World Champion PV Sindhu’s father Ramana has objected to coach Kim Ji Hyun calling his daughter ‘heartless’ in a recent interview with a Korean YouTube channel saying he was sad that the coach made such comments.
Kim, who joined the Indian team in March last year, worked with Sindhu for about five months and was courtside when the 24-year-old became the first Indian to clinch the world title in August. However, the Korean left for home soon after, citing her husband’s ill health and did not return. A few months later she joined a club in Taiwan as coach.
Later speaking to the Korean reporter, Kim is reported to have said that Sindhu was heartless as she did not ask her about her health when she was hospitalised a few days before the world championship and only asked when she was returning to the court.
Ramana has now insisted that they were not aware of Kim’s illness when Sindhu made that call. “We were not at all aware that she is sick. No one informed Sindhu how she was. When Kim did not turn up for practice, Sindhu called her and asked why she did not come and when she will be back. Sindhu was not aware of the seriousness of the sickness. Do you think she would not have rushed to the hospital if she had known how sick Kim was?” he was quoted as saying by Times of India.
Kim had been ill through the week before the badminton squad left from Basel and Sindhu trained with chief coach Pullela Gopichand during that period.
The former Asian Games volleyball medallist also refuted Kim’s claim that she wasn’t given the credit for success and said Sindhu had been acknowledging her effort on every platform.
“My daughter gave due credit to her. Wherever she went after the title, she never forgot to laud the contribution of Kim and other coaches. But it is sad that this is happening,” he added.
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