Olympics 2021: How PV Sindhu defeated He Bingjiao of China to win bronze medal

On International Friendship Day, PV Sindhu was in no mood to be friends with He Bingjiao as the ace Indian shuttler thrashed her opponent to clinch the bronze medal.

It turned out to be Super Sunday for the millions of Indian badminton fans with PV Sindhu demolishing China’s He Bingjiao 21-13, 21-15 in the bronze-medal match of Tokyo Olympics.

On the way to victory, Sindhu scripted history to become the first Indian woman to win two individual Olympic medals. Only wrestler Sushil Kumar has managed to win two Olympic medals for India.

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Bouncing back in style after the 18-21, 12-21 semi-final defeat against Tai Tzu Ying on Saturday, Sindhu demonstrated her true class to bring glory to the nation.

Going into the match, 24-year-old Bingjiao enjoyed a psychological advantage, having been ahead 9-6 in the head-to-head record. The dangerous southpaw knocked out third seed Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in the quarterfinals and looked in fine touch before losing the semis against fellow countrywoman Chen Yu Fei.

However, sixth seed Sindhu defied the odds and rose to the occasion to complete a memorable win. The reigning world champion is now only the fourth female shuttler to win back-to-back Olympic medals.

1. Sindhu was at her clinical best

Sindhu, the Rio Olympic silver medalist, was at her clinical best throughout the 53-minute contest and didn’t give Bingjiao any chance in the match. The World No. 7 had suffered a heart-breaking loss to world No.1 Tai Tzu Ying of the Chinese Taipei in the semis on Saturday but recovered well to stamp her authority.

From the word go, Sindhu was on a mission. The tall Hyderabadi never lost her focus for a moment and dished out an inspiring performance in both games. Sindhu’s smashes had more power and precision compared to earlier matches. Even her defense was spot-on. She hardly made any unforced errors throughout the course of the match.

2. Confidence and self-belief helped Sindhu finish on podium

It was a different Sindhu on view on Sunday. She looked confident and at ease with her game. Many experts were doubtful whether she could forget the defeat against Tai quickly but Sindhu proved them wrong. Her immense self-belief worked its magic while her exceptional placements left the Chinese completely clueless.

One of the highlights of the match was her perfect execution of spin shots. In several long rallies, Sindhu trumped her opponent's dogged defense with her flick-of-the-wrist spin shot.

In crucial moments, the shuttle spun in the air like a cricket ball and landed at the spot she wanted. At one stage in the second game, when Bingjiao won three points in succession and leveled the score 11-11, Sindhu did not panic and kept her cool. She found the much-needed motivation by speaking to herself. The Indian produced a series of powerful smashes and down-the-line winners to floor her opponent.

3. The combination of Sindhu and coach Park Tae Sang did wonders

Finally, the hard work of the last several months bore fruit. The brilliant combination of coach Park Tae Sang of Korea and his ward Sindhu did wonders. Park's reaction after Sindhu won her last point said it all. Though they missed out on gold, winning a bronze in the Olympics is no mean achievement and certainly a lot bigger than winning several Super Series titles.

Before leaving for Tokyo, the Park-Sindhu duo had promised the fans that they would come back with a medal. They kept their promise but it was not easy. Hours and hours of practice at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad prepared Sindhu for the biggest battle on earth. She added some lethal weapons to her game which surprised most of her opponents in Tokyo. Bingjiao had a better track record against Sindhu but she was completely outclassed by the Sensational Sindhu on Sunday.