Hyderabad: Sindhu, who had won a silver medal at the Rio Games five years ago, walked out of the Indira Gandhi International Terminal amid a round of applause from the airport staff.She was flanked by security officers and wore a face mask.
Sindhu was received by Badminton Association of India (BAI) general secretary Ajay Kumar, and other officials of the Sports Authority of India (SAI). Sindhu and her Korean coach Park Tae-sang were also felicitated by Ajay at the airport.
I am very happy and excited of course. Everyone congratulated me. I am thankful to the BAI and everyone for supporting and encouraging me. It is an exciting day and a happy moment, said Sindhu. By winning bronze on Sunday, Sindhu became only the second Indian to bag two Olympic medals. The 26-year-old defeated China’s He Bing Jiao in the bronze medal play-off.
Sports Minister Anurag Thakur hailed PV Sindhu as a sporting icon and one of the greatest Olympians the country has ever produced. PV Sindhu is amongst India’s greatest Olympians. She is India’s icon and inspiration, and has caught the imagination of every Indian who dreams of playing for the country, Thakur said after felicitating Sindhu and her coach Park Tae-Sang here. Her incredible achievement – of winning two Olympic medals in consecutive Games – will inspire a generation of budding athletes. Her success shows how the Target Olympic Podium scheme of the government has nurtured our Olympic hopefuls towards a podium finish, he added.