PV Sindhu's projected path to gold medal at Paris Olympics 2024

PV Sindhu will aim to complete her medal hat-trick at the Paris Olympics.

At the turn of the century, shooting, wrestling and boxing were the sports that had some hopes of bringing medals for India from the Olympics. In 2012, it was Saina Nehwal who broke the jinx to bring home a medal in badminton. When she seemed to be the biggest medal hopeful in the Rio Olympics in 2016, a knee injury scattered her dreams.

However, India had a badminton medal from a rather unassuming youngster in P.V. Sindhu, who stormed her away to clinch a historic silver medal. The Hyderabad girl doubled it up in the Tokyo Olympics by winning a bronze medal to become the first Indian woman to win multiple Olympic medals. With the expectations of the nation behind her, the 29-year-old will be heading to Paris to complete a hat-trick of medals.

Many might feel the burden of 1.5 billion expectations, not PV Sindhu, who will look at it as an opportunity to represent 1.5 billion and make them proud. It is easier said than done, as her form has seen a slump in the last two years with no major titles to her name. The five-time world champion relishes the challenge of achieving great things as an underdog and fans would be hoping to see a similar storyline in Paris.

No one knows this better than PV Sindhu, who must have prepared for every possible opponent in her quest for gold. With the BWF announcing the draw for the Olympics, let’s look at her probable opponents and projected path to the gold medal match.

Group Stage: Kristin Kuuba and Fathimath Nabaaha Abdul Razzaq

PV Sindhu has been seeded 10th and placed in Group M, along with Kristin Kuuba of Estonia and Fathimath Nabaaha Abdul Razzaq of the Maldives. It is an easy draw for the World No. 13, who is experienced and better placed than her opponents in the group Kuuba (75) and Razzaq (111). She is expected to coast past these two opponents to top the group and qualify.

Round of 16: He Bingjao

The 2020 Tokyo bronze medalist might face her biggest challenge in the Round of 16 as she could take on He Bingjao of China. It was the same opponent that Sindhu faced and emerged victorious in the bronze medal match in the Tokyo Olympics.

The Chinese might hold a strong edge in the head-to-head record 11-9, but in the last four outings since the Tokyo Games, both have won two each. It will be a fascinating match to watch out for.

Quarter-finals: Chen Yu Fei

The road will get tougher for the twin Olympic medalist, as her potential quarter-final opponent could be the reigning Olympic champion, Chen Yu Fei. The defending champion has had some great battles with Sindhu, and with a 6-6 head-to-head record, the battle for the semis will be a hard-fought one, much like their previous outing in the French Open, which lasted for an hour and 32 minutes, with Yu Fei winning it.

But, the Indian has a knack for bringing her best in bigger tournaments like the World Championships, in which she leads with three wins and a single loss against the Chinese.

Semi-finals: Carolina Marin/Aya Ohori

They say you have to overcome your biggest obstacle to achieve greatness and that could be awaiting the 29-year-old in the semis in the form Carolina Marin. The 2016 Olympic final between these two is still regarded as one of the greatest finals of all-time. Both have developed a healthy rivalry which got a bit ugly in the Denmark Open last year, when the duo got into an argument on the court.

If both qualify for the semis then it will be a match to watch out for. The last win for Sindhu against the Spanish woman came in 2018. If things don’t happen according to the plan and Marin misses out, Aya Ohori of Japan could be the opponent for Sindhu.

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Final: An Se-young/Akane Yamaguchi/Tai Tzu-ying

Winning an Olympic gold isn’t easy and it is no different for Sindhu as she might have to achieve things she hasn’t done before, like beating the No.1 seed An Se-young of South Korea, having failed to do so in their seven previous outings.

The Indian has won a single set in their seven outings and the 29-year-old would need to play out of her skin to beat the in-form Se-young. If not for the South Korean, the five-time world champion could face Tai Tzu-ying of Chinese Taipei. Both share a great history in the Olympics, as it was the Indian who knocked out Tzu-ying in the Round of 16 at the 2016 Olympics.

The Chinese Taipei star got her revenge by beating Sindhu in the semis of the Tokyo Olympics. The final could be a contest for ages as the silver medalist from the previous two events will be looking to win the elusive gold medal. Apart from these two, Akane Yamaguchi, seeded fifth will also be one of the names Sindhu could find in the gold medal match.

Of the three probable opponents in the finals, it is against the Japanese that Sindhu has a notable head-to-head record with 10 wins each. Their only outing in the Olympics happened at Tokyo and the Hyderabad girl silenced the home crowd by beating Yamaguchi in straight games. Indians would be hoping to see a similar result which could make history for Sindhu.

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