Sports

PV Sindhu Writes Emotional Letter After Loss to Saina Nehwal in CWG Final

Having just returned from the 2018 Commonwealth Games, India’s ace shuttler PV Sindhu says that a loss is never going to stop her from believing in herself and she will bounce back once again.

PV Sindhu, who was the flag bearer for India during the opening ceremony at the Gold Coast Games lost to compatriot Saina Nehwal in the Women’s singles Gold medal match and had to settle for Silver.

Now that Sindhu, brand ambassador of sports drink brand Gatorade, is back in the country, she has penned an open letter on her never-say-die attitude.

“One more down but many more to go! As much as I had given my all to this game, I am once again ready to roar for my next fight, to finish and win. This is my journey, the journey of a sportsperson, every feat accomplished is followed by zeroing on the next target.

“No loss is ever enough, neither one nor many to stop me from believing in myself. Every time I miss a return, every time my shot fails to clear the net and every time I hit it long — I remind myself, it is not done until I am done,” Sindhu wrote.

“Standing at the podium, head bowed to receive my Silver Commonwealth medal at the women’s singles event, the heart swells with pride, moments of struggle, strife and sweat flash before my eyes. For me victory only begins to sink when the first beat of national anthem falls on my ears and then it gets louder, so do the cheers from the crowd, that is when I finally breathe out — mission accomplished.

“Marching down the tracks as the flagbearer of the Indian contingent at the Commonwealth Games this year, I felt rest upon my shoulders the hope and faith of a million. With every step that I took, I knew it was time to bring together my skill, stamina and most of all my spirit, the spirit to rise higher after every fall, come back harder after every drop.

“From the moment of get, set and go until my last smash, I sweat from every pore, using every iota of strength left in me because giving up is not an option,” she wrote.

Sindhu believes one should “let nothing stand in the way of your dreams, let nothing pull you down, let nothing beat you”.

“Winning becomes a habit when sweating for it becomes an attitude! So, to all my countrymen and women, fans, well-wishers and badminton lovers who now tune out after having savoured a nail-biting finish, know that I am not done. My journey with Gatorade to Sweat More, Sweat for Gold continues unabashed,” she posted.