PV Sindhu looked really nervous and had butterflies in her stomach as she stepped onto the court for her final match at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Sindhu was chasing that elusive gold medal. In the 2014 edition, she got a bronze medal after losing to Canadian player Michele Li in the semi-finals and in 2018 she lost to Saina Nehwal in the final.
So she was really determined to solve the puzzle this time. But while the draw looked easy on paper, his journey to the final was not without its hitches. After making it through the first two rounds comfortably, she ran into Malaysia’s Goh Jin Wei and almost got stuck. The two-time former junior world champion kept the top seed in check. Starting at a blistering pace, Wei stunned Sindhu by winning the opener 21-19. Almost in panic mode, but the Indian shuttle queen knew she had to play it easy and do something drastic.
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Going into an all-out attack, she took the battle to Wei and put huge pressure on the opponent and won the second game 21-14. In the third, she led 11-7 and again 13-7 before the Malaysian made a final effort to push Sindhu on the back foot and went close at 12-13 and followed the pace until 18-18 , before Sindhu pulled away for a 21-18 victory and entered the semi-finals, where she played against Yao Jia Ming of Singapore and prevailed 21-19, 21-17 in 46 minutes. It was also too close for comfort, but Sindhu was still ahead by a point or two.
She was now set to face Canadian veteran Li in the final. But Sindhu was a transformed player in the gold medal match. She was in her element as she made Li dance to her tunes. Even an Achilles strain in her left ankle didn’t deter her from winning the gold medal 21-15, 21-13, a gold that had eluded her for nearly a decade. Said former national head trainer Vimal Kumar, “She did enough to win at a canter. Michelle Li was always one step behind. Li was outclassed in all departments. This gold medal will help Sindhu’s psychology as she enters the world championship”.
All in all, August 8, 2022 will be long remembered as the red letter day in the annals of Indian badminton. On this day, Indian badminton really arrived. By winning three gold medals in a single day of CWG Finals, we made it clear that we were in our rightful place in the world badminton hierarchy.
The stroke of luck for Satwiksairaj Rankareddy and Chirag Shetty
In the career of every champion, there is a luck factor that pushes them to reach greater heights. Satwiksairaj Rankareddy and Chirag Shetty, the second seeds of the CWG and ranked 8th in the world, were supposed to meet Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia, the seeds. The Malaysian duo had played 5 times against the Indians and won all these meetings.
But the English pair of Sean Vendy and Ben Lane stopped the Malaysians in their tracks by winning 19-21, 21-18, 21-4. It was obvious that Soh Wooi Yin had an injured right knee. Either way, the Indians couldn’t have asked for a better final. Silver medalists four years ago, they now had a ‘God-sent’ chance of winning gold here in Birmingham. The Indians were way too fast, way too aggressive and their net control was superb. The English duo were outmaneuvered with ease. We won 21-15, 21-13 to bring India the second gold medal.
GTC 2022 – TOTAL COVERAGE | IN DEPTH | INDIA CENTER | OFF THE PITCH | IN PICTURES | MEDAL COUNT
Sensationnel Lakshