PV Sindhu: Ten interesting facts about India's premier Badminton star on her birthday

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Pusarla Venkata Sindhu turned 28 on Wednesday (July 5). The incredible badminton player was born on this day back in 1995.

She is one of India's most successful female sportspersons, who has won medals at various international stages, Olympics being the highest. The soft-spoken superstar has been a stalwart already in her game and there is still a lot to offer.

Sindhu was born in Secunderabad to PV Ramana and P. Vijaya. Her parents were former Volleyball players and her father was bestowed with the Arjuna Award in 2000.

As the stunning Indian athlete turns 28, here we take a look at seven interesting facts about Sindhu-

She was a BWF top 20 as a teenager

PV Sindhu has been an early bloomer. BWF World Ranking is the official ranking for badminton players which determines their qualification for the tournaments such as World Championships or Olympics.

Sindhu broke into the top 20 BWF rankings as a 17-year-old. Sindhu, despite being still at her tender age, was one of the top-notch players and achieved the feat in September, 2012.

Sindhu became the first Indian woman to win two Olympics Medals

The badminton star was excellent for India when she played in the Rio Olympics in 2016. Sindhu won the Silver medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics, and backed that up with another medal win four years later.

In 2020, she won the Bronze medal in Tokyo and thus became the first Indian woman to have multiple Olympics medals.

PV Sindhu BWF World Champion in 2019

Sindhu added another feather to her illustrious hat when she became the BWF World Champion on August 25, 2019. Sindhu defeated Japanese shuttler Nozomi Okuhara in the final in straight games to give a long-awaited moment for Indian badminton by winning gold at the BWF World Championships.

She thus became the first Indian to win the prestigious badminton world championships since its inception in 1977. The feat in Basel and also helped her equal two-time Olympic gold medallist Zhang Ning's record of five medals at the event. Sindhu has won two bronze, two silver and one gold at the BWF Worlds.

Pullela Gopichand was Sindhu's inspiration

India's badminton legend Pullela Gopichand is Sindhu's inspiration, who fuelled Sindhu's will to take up the racquet after his stunning win in the 2001 All England Open Badminton Championship.

Gopichand's influence was such that Sindhu started playing Badminton when she turned 8, and chose to play the cork game instead of Volleyball, the game both of her parents played. Gopichand was also Sindhu's coach for a period of time.

Three Months without phone

Sometimes sacrifice is the pillar and the hidden ingredient for success. And Sindhu has done plenty of that. The shuttler once spent three months without her phone in 2016 before the Rio Olympics. Coach Pullela Gopichand imposed the rule on her to ensure maximum focus before the start of the tournament.

Sindhu likes Allu Arjun and Ranveer Singh movies

Despite being on the edge for most part of the year, Sindhu likes to dive into movies during her off time. She is a big fan of Ranveer Singh in Bollywood, and loves to watch Telugu stars Mahesh Babu, Allu Arjun and Prabhas.

Sindhu is into Hyderabadi delicacies

Sindhu is also a foodie and likes to give her taste buds some leeway in between stern diet schedules. She loves Hyderabadi Biryani, Ice Cream and often indulges herself with Pizza and Italian foods.

She used to travel 112 km for training

PV Sindhu used to travel 56 kms one side to attend training at the Pullela Gopichand academy. She was punctual as well and was one of the first players to reach the academy.

Sindhu skipped her sister's wedding at 17

A 17-year-old Sindhu decided to skip her elder sister's wedding back in 2012. She was playing in a junior-level tournament in Lucknow and showed immense dedication and commitment to the game.

It was a brave decision for a teenager to sacrifice such an emotional and joyous family event, which kind of speaks volumes about the badminton star.

Sindhu is a deputy collector

Sindhu was appointed as the Deputy Collector of Vijayawada district by the Andhra Pradesh government in July 2017. She signed the roster in the presence of senior IAS officers and took charge in August of that year.

Sindhu received gifts from Sachin Tendulkar and Salman Khan

After winning the Silver medal at the Rio Olympics, PV Sindhu won various awards from a plethora of sources in India. Many state governments felicitated her with awards while a few eminent personalities also gifted her personal gifts.

India's cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar gifted her a BMW car, whereas Bollywood superstar Salman Khan gifted her USD 1,400.