India’s badminton star PV Sindhu has said that she is well prepared for the Tokyo Olympics having trained with new coach Park Tae Sang and won’t be missing Pullela Gopichand on the sidelines.
Sindhu, who is the only Indian woman singles player to have qualified for the Olympic Games, shifted out of the Gopichand Academy and now trains at the Gachibowli stadium in Hyderabad with coach Park and trainer Suchitra.
“I think I am prepared and will not miss Gopichand Sir in Tokyo. I am putting in about five-six hours with Park and Suchitra every day to keep myself ready for the Games. Last year, the Olympics got cancelled with two months to go and now it seems to be on track,” Sindhu said in an interview Outlook.
Sindhu was full of praise for her South Korean coach hailing his ability to understand her mind.
“Park’s personal attention has helped a lot. Ever since we have moved (from Gopichand Academy) to Gachibowli Stadium, the training has been great and the time spent has been worth it,” she added.
“Park understands what’s going on in your mind. When I am under pressure or in difficult positions, he lets me think myself. The eye-to-eye coordination with him works perfectly. He knows when to intervene and his reading of my opponents is fantastic,” Sindhu added.
The 25-year-old refused to credit one single coach for her success so far in her career and felt that a lot of people including Gopichand played a part in her success.
“I have a long list of people to thank and that starts from the Railway players who used to turn up and practice with me when my dad took me to the badminton courts for the first time. Gopi sir has been part of my journey and I will say that I’m ‘everybody’s daughter.’” Sindhu said.
Sindhu who was training in the UK during last year’s lockdown hasn’t had the best of times in recent tournaments. She didn’t win a single title in the 2020-’21 season losing in the semi-finals at the All-England Open and suffering a first-round exit at Thailand Open.
But the 2016 silver-medallist is confident of a strong showing in the Tokyo Games as she feels her training will have her in a good shape for the 2021 Games.
Sindhu admitted that there was extra pressure on her as the only woman singles player in the draw and her past performances in big tournaments but felt she only needed to focus on herself and not think about what the nation expects from her.
The Olympic Games are scheduled to begin on July 23 in Tokyo and will end on August 8.
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