<p>Sindhu is also the reigning world champion after winning the 2019 World Championships title, as the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. She also has four more medals from the prestigious World Championships - two silver and two bronze (silver in 2017 & 2018, bronze in 2013 & 2014). (AFP Photo)</p>
3/7:Silver-lining for Sindhu at 2018 Asian Games
<p>Sindhu, who is one of the most accomplished athletes from India, having won medals at almost all the major badminton tournaments, won an individual silver at the 2018 Asian Games four years after winning a Team Bronze at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon. (AFP Photo)</p>
4/7:Sindhu clinched 2018 BWF World Tour Finals title
<p>Sindhu, who had achieved a career high world ranking of 2 in April 2007, also clinched the prestigious BWF World Tour Finals title in the year 2018. (BWF Photo)</p>
5/7:Sindhu won silver in 2018 Commonwealth Games
<p>Sindhu, who is 5 feet 10 inches tall, began playing badminton at the age of 8, had a great 2018 as she also got a silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games after losing to compatriot Saina Nehwal in the final. (PTI Photo)</p>
6/7:Sindhu won 2017 World Championship silver
<p>Sindhu, who is also only the second woman after former Chinese player Zhang Ning to win five or more medals at the World Championships, had to settle for silver at the 2017 World Championship. (AFP Photo)</p>
7/7:Sindhu won an unprecedented silver in 2016 Rio Olympics
<p>Sindhu, who won an unprecedented silver at the 2016 Rio Games in what was her maiden Olympics appearance, scripted history as she became the first female athlete from India to win an Olympic silver medal. In the 2016 Olympic final, Sindhu lost to Spain's Carolina Marin. (AFP Photo)</p>"After semis, I was really sad, I was in tears but my coach said it is not over yet. There were mixed emotions, if I should be sad or happy but he told one thing. He said 'there is a lot of difference between a fourth position and a bronze' and that really hit me," she said.
"I went with the mindset that I have to give my 100 percent."
A lot of questions were raised when Sindhu decided to move out of the Pullela Gopichand Academy and train at the Gachibowli indoor stadium which had bigger halls similar to the venue here.
Sindhu said it was one of the best decisions, especially since drift played a role during the Games at the Musashino Forest Plaza here.
"Yeah, from the beginning there was no controversy ... We had this opportunity to play in conditions similar to Olympics, so from February we have been playing there, it has really helped us because drift played a big role and I learnt a lot in Gachibowli, I learnt to control the shuttle better.
"It had international courts with air conditioners, which was important. So I feel it was the best decision...We got used to different players from Suchitra academy also. So it was important."
