One of India’s biggest hopes for the Gold Medal at the Paris Olympics 2024, badminton star P V Sindhu suffered a shock defeat in R16 sending the country in a state despair as it struggles to get medals at the on-going games.
It thereby ended her dreams of a third Olympic medal. P V Sindhu was outclassed in straight-games by China’s world No. 6 He Bing Jiao in the women’s singles pre-quarter-finals .
The 29-year-old from Hyderabad, who won a silver medal at the Rio Games in 2016 and bronze in the Tokyo edition, was beaten 21-19, 21-14 in 26 minutes.
Sindhu had topped her group in qualifying for the knock-out stage and was looking for a third medal from the Games, but Bing Jiao produced an attacking masterclass, her lethal forehand troubling Sindhu.
In what was a rematch of the Tokyo Olympics bronze medal play-off, the Chinese landed hard and accurate smashes to gather points at will, while Sindhu was guilty of falling short with her lifts. She was unable to match her opponent’s pace. After an intense opening game she faded as Bing Jiao exacted revenge.
