Hyderabad, India

Ace Indian shuttler PV Sindhu is not ready to give up her last shot at an Olympic medal. Showing keenness to participate at the LA28 Games, Sindhu says there’s only one way she can feature at the next Summer Games, perhaps her last, which is by remaining injury-free.

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Sindhu is among the most decorated Indian Olympians ever, having won back-to-back medals at the Rio and Tokyo Games, respectively. Although she failed to complete the hat-trick of Olympic medals this time after crashing out in the Round of 16 in Paris, Sindhu says she has another medal left in her; however, to realise that dream, she must work on fitness and stay far from injuries.

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“If I am fit, if I am able to do it, if I am injury-free, then definitely yes I will compete at LA. That’s what I can tell you," Sindhu said in a chat with news agency PTI.

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Meanwhile, injuries put brakes to Sindhu’s medal-winning streak. Since winning the BWF title at the Singapore Open 2022, Sindhu failed to taste success in this tournament. She reached the Spain and Malaysia Masters finals since then but stumbled upon it at the last minute. 

Even at the Olympic Games this year, she entered the competition nursing an injury that restricted her from performing at the best of her abilities. 

Sindhu began her Paris Games campaign with an easy win over Nabaaha Abdul Razzaq before beating Kristin Kuuba to reach the knockouts. In the pre-quarters, Sindhu lost to He Bing Jiao, whom she beat to win the bronze in Tokyo in 2021.

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‘No regrets’

PV Sindhu says she doesn’t regret not winning a medal in her third Olympic Games, adding that she felt she played good badminton but is willing to learn from her mistakes.

Sindhu, however, remains determined to work on her fitness and stay motivated for her final Games four years later in Los Angeles. 

“It does happen at times. I had an amazing two Olympics, and in the third one, I couldn’t get a medal. But I think I played well. I learn from my mistakes and come back stronger. It’s not just over with it. I am looking one year at a time, and now the next Olympics is again four years down the line.

“So, the main aim and goal is to stay fit, and stay motivated and be injury-free. And enjoy what I do.”

“It’s not the end of the world. I can see myself going there for at least the next couple of years now. I don’t hate it or anything, it’s fine, I need to come out of it. I don’t have any regrets, it’s not just over for me. I definitely would want to play a lot more, and why not?” Sindhu continued. 

Meanwhile, Sindhu recently featured in the Denmark Open, where she suffered a defeat at the hands of Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung in the quarterfinals.

(With inputs from agencies)