P. V. Sindhu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids P. V. Sindhu
Sindhu in August 2016
Personal information
Birth name	Pusarla Venkata Sindhu
Born	(1995-07-05) 5 July 1995 (age 29) Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
Height	1.79 m
Weight	65 kg
Country	India
Years active	2011–present
Handedness	Right
Women's singles
Highest Ranking	2 (April 2017)
Current Ranking	12 (January 2025)
Medal record Women's badminton Representing  India Olympic Games Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro Women's singles Bronze 2020 Tokyo Women's singles World Championships Gold 2019 Basel Women's singles Silver 2017 Glasgow Women's singles Silver 2018 Nanjing Women's singles Bronze 2013 Guangzhou Women's singles Bronze 2014 Copenhagen Women's singles Uber Cup Bronze 2014 New Delhi Women's team Bronze 2016 Kunshan Women's team Commonwealth Games Gold 2018 Gold Coast Mixed team Gold 2022 Birmingham Women's singles Silver 2018 Gold Coast Women's singles Silver 2022 Birmingham Mixed team Bronze 2014 Glasgow Women's singles Asian Games Silver 2018 Jakarta Women's singles Bronze 2014 Incheon Women's team Asian Championships Bronze 2014 Gimcheon Women's singles Bronze 2022 Manila Women's singles Asia Mixed Team Championships Bronze 2023 Dubai Mixed team Asia Team Championships Gold 2024 Selangor Women's team South Asian Games Gold 2016 Shillong Women's team Silver 2016 Shillong Women's singles Commonwealth Youth Games Gold 2011 Douglas Girls' singles Asian Junior Championships Gold 2012 Gimcheon Girls' singles Bronze 2011 Lucknow Girls' singles Bronze 2011 Lucknow Mixed team

Pusarla Venkata Sindhu (born on July 5, 1995), known as PV Sindhu, is a famous badminton player from India. Many people see her as one of India's best athletes. She has won many medals at big events like the Olympic Games and the World Championships.

Sindhu is the first and only Indian to become a badminton world champion. She is also the second Indian to win two Olympic medals in a row. In April 2017, she reached her highest world ranking, becoming No. 2.

She joined the top 20 world rankings in September 2012 when she was just 17. She has won five medals at the World Championships. Only one other woman, Zhang Ning from China, has won five or more singles medals in this competition.

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she was the first Indian badminton player to reach the Olympic final. She won a silver medal there. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she won a bronze medal. This made her the first Indian woman to win two Olympic medals.

Sindhu won her first big title, the superseries, at the 2016 China Open. She also won the 2018 BWF World Tour Finals, being the only Indian player to win this year-end title. She is also the current Commonwealth Games champion. She has won three singles medals at the Commonwealth Games.

Sindhu has earned a lot of money from her sport. She was on the Forbes list of Highest-Paid Female Athletes many times. India has given her high awards like the Arjuna Award, Khel Ratna Award, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri.

Early Life & Training

Pusarla Venkata Sindhu was born in Hyderabad, India, on July 5, 1995. Her parents, P. V. Ramana and P. Vijaya, speak Telugu. Her parents were both national volleyball players. Her father, Ramana, won a bronze medal at the 1986 Seoul Asian Games. He also received the Arjuna Award for his volleyball achievements.

Even though her parents played volleyball, Sindhu chose badminton. She was inspired by Pullela Gopichand, a famous badminton champion. She started playing badminton when she was eight years old. She first learned the basics from Mehboob Ali. Then, she joined Pullela Gopichand's Gopichand Badminton Academy.

Her coach, Gopichand, said that Sindhu's best qualities are her positive attitude and her "never-say-die spirit." After joining his academy, Sindhu won many titles. She won championships in the under-10 and under-13 age groups. She also won a gold medal with the under-14 team at the National State Games. Later, she trained with South Korean coach Park Tae-sang. Now, her coaches are Anup Sridhar and Lee Hyun-il.

Her Badminton Journey

Starting Out: 2009–2011

Sindhu began playing internationally at just 14 years old in 2009. She won a bronze medal at the 2009 Sub-Junior Asian Badminton Championships. In 2010, she won a silver medal at the Iran Fajr International Badminton Challenge. She reached the quarter-finals of the 2010 BWF World Junior Championships.

In 2011, she won the Maldives International Challenge and the Indonesia International Challenge. She also won the Commonwealth Youth Games. She was a finalist at the Dutch Open and won the Swiss International. Later that year, she won the India International badminton event.

Big Wins & Milestones: 2012–2016

In 2012, at 16, Sindhu played in the All England Open Championships. She became India's first Asian Junior Champion by winning the Asian Junior Championships. She surprised many by beating Olympic gold medalist Li Xuerui at the China Masters Superseries.

In 2013, she won her first Grand Prix Gold title at the Malaysian Grand Prix Gold. She made history at the 2013 World Championships. She became only India's second medalist in singles at the World Championships since 1983. She won a bronze medal there. The Indian government gave her the Arjuna Award for her achievements. She also won the Macau Open Grand Prix Gold title.

