PV Sindhu shares why she won’t be ‘missing Gopi Sir’ at the Tokyo Olympics
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PV Sindhu
We are hardly two months away from the much-awaited Tokyo Olympics and the athletes are all set for the main event. Ace shuttler PV Sindhu shares that her preparations for the Games are in full flow too. She adds that she is training for a good five to six hours every day and is confident of her chances at the Olympics.
“I think I am prepared and will not miss Gopichand Sir in Tokyo. I am putting in about five-six hours with Park and Suchitra every day to keep myself ready for the Games. Last year, the Olympics got canceled with two months to go and now it seems to be on track.“
“But saving lives during this COVID pandemic is more important than sports because if there is no life there is no sport,” Sindhu was quoted by Outlook.
Sindhu is the only women singles player to have qualified for Tokyo. The top 16 in the world make the cut for the prestigious tournament and Saina Nehwal failed to qualify owing to the cancellation of some major tournaments. Sindhu admits that the expectations of the whole nation lie on her shoulder and that is a huge burden.
“Definitely there are going to be expectations. Whatever it is, I have to give my best. Rather than thinking for others, I will have to play well for myself. If I do well, I do well for India and everyone will be happy,” Sindhu said.
“I will not miss P Gopichand Sir in Tokyo,” PV Sindhu
PV Sindhu explains that an athlete needs to stay in the present and should be adaptable to change. She asserts that South Korean coach Park Tae Sang has spent a lot of time with her and hence she will not be missing her former coach Pullela Gopichand at the Tokyo Olympics. Sindhu has conquered the World Championships with Sang and she is confident of excelling with her in Tokyo.
“Look, as athletes we have to live in the present. It’s good to have change. You get to learn different things from different coaches. At the end of the day, a player has to assimilate and decide what is best for him or her. Gopichand was with me in 2016 and it was good. Then we had (Indonesian) Mulyo Handyo in 2018 and (Korean) Kim Ji Hyun in 2019. Both Mulyo and Kim left suddenly citing personal reasons.“
“Kim was very proactive and was with me when I won the world championship. Park took over after Kim and he has guided me right through till now and will be courtside in Tokyo. So, I will not be missing Gopi Sir,” explained Sindhu.
Sindhu is all praise for Park. She feels the player-coach bonding with the Korean has been fantastic and that helps overcome the difficult times. “Park understands what’s going on in your mind. When I am under pressure or in difficult positions, he lets me think myself. The eye-to-eye coordination with him works perfectly. He knows when to intervene and his reading of my opponents is fantastic,” Sindhu signed off.
Also Read: “I have been improving as a player” – PV Sindhu ‘looking forward’ to the Tokyo Olympics
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Anshuman Mahapatra
(1496 Articles Published)