A look at PV Sindhu's qualification for Paris Olympics 2024

Sindhu is the only Indian shuttler to win two Olympic medals.

PV Sindhu will lead a seven-member badminton contingent at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Sindhu will be the lone shuttler in the women’s singles category, having finished 12th in the Race to Paris Rankings.

The journey wasn’t a smooth one for the 28-year-old who was marred by injuries and lack of form in the lead-up to the Olympics. But, the former world champion’s consistency over the last year kept her in the hunt for the Olympic spot.

How did PV Sindhu qualify for Paris Olympics?

The Olympic qualification for badminton was based on rankings during a specified period. The Race to Paris Rankings only considered performances within the defined qualifying window from May 1, 2023 to April 28, 2024. This contrasts with the Badminton World Federation (BWF) global rankings, which account for performances over the previous 52 weeks.

A select list of competitions, such as the Uber Cup, World Championships, Sudirman Cup and other Grade 2 and Grade 3 events were considered for qualification. The top 16 players, with a maximum of two players per country, have earned their spots for Paris. Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medalist, was in the top 10 for most of the qualifying period. However, due to injuries she dropped a couple of places, but still secured her place in Paris by finishing 12th in the rankings.

Also Read: A look at Ashwini Ponappa/Tanisha Crastro’s qualification for Paris Olympics 2024

PV Sindhu’s Journey to the Paris Olympics

Sindhu started her Olympic qualification journey on a disappointing note, as she couldn’t secure a single win in the Sudirman Cup. The silver medalist from the Rio Olympics came back strongly with a semi-final finish in the Malaysian Masters. 2023 saw her endure a topsy-turvy journey, suffering seven first-round exits. However, semi-final finishes in tournaments like the Canada Open and the Denmark Open ensured she kept scoring valuable points to move up in the Race to Paris Rankings.

A knee injury in October forced her to cut short her season at the French Open. Despite these struggles, she came back strongly in 2024, leading the team to gold at the Badminton Asia Team Championships. This title ensured her Olympic qualification and she will be the lone competitor in women’s singles, the only event that has produced Olympic medals for India in the past.

PV Sindhu’s Olympic Career

Sindhu is only the second individual athlete from India to win two consecutive medals at the Olympic Games. Her Olympic journey started in Rio 2016 when he endured a tough knockout journey. Playing as a 21-year-old, PV Sindhu recorded her best victory to-date in the Round of 16, defeating Tai Tzu-ying of Chinese Taipei 21-13, 21-15. The shuttler’s amazing form carried over, as she defeated China’s Wang Yihan 22-20, 21-19 to advance to the semi-finals.

For the battle of the top two, PV Sindhu faced the second seeded Nozomi Okuhara, whom she had defeated just once and their matches tended to last the entire three games. The Indian took advantage of Okuhara’s mistakes to win 21-19, 21-10 to become the first woman from her country to qualify for the finals. She faced then World No. 1 and two-time world champion Carolina Marin in the final, but Sindhu failed to get the better of her.

Trending Indian Sports articles

• Neeraj Chopra finishes second at Lausanne Diamond League 2024 with new season best attempt
• Diamond League, World C’ships and other major events to follow post Paris Olympics 2024
• Top five controversies that shocked Paris Olympics 2024
• Which athlete won most medals at Paris Olympics 2024?
• Five medal contenders from India who disappointed at Paris Olympics 2024

Going into the Tokyo Olympics, she was expected to bring home the gold, having won the World Championships in 2019. She started the tournament with straight-game wins in her group and quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, she faced Tai Tzu-ying. The Chinese Taipei star attacked Sindhu’s body and restricted her footwork.

Sindhu lost the semi-finals and had to face He Bing Jiao for a bronze medal. Although Sindhu had the upper hand in their head-to-head record, the opening rally of 22 shots showed the challenge she was up against. However, the Indian kept a calm head and played aggressively, becoming the first Indian woman to win two Olympic medals. Having won both silver and bronze, fans are now hoping for gold in Paris.

Major Highlights in his Career

• Only Indian to win the World Championships (2019)
• Only Indian to reach the Olympic finals in badminton (2016)
• First Indian woman to win two Olympic medals (2016 & 2020)
• Only Indian to win the BWF World Tour Finals (2018)
• Commonwealth Games gold medalist (2022)
• Asian Games silver medalist (2018)
• Two-time Asian Championships bronze medalist (2014 & 2022)
• South Asian Games gold medalist (2016)
• Commonwealth Youth Games gold medalist (2011)
• Asian Junior Championships gold medalist (2012)
• BWF Superseries (3 Titles)
• BWF Grandprix (6 Titles)
• BWF International Challenge (4 Titles)
• Career best ranking of WR 2

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram