Women saved India's honour at the world stage: Gopichand

A very proud coach and former Indian badminton player Pullela Gopichand saluted Sakshi Malik and his student PV Sindhu for "saving the respect of India at the Rio Olympics" on Monday.

 

The Indian national badminton coach has acknowledged the support from the government that has helped his team shine at Rio. "The huge support from the government and also for financial rewards is unprecedented. I am sure this will inspire and help in preparing lot of champions and sportspersons," Gopichand said.

 

An overwhelmed Sindhu, who has returned from Rio with a silver medal in badminton's singles event, was given a celebratory welcome by Hyderabad on Monday. Sindhu was taken in an open-top-motorcade from the airport to the Gachibowli stadium, where a programme was planned in the honour of the 21-year-old.

 

Read more: Sindhu and Gopichand receive a hero's welcome in Hyderabad

 

The city witnessed numerous sports-lovers and fans, particularly school children, some with national flags in their hands, waved to Sindhu at several road junctions along the route to the stadium where the excitement was in the air.

 

School children held banners hailing the badminton star, who caught the imagination of the country with her superb run at Rio. They raised slogans such as 'P V Sindhu Pride of India', and many of them also showered flower petals on the motorcade.

 

An enthusiastic crowd gathered at the stadium, mostly school and college children, saluted the Indian Olympic hero amid beating of drums by traditional 'Dappu' dance artistes.

 

"I never expected such a huge turnout; it made my day," a delighted Sindhu said.

 

"Thanks for the support and blessings. I thank my Guru (P Gopichand) and my parents, who supported and motivated me. I would like to thank everyone," she said at the felicitation event, attended by her parents, Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mohd Mahmood Ali and IT Minister K T Rama Rao, among others.

 

Meanwhile, Mahmood Ali earlier said that the state is planning to give Sindhu proper coaching so that she can fetch gold next time. This statement from the politician drove a lot of criticism on the social media.