After a second Olympic medal, PV Sindhu deserves Bharat Ratna

PV Sindhu is once again the toast of the nation and rightly so. Although she has not been able to better her effort at the Rio Olympics, winning another medal at the next Olympics is no mean feat.

For Sindhu, who started out while Saina Nehwal was in her prime and got trained by the same Pullela Gopichand, the journey has been marked by sacrifices and hard work.

Surviving the gruelling training sessions and emerging as a determined sportsperson to achieve her goal, her unwavering focus towards excellence has helped her scale heights very few can even dream of.

In the run-up to the Tokyo Olympics, Sindhu was not in the form that she would have liked but has still managed to win a medal.

We also need to keep in mind that the Covid-led disruptions can be enough to rattle the best sportspersons on this planet but to her credit, she has been able to stave them off and make her country proud again.

In these difficult times and for a country of India’s size, these moments come too far and few.

We must savour it and give her the recognition that her efforts deserve.

She has won a medal at all World Championships since 2013, barring 2015, and also in the Commonwealth and Asian games. She rose to number 2 in the world in 2017 and currently ranked number 7.

Only the fourth player to win two consecutive medals in women’s badminton singles at Olympics, a Bharat Ratna would be a fitting reward.