In 2014, Sindhu won a bronze medal at the Asian Championships. She also won a bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. She made history again at the 2014 World Championships. She became the first Indian to win two medals in a row at the World Championships, earning another bronze. She defended her Macau Open title at the end of the year.

In 2015, Sindhu reached her first Superseries final at the Denmark Open. She won her third Macau Open title in a row. She had a foot injury in 2015 but still managed to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

In 2016, Sindhu won the Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold. She was the captain of the Chennai Smashers team in the Premier Badminton League. Her team won the tournament. At the Rio Olympic Games, she won a silver medal. This made her India's youngest individual Olympic medalist and the first Indian woman to win an Olympic silver. After the Olympics, she won the China Open, becoming only the second Indian woman to do so. She was named the BWF Most Improved Player of the Year for her great performance in 2016.

Continued Success: 2017–2020

Sindhu won the Syed Modi International and the India Open Superseries in 2017. She reached her highest world ranking of number 2 in April 2017. At the 2017 World Championships, she won a silver medal after a very long and exciting final match. She then became the first Indian to win the Korea Open. She was also nominated for the BWF Female Player of the Year Award.

In 2018, Sindhu reached the semi-finals of the All England Open Championships. She won a gold medal in the mixed team event and a silver medal in the singles event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. She won her second silver medal at the World Championships. This was her fourth World Championship medal overall. At the 2018 Asian Games, she won a historic first silver medal for India in badminton. At the end of 2018, she won the 2018 BWF World Tour Finals. She is the only Indian player to win this year-end championship.

In 2019, Sindhu reached her first final of the season at the Indonesia Open. At the 2019 World Championships, she won the gold medal. She became the first Indian to win gold at the World Championships. She was named the BBC Indian Sportswoman of Year in 2020. She also became an ambassador for the BWF Committee's "I am Badminton" campaign.

Recent Years: 2021–Present

In 2021, Sindhu reached the final of the Swiss Open. She was also elected as an ambassador for the International Olympic Committee's 'Believe in Sport' campaign. At the Tokyo Olympic Games, she won a bronze medal. This made her the first Indian woman to win two medals at two Olympic games. She reached the semi-finals of the World Tour Finals, winning a silver medal.

In 2022, Sindhu won the Syed Modi International and the Swiss Open titles. She also won a bronze medal at the Asian Championships. She then won the Singapore Open title. At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Sindhu won her first Commonwealth Games gold medal in women's singles. She also helped India win a silver medal in the mixed team event. She had to take a break due to a foot injury later that year.

Sindhu returned from her injury in 2023. She helped the Indian team win a bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships. She reached the final of the Spain Masters.

In 2024, Sindhu led the Indian women's team to a gold medal at the Badminton Asia Team Championships. She reached the final of the Malaysia Masters. She was also chosen as one of the flag bearers for India at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. At the end of 2024, Sindhu won the Syed Modi International title for the third time, making her the most successful player in the tournament's history.

Personal Life

Sindhu got married to businessman Venkata Datta Sai in December 2024.

She works for Bharat Petroleum as an assistant sports manager. After winning her Olympic silver medal, she was promoted to deputy sports manager. She was also appointed as the first brand ambassador for Bridgestone India. In July 2017, the Andhra Pradesh government made her a Deputy Collector.

Awards & Recognition

Sindhu being awarded Padma Bhushan, c. 2021

National Awards

• Arjuna Award (2013)
• Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award (2015)
• Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, India's highest sports honor (2016)
• Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award (2020)

Other Honors

• CNN-IBN Indian of the Year (Sports) 2013
• FICCI Breakthrough Sportsperson of the Year 2014
• NDTV Indian of the Year (Sports) 2014
• BWF Most Improved Player of the Year 2016
• Indian Sports Honours Sportswoman of the Year 2017
• Forbes 30 Under 30: Entertainment & Sports 2018
• TV9 Nava Nakshatra Sanmanam 2019
• Times of India Sports Awards (TOISA) Sportsperson of the Year 2019
• BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year 2020
• Champions of Change (Telangana) 2021
• NDTV True Legend: Future of Young India (Sports) 2022

Rewards for Medals

Sindhu received many rewards for her Olympic medals:

• For her silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics:
  • Money and land from the governments of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
  • Money from the governments of Delhi, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh.
  • Money from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
  • Money from the Badminton Association of India and other organizations.
  • A promotion at her job with Bharat Petroleum.
  • A BMW car from the Hyderabad District Badminton Association and cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.
  • A Mahindra Thar from Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra.

• For her gold medal at the 2019 BWF World Championships:
  • Money from the Badminton Association of India and the Indian government.
  • Money from the Government of Kerala.
  • Land from the Government of Andhra Pradesh.
  • A BMW car from actor Nagarjuna Akkineni and businessman V. Chamundeswaranath.

• For her bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics:
  • Money from the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and India.
  • Money from BYJU'S, the Board of Control for Cricket in India, the Indian Olympic Association, and the JSW Group.

Images for kids

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  Sindhu inside the cockpit of HAL Tejas at Yelahanka AFS, Bangalore

See Also

In Spanish: Pusarla Sindhu para niños

• Badminton in India
• India national badminton team
• List of Indian sportswomen