There are some people who pave the way for others. These maestros excel at a particular thing and inspire others to do the same. One such sports personality is P. V. Sindhu, the badminton queen hailing from India.
Decorated career
Sindhu is a decorated badminton player, and has shone on every stage she has been at. From the Olympics to the state-level tournament, she has left her mark on all of them.
The 26-year-old is the first Indian to become the Badminton World Champion, and the first Indian woman to win a silver medal at the Olympics, in 2016.
Just recently, she won the bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics. This made her the first Indian woman to win two consecutive medals at the Olympics.
Her style of play and her achievements have won her fans the world over. Standing at 5’10” and weighing 65 kg, she is always a tough match for any opponent. Her serving, return shots and consistency are world-class.
Furthermore, her efforts at promoting the game have been recognized. She was conferred the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, the Padma Shri, and the Padma Bhushan for her outstanding contributions to Indian sports.
Personal life
Sindhu was born Pusarla Venkata Sindhu in Hyderabad on July 5, 1995, to P. V. Ramana and P. Vijaya. Both her parents were national-level volleyball players. In fact, Sindhu initially started with volleyball, but made the switch to badminton when she was eight years of age.
She studied at Auxilium High School in Hyderabad, and at St. Ann’s College for Women in the same city. Having learned the game at the Gopichand Badminton Academy, Sindhu rose to prominence. Her breakout moment came at the 2011 Douglas Commonwealth Youth Games, where she won a gold medal.
She has been associated with Bharat Petroleum since 2013. After she won the silver medal in Rio, she became the deputy sports manager at BP.
As she began to carve a name for herself, she was awarded other designations, like the role of brand ambassador of Bridgestone India, Deputy Collector of Andhra Pradesh Government, among others. She was also the flag bearer for the Indian group at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Sindhu’s educational qualification includes an MBA degree. She has stated that her hobbies include yoga and watching movies. She is a fan of Bollywood and Tollywood, and has named Hrithik Roshan, Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Mahesh Babu and Prabhas as her favourites.
Favourites
Sindhu loves biryani, ice cream, pasta and pizza. Her favourite athletes include Usain Bolt, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Her favourite superhero is, perhaps unsurprisingly, Wonder Woman.
Sindhu is not married, and at the time of writing, her relationship status is single. She abstains from smoking at all times. She originally wanted to become a doctor, but decided to pursue a career in sports. Her sporting role model is none other than Sachin Tendulkar, while her inspiration is her coach, Pullela Gopichand.
Sindhu was featured on Forbes’ list of highest-paid female athletes, coming in at Rank 7. She also topped Forbes India’s list of the ’22 Young Achievers’. She has also graced the cover of many prominent magazines like Elle, JFW and Grazia.
A relatively unknown fact about Sindhu is that she was born to different caste parents, and an interesting yet uncomfortable thing to note was that ‘P. V. Sindhu caste’ was highly searched on Google following her silver medal at the Olympics.
Other achievements
Sindhu was recognized by Indian news channel NDTV as the NDTV Indian of the Year in 2014. She is the second-most sought after sportsperson after Indian Men’s Cricket captain Virat Kohli for brand endorsements and advertisements.
Her rates for endorsement hover around the $140,000-$180,000 mark for a single day’s worth of time. She has endorsed and signed deals with several high-profile brands. Some of them include Nokia, Panasonic, Bank of Baroda, Myntra, JBL and Flipkart.
Sindhu is a fitness enthusiast, and follows a strict training regimen every day. She wakes up at 4:15 am every morning to practice badminton. She is a lover of pets, and mainly dogs.
Sindhu is India’s pride, and an inspiration to every Indian who wants to make it. She did the entire country proud by securing a medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Given her young age and maturity far beyond her years, one can be certain of more success following Sindhu, and her returning to India with that many more laurels.
| Name | Pusarla Venkata Sindhu |
| Born | July 5, 1995 |
| Age | 26 |
| Height | 5’10″/179 cm |
| Weight | 65 kg/143 lbs |
| Nationality | Indian |
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