Despite recent fluctuations in form, PV Sindhu remains optimistic about achieving an unprecedented 3rd consecutive Olympics medal, attributing her confidence to the past eight months of mentorship under Prakash Padukone.
Indian badminton star PV Sindhu has gone to great lengths in her preparations for the Paris Games, employing techniques such as training in a hypoxic chamber and sparring with various partners to adapt to different playing styles. Sindhu is aiming for an unprecedented third consecutive Olympic medal.
Despite recent fluctuations in form, Sindhu remains optimistic about achieving this milestone, attributing her confidence to the past eight months of mentorship under Prakash Padukone.
Should she secure a podium finish, Sindhu would become the first Indian athlete to win three consecutive Olympic medals, solidifying her status as arguably India's greatest sports figure.
"I am aiming for a medal, definitely, yes. Whether it's one or two or three, it doesn't matter. I've won two medals and I don't want to take pressure by thinking that, oh, what is the third one," she was quoted as saying in a PTI report after a training session at Porte de la Chapelle Arena in Paris.
"Every time I play Olympics, it's a new Olympics for me. So every time I go out there, I want to get a medal and hopefully, I will do that hat trick soon," the shuttler added.
Sindhu previously clinched a silver medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics and a bronze at the Tokyo Games.
In preparation for Paris, she trained at Sportcampus Saar in Saarbrücken, Germany, where the altitude, weather, and conditions closely resemble those of the French capital.
During her stay, Sindhu set up a hypoxic chamber in her room, spending a few days sleeping in it. These chambers are designed to simulate high-altitude conditions, helping athletes' bodies adapt to lower oxygen levels.
"I couldn't go to the high altitude training center. I didn't have much time and obviously, there I couldn't have been playing. So I just thought, it would be good for me instead of going somewhere, getting it here and doing some changes and sleeping that way," she explained.
With such rigorous training, athletes are well-prepared to meet the toughest challenges.
Sindhu noted that her stroke play has improved and she has become more consistent during long rallies.
Training with Padukone has made me much more confident in my strokes, she said when asked about the impact of her training.
"In women's singles now, there are a lot of long rallies and long matches, being consistent. I am confident in that now," she said.
"With every opponent, it's a different style and, you need to play the right stroke at the right time. And that's what Prakash sir also keeps saying. We've been working on that. And that's almost there. There's a lot of improvement. You will see that on court," Sindhu added.
The 29-year-old also detailed her training routine in Germany, where she sparred with a diverse range of players and occasionally faced off against two opponents simultaneously.
"Saarbrucken training was really good. I was there for almost a couple of weeks and I got my own sparring partners as well. I got an opportunity to train with different people. One was like a left-hander and one was an attacking player, a rally player. And I had a Nigerian guy, who also was sparring with me. And one was a German singles player who was also playing with me for a couple of days," she said.
Sindhu entered the 2016 Olympics as an underdog but competed in the Tokyo Games with the experience of a seasoned player.
Talking about her journey, Sindhu said, "I've experienced two different kinds of Olympics where, in one, a lot of people shouted and cheered, but there was no pressure. In the second one, there were a lot of responsibilities and pressure, everybody wanted you to get a medal, but there was no crowd.
"But now it's a mixture of both (in Paris). I'm hoping for the best medal to come out there," she concluded.