5 Indian Olympic triumphs that deserve to be preserved on celluloid

4) The Olympic legacy of Pullela Gopichand

Pullela Gopichand - The trendsetter for Indian badminton at Olympics

What do Pusarla Venkata Sindhu and Saina Nehwal have in common? Apart from the fact that both established a legacy in Indian badminton, they have also been coached by the same man. Once regarded as India's next major badminton stalwart, Pullela Gopichand instead achieved more Olympic glory as a coach than a player.

Gopichand made his first and only appearance at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, where he equalled Dipankar Bhattacharjee's performance by making it as far as the pre-quarterfinals. However, recurring injuries kept hampering his efforts and he was eventually forced to retire early.

As a coach, he decided to achieve what he couldn't as a player. However, the journey wasn't easy, and he had to mortgage his house in order to open his academy. However, his fortunes changed with the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Though Gopichand didn't win any medals here, this event marked the beginning of Indian badminton's rise. A rather unknown player then, junior champion Saina Nehwal shocked everyone as she entered the women's singles quarterfinals, where she lost to Maria Kristin Yulianti of Indonesia. In the next edition at London in 2012, Saina went a notch higher and won the bronze medal, the first for any Indian in the event.

However, Gopichand wasn't done yet. He further upped the ante when Pusarla Venkata Sindhu, another one of his students, reached the finals. Though she went down fighting to Carolina Marin, her individual silver medal was historic nonetheless, as it was India's first for a female athlete.