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By Sudipto Ganguly
MUMBAI (Reuters) – Pusarla Sindhu, an Indian, nicknamed the "Silver Girl" for a series of near misses on the international scene, hopes to have finally eliminated that nickname after winning her first world badminton title this weekend.
Sindhu became the first world badminton champion in India when she beat Japan's Nozomi Okuhara 21-7 21-7 to win the women's singles at Basel on Sunday, a win that also reinforced the hope of country to get an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo next year.
After finishing as a finalist at the 2016 Olympic Games, the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games last year and the previous two finals of the world championships, Sindhu was thrilled to be on the podium.
"I had been waiting for a long time. It's a moment of pride for me and for India. Many people are waiting, "the 24-year-old from Hyderabad told reporters.
"This is my answer to people who have asked me questions many times. I just wanted to answer with my racket and with that win – that's all. "
Sindhu competed in five other finals last year without winning any, raising questions about his mental toughness.
In Switzerland, however, she dispelled all doubts about her game, raining a fierce strike after the other on Okuhara to end the match in 38 minutes.
"I got goose bumps when I heard them say" world champion "and when the national anthem was played and I saw the Indian flag being lifted," said Sindhu, moved. "There really are not words to describe that,"
While the Indian field hockey team has won eight Olympic titles, the shooter Abhinav Bindra remains the only individual gold medalist for the country's 1.3 billion people, who failed to get the best athletic success apart from cricket.
With her silver medal in Rio, Sindhu is already the best Indian Olympic athlete, although she does not intend to rest on her laurels.
"Well, one goal is reached and the next is here: the Olympics," she told the Hindu newspaper. "I'm really going to work hard and get ready to win this win, too, with good performances in the Super Series ahead of the Tokyo Games next year."
Off the field, Sindhu also won the gold medal. She was ranked 13th in the Forbes list of the highest paid female athletes in the past year with $ 5.5 million.
Sports marketing company Baseline Ventures, which runs Sindhu, said the athlete currently endorsed 14 marks and that his off-road earnings only represented cricket captain Virat Kohli among the country's sports elite.
"There will be many more people potentially interested," Tuhin Mishra, chief executive of Baseline, told Reuters.
"Sindhu commands a certain price and many sponsors are already following it thanks to its qualities.
"This is not a flash in the pan as many factors are at stake for the sponsors."
(Edited by Peter Rutherford)
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