India Star shuttler PV Sindhu terms quarterfinal exit ‘hardest loss of her career’

‘Paris 2024: A Beautiful Journey but a Difficult Loss. This loss is one of the hardest of my career. It will take time to accept (it), but as life moves forward, I know I will come to terms with it.’

New Delhi: Two-time Olympic medallist shuttler PV Sindhu has penned an emotional note on social, calling her loss in the pre-quarterfinals at the Olympic Games in Paris as “hardest” of her career. Sindhu, playing in her third Olympics, lost to China’s He Bing Jiao 21-19, 21-14 in a Round of 15 match. The Chinese was the same shuttler whom the Indian defeated in Tokyo to take bronze, her second Olympic medal, in the re-scheduled Paris 2020 Olympics in August 2021.

“Paris 2024: A Beautiful Journey but a Difficult Loss. This loss is one of the hardest of my career. It will take time to accept (it), but as life moves forward, I know I will come to terms with it,” Sindhu posted on X.

“The journey to Paris 2024 was a battle, marked by two years of injuries and long periods away from the game. Despite these challenges, standing here and representing my wonderful country at a third Olympics makes me feel truly blessed,” she wrote in her post.

“I’m incredibly fortunate to compete at this level and, even more importantly, to inspire a generation. Your messages have been a tremendous source of comfort during this time. My team and I gave everything we had for Paris 2024, leaving it all on the court with no regrets,” she further wrote.

Though Sindhu missed out on her hat-trick of Olympic medals the 29-year-old is looking at her future in the “sport she loves so much” and planning to evaluate the journey ahead carefully.

“Regarding my future, I want to be clear: I will continue, albeit after a small break. My body, and more importantly, my mind needs it. However, I plan to carefully evaluate the journey ahead, finding more joy in playing the sport I love so very much,” she concluded.

Former world champion Sindhu won a silver medal on her Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, before clinching bronze in Tokyo Games. IANS

Also Read: Paris Olympics: Indian shuttler PV Sindhu loses to Bing Jiao in Round Of 16 of women’s singles badminton

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