Tokyo Olympics: 'I had to close off my emotions,' says PV Sindhu after bronze-medal win

India's ace shuttler PV Sindhu scripted history after winning a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 in badminton women's singles event on Sunday (August 1). With the stunning win, she became the first Indian woman to bag two Olympic medals after Sushil Kumar. The 26-year-old Indian dismissed He Bing jiao 21-13, 21-15 to add a bronze to Rio 2016 silver.

After the third-place match, Sindhu said that she had "a lot of emotions" going through her as after facing a defeat in the semis, it was not easy for India's medal hope to play under pressure, however, she made it looked easier, only because of her grit and dedication. 

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As quoted by BWF, Sindhu after the match said, "It makes me feel really happy because I've worked hard for so many years. I had a lot of emotions going through me -- should I be happy that I won bronze or sad that I lost the opportunity to play in the final? But overall, I had to close off my emotions for this one match and give it my best, my all. I'm really happy and I think I've done really well. It's a proud moment getting a medal for my country."

She further added, "I'm on cloud nine. I'm going to enjoy this moment. My family have worked hard for me and put in a lot of effort so I'm very thankful. And my sponsors have given me their best so I'd like to thank them and enjoy the moment."

It's important to note that apart from the semi-final against Tai Tzu Ying, Sindhu was performed consistently well in her Tokyo campaign as she didn't drop a single game in her five wins.

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Sindhu bagged the third medal for India at the Tokyo Olympics as she overcame the fighting abilities of China's Bing jiao to  join Mirabai Chanu and Lovlina Borgohain with an outstanding performance at the Musashino Forest Sport Plaza court 1. 

About the match, Sindhu said, "We both (Bing Jio) had losses yesterday. For us, it was very important in getting a medal for the country. There were really long rallies but I had to be patient. Even though I was leading, I did not relax."