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New Delhi : Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur on August 3, 2021, felicitated ace badminton player P V Sindhu on her return home after becoming the first Indian woman to win two Olympic Games medals, after she claimed bronze with a straight games victory over He Bing Jiao in Tokyo 2020.
In felicitating Sindhu and her coach Park Tae Sang at a ceremony, Thakur was joined by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman; Union Culture, Tourism and Development of North-Eastern Region Minister G Kishan Reddy, and Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Nisith Pramanik, Secretary Sports Ravi Mittal, and senior officers of the Sports Ministry.
Sindhu’s parents P Vijaya and P V Ramana travelled from Hyderabad to be part of the programme. Members of Parliament Shyam Bapu Rao, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Arvind Dharmapuri, and T G Venkatesh also graced the event.
Speaking at the event, Thakur said, “P V Sindhu is amongst India’s greatest Olympians. She is India’s icon, inspiration and has caught the imagination of every Indian who dreams of playing for the country. Her incredible achievement – that of winning two Olympic medals in two consecutive Olympic 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. Just before setting off for Tokyo Olympics, she had an interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and right after her victory, he was the first person to call her and congratulate her. The nation of 130 crore Indians is thrilled by her smashing performance.”
A visibly elated Sindhu said, “ I would like to thank each one of my fans because of the support and though we played without fans at the stadium, but I am sure billions have supported me from India and this success is the result of their wishes. I would like to thank my parents for their constant support and scarifies and my coach for working with me and making this dream come true.”
Nirmala Sitharaman said that Sindhu is a great sportsperson and she has repeatedly proved herself so. “What has contributed to her success are meticulous preparation, world class training facilities at Gadchibowli, a great coach, family support, and Sindhu’s own perseverance, grit and excellence in the field of play.” It’s a day when all Indians can derive absolute inspiration and motivation,” she said. She further added “What an inspiration, what a motivation she will be for generations to come.”
Reddy said, “P.V Sindhu’s podium finish at the Tokyo Olympic Games is a story of many firsts – She is the first Indian woman to win 2 Olympic medals. Behind her success is a lifetime of passion, grit and sacrifices. Early morning practices and late-night workouts were her “new normal” for many years. As a Telugu, seeing a Telugu bidda and a Hyderabadi achieve this fills my heart with pride. Further, Sindhu’s success will inspire not just 65 lakh Hyderabadis or 6.5 crore Telugus or 65 crore Indian women and girls but the whole of India. I congratulate her once again on this spectacular achievement.”