It is a victory that the tall shuttler from Hyderabad thoroughly deserved, perhaps more than anyone
In a first ever for Indian badminton, the Tricolour rose higher than any other nation's flag at the BWF World Championships in Basel, Switzerland on Sunday.
PV Sindhu improved upon her two successive silver medals to win gold, smashing her way to an incredible result never achieved in Indian badminton before.
The 24-year-old demolished Japan's world No. 4 Nozomi Okuhara 21-7 21-7 in just 37 minutes in the women's singles final – in what seemed to be a lop-sided battle – avenging her loss in the title round in the 2017 Worlds to the 24-year-old Japanese.
It is a victory that the tall shuttler from Hyderabad thoroughly deserved, perhaps more than anyone.
"I am really happy, I have waited for this victory and finally I've become world champion," Sindhu said after the win. "A lot of credit goes to my coaches Gopi sir and Miss Kim (Ji Hyun). I have no words to express because I was waiting. Last year, it was silver, before that it was silver and then finally I'm world champion. I'm really very happy."
Having won bronze in 2013 Guangzhou and 2014 Copenhagen and silver in 2017 Glasgow and 2018 Nanjing editions, the Olympic silver medallist could not have chosen a better day than August 25 to win the country's first badminton World Championship title.
"I dedicate this title to my mother, it is her birthday today. Happy Birthday, Mom," said an elated Sindhu to a television interviewer soon after her final.
In her formative years, whenever Sindhu returned to her home in Hyderabad, her mother, P Vijaya, used to welcome her at the airport, with a surprise gift. This practice continued till she got to the senior circuit and started winning tournaments the world over.
And what better way to return the favour to her than emerge as India's first world champion shuttler on her mother's birthday.
By winning on Sunday, Sindhu not only claimed her first title of the year but also put an end to all the criticism that she falters in the final of major tournaments. It had been happening far too frequently that Sindhu failed to cross the final hurdle.
Sindhu attacked Okuhara no end from the beginning and never let her Japanese opponent settle down or win more than two successive points.
That Sindhu won a match-high eight consecutive points twice in the first game to move up from 0-1 to 8-1 and then from 8-2 to 16-2 showed who was dictating terms on the day.
"I was just focused on my match and didn't think it was the final. Thought it was like any other match, like the semis and quarters," Sindhu said about her game plan.
"I went to the court that way and gave my hundred per cent. Definitely, winning and losing were secondary but going to the court and giving my hundred per cent was very important. I've given that and proved it," she said.
In fact, the moment Sindhu won that gruelling three-game quarterfinal against world no. 2 Tai Tzu Ying in the quarterfinals, there was no stopping her unless she found an opponent who was equally attacking.
Having crossed one major hurdle, Sindhu will now gain immense confidence and look to conquer another "final" hurdle — the Olympics next year — after having gone down to the Spanish Carolina Marin in 2016 Rio Games final.
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