Coach Gopichand will finally let Sindhu have ice cream

8 years ago

Image Courtesy: deccanchronicle

When it comes to matters of discipline, Pullela Gopichand had tightened the clamps on PV Sindhu ever since enrolled into legendary coach’s academy. May it be Saina Nehwal or Sindhu, It has been Gopi’s theory that excellence requires certain sacrifices.

However, now that Sindhu has carved her name in the Indian sporting history as the first ever woman to win a silver medal, the strict teacher is ready to loosen up a bit.

“Sindhu did not have her phone during the last three months. The first thing is I would return her phone. The second thing, after coming here for last 12-13 days, I had deprived her from having sweet curd which she likes most. I also stopped her from eating ice cream. Now she can eat whatever she wants,” an ecstatic Gopi said after Sindhu’s silver winning feat.

Gopi praised Sindhu’s work ethic during the lead up to the Olympics. “She has had a great last week. The kind of work she has put in the last two months is tremendous. The kind of sacrifices she has made without complaining is fantastic. She deserved to enjoy the moment and that’s what I really wanted her to do. I’m very truly very happy.”

Gopi believes that the journey is just beginning for the 21-year-old silver medalist and expects bigger things from her. “Sindhu is much younger. I think she has developed a lot in this tournament. She has a lot of potential to grow further. You should give your best shot. She has done us proud. I’m really happy for her,” he said.

Gopi’s wants to Sindhu to think about having won a silver rather than feeling disappointed on having missed gold. “I told her don’t think that you lost it. Remember that we have won a medal. I wanted to tell her this to ensure that she does not forget the last week’s effort that she put in to come to second place on the podium.”

“She has done us all proud by the kind of the effort she’s put in. From our side we are happy, I wanted her to enjoy the moment going into the podium. It’s important for me, more than her, that to forget that she lost the match and focus on the fact that she won the medal.”

Sindhu, who had a 3-4 win-loss record against Marin going into the final, dreamt of pulling an upset by beating the two-time world champion. It seemed very possible, as she pulled a 19-21 win in the first set. However, Marin outperformed Sindhu in the next two.

Gopichand was all praise for his student: “To generate that kind of energy going requires something special. She’s been fantastic in all the four matches and she’s fought well in the final as well. I’m very proud of the fact that she gave it all she had. Marin was the better player on the day, Sindhu has learnt a lesson today. Hopefully she will come back stronger the next time.”

From being a All-England champion who lost in the Olympics quarterfinals in Sydney 2000 to coaching two exceptional athletes – Saina Nehwal and PS Sindh, Gopichand’s journey has been extraordinary.

“It’s once in a lifetime. Sometime once in a million time and probably for us once in a billion! Very few times that somebody gets an opportunity to stand on that podium. And for somebody to be a part of that journey is very special,” Gopichand said.

“I’m very happy, very grateful to the God and the people who supported in this journey. I did not have my phone to reply to the best wishes but things like the Prime Minister’s tweet motivates us to push harder. Everyone has given and tried their best at the Olympics, only few of them have won.”

“From our side, we all have tried our best. Hopefully, we will come back stronger and win more but there was no dearth of effort from our side. At this moment, I would really thank the Government of India and SAI for supporting us. It’s a huge effort from a lot of people to get us a medal. I just feel thankful to all of them.”

“We would have loved to get the gold but for her first Olympics and the way she played, I feel very very proud.”

Sindhu may have returned with a silver after losing to Spanish world No 1 Carolina Marin, but Pullela Gopichand believes the Indian would be the one to watch out for in future. “She’s not yet played in so many big tournaments and finals to actually make things happen. She’s a strong athlete and will return stronger the next time,” Gopichand said.

“I think Marin played well. She was strong, she kept attacking. Sindhu had her chances. but at crucial time Marin played better.”

When asked about what he was telling Sindhu in between the match, he said: “It was just important to get our chances and attack well. She made some simple errors and Marin took the momentum from there.”

“The initially flurry of points that Sindhu lost, finishing the game and changing over I think that needs a little bit of experience,” he added.