PV Sindhu wins bronze medal at Tokyo Olympics 2020

The shuttler defeated China's He Bingjiao on Sunday evening.

In another impressive outing, reigning badminton World Champion PV Sindhu defeated China's He Bingjiao to win the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday. With the victory, she also became the first-ever Indian female athlete to win consecutive Olympic medals.

The Indian shuttler was steadfast and played with a firm goal in mind and overpowered her Chinese opponent He Bingjiao in straight sets 21-13, 21-15, winning India’s second medal in Tokyo 2020. Earlier, India's Mirabai Chanu clinched a silver, which became the country's first medal in the ongoing Olympic Games.

PV Sindhu came into the bronze medal match at the Tokyo Olympics after losing in straight sets to Tai Tzu-ying of Chinese Taipei in the semifinals. Before the semifinals, Sindhu had played admirably, having not lost a single set until then. The defeat was a blow but the Indian was undeterred. She shifted focus to her next opponent.

The Indian star shuttler began her bronze medal bid aggressively, taking a 5-2 lead before He Bingjiao fought back to take a one-point lead. The athletes were locked in a fierce topsy-turvy battle for majority of the first set. However, PV Sindhu broke free, taking a 5-point lead with the score at 14-9. It was smooth sailing from there as she collected 7 more points to take the first set 21-13.

Her Chinese counterpart looked uncomfortable when asked to play direct and had to settle for uncharacteristic shots for the duration of the match. She tried to come back in the set, but Sindhu started with an early three-point lead at 5-2, similar to the first set. He Bingjiao refused to give up as she brought the proceedings back on level terms, with some wonderful shots being played by both shuttlers.

The breakout moment of the set and the match came when the scores were tied at 11. Sindhu controlled proceedings after that as she raced to a crucial 4-point lead from there. There was no looking back after that.

PV Sindhu played to her strengths while He Bingjiao found herself clueless and caught by surprise by some of the Indian’s returns. A 21-15 victory and a bronze medal followed. The victory also meant that Sindhu has now become the first-ever Indian woman of all-time to win two Olympic medals. The remarkable bronze medal of PV Sindhu also made it the second laurel for India in the ongoing Tokyo Olympics, with both being won by women. 

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Twitter, Instagram and join our community on Telegram.