Final phobia a thing of the past: Sindhu

The World champion calls triumph a collective effort, says she will start preparing for Tokyo 2020

P.V. Sindhu, fresh from her World championship triumph, said her ultimate target is the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold next year.

Speaking at the Gopi Academy here on Tuesday, Sindhu said she was relieved to go all the way after losing two consecutive finals.

“Yes, many talked about the final phobia, but now that is a thing of the past and I will start preparing for the Olympics in right earnest,” she said.

“I have been waiting for this gold for long and it was the result of the collective effort of everyone, including Gopi sir, Kim Ji-Hyun and others at the Academy. This performance is not because of my efforts only,” said Sindhu.

Felt no pressure

“I believed in myself before the final, came back stronger, took it like any other match and learnt from my mistakes. I am glad I played really well, didn’t think of the losses in the past, and felt no pressure at all,” she said.

“Some meditation classes recently helped me stay calm in crunch situations,” revealed Sindhu.

Confidence

“When I look at the Olympics, this means a lot in terms of confidence and to be moving forward even as I am conscious of the very tough competition in the circuit where you have to keep strategising every two minutes on the court because you will be up against different players with different styles,” she explained.

“I will be acquiring new skills and be much better prepared for the bigger challenges,” added Sindhu.

Sindhu also lauded Praneeth for his stupendous show. She said he played really well, terming the performance a “big feat.”

She wished Praneeth would go on to win more laurels.

Biggest dream

Chief National coach P. Gopi Chand said Sindhu winning the gold at the World Championships was his “biggest dream” and he was delighted that she pulled it off on the biggest stage.

“I must say we badly needed this, especially after Sindhu lost two finals. It was a classy victory,” said Gopi.

He felt that Tokyo 2020 will be different for Sindhu compared to the 2016 Rio Games as she will be a more marked player and needs to keep improving,” he said.

Inspirational

“It was also a pleasure to watch Manasi Joshi win gold in the Para Worlds at the same venue and other Indians bag medals in this category.

“Very inspirational performances from them indeed,” he said.

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