PV Sindhu claimed silver, and created history, after losing 21-19, 12-21, 15-21 against Spain's Carolina Marin in the women's badminton singles final at Rio Olympics on Friday. She became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic silver and also, at 21, the youngest individual Indian medallist.
As Marin sank to her knees sobbing after her win, Sindhu walked up to her, bending to offer a congratulatory handshake before the two embraced. It encapsulated the thrilling, closely fought contest with both players extracting the last ounce of will and tenacity from the other.
"I'm really proud since my aim was to win a medal at the Olympics. I also want to congratulate all those who lost a medal by a point. It's been a great week for me and I'm really happy about it," Sindhu said. "Badminton has been really doing well in India for the past few years and I'm sure we will win more medals in the future. I didn't think I would make it to the finals and when I did I told myself that I can do it."
"In the third game there were simple errors from my side. In a match one has to win and the other has to lose. I guess it was Marin's day today. I played my best and I'm happy to settle for silver," Sindhu said.
Sindhu fought back from a six-point deficit to take the first game. A beautiful drop shot from Marin had the Indian trailing 2-4 before dispatching a down-the-line smash to widen the gap 9-5. The more attacking player of the two, Sindhu, landed another one wide to fall behind 9-13 as coach Gopichand wore a tense, studied look. A couple of unforced errors by the Spaniard had the Indian closing in at 13-15 before the reigning world champion sent a body smash to go up 17-15 before calling for the courts to be swabbed. Following a protracted rally of close to 50 shots, Marin ballooned a return wide with Sindhu holding up a clenched fist in a show of measured celebration. A wayward return from Marin when trailing 19-20 had her dropping a game for the first time at this Olympics and Sindhu shrieking in triumph.
Racing to a 4-0 lead early in the second game, Marin sent a smash wide to hand Sindhu a point. The gap was widening and the crowd was turning restive, willing the Indian to mount a comeback similar to the one in the first game. But the Spaniard was putting away winners with ease and, though Sindhu managed to pick up three points at 9-18 down, the deficit was too large. A deft drop shot from Marin had her sealing the second game and stretching the match into a decider.
Showing some incredible footwork in the final game, Marin leapt to smash one beyond Sindhu's reach to extend her lead to 9-4. A brilliant backhand from Sindhu at 9-6 before Marin sent one wide had the Indian breathing down the Spaniard's neck. Another Marin smash had her now leading 12-10 before Sindhu slapped one into the net at 17-14. At 19-14, a cross-court smash from Marin had Sindhu dropping to her knees before the reigning world champion put away the winner well beyond Sindhu's reach.