Danish legend Peter Gade tips PV Sindhu for Tokyo gold

What's the Story?

Former World No. 1 shuttler Peter Gade spoke about PV Sindhu's Tokyo Olympic medal-winning chances during a recent chat with NDTV on the rise of badminton in India. He was particularly impressed with the 22-year-old Sindhu's natural talent and said that she is capable of winning the gold medal in 2020.

"Yes for sure, she has the weapons, the power and the potential to do that. Whether she's going to do it is another thing," the Dane commented on the Tokyo chances of the 2016 Rio Olympic silver medallist.

At the last Olympics, the Pullela Gopichand protégé lost to Carolina Marin in the final to settle for the silver. Since then, Sindhu's rise has been meteoric and she can only go from strength to strength from there.

In Case You Didn't Know

Two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan too was impressed with the way Indian badminton has progressed of late. Dan and Gade showered the Indian athletes with praise when they came to India for the Legends' Vision event in Mumbai two weeks ago..

The Heart of the Matter

Gade also gave his thoughts on the progress of Indian badminton in the recent few months in the chat. He noted the good work that the coaches have been doing in the last few months and said it is good to see that players other than Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu are also making their mark.

When asked if India could become a badminton super power like China, he said that India could be one of them. He continued, saying that China, Japan, Korea, and Indonesia are also making a big impact.

Gade also went on to say that after winning Superseries tournaments on a regular basis, the Indians are ready to go to the next level. He said that India is slowly and surely showing the badminton world what it is capable of. The results, the wins in the Superseries, the medals are all testament of that. He stressed on the need for a country like India to be part of the badminton world.

What's Next?

Sindhu is currently preparing to start the defence of her title at the China Open on Wednesday.

Author's Take

It is certainly great to hear such a glowing report by a legend on a player of Sindhu's calibre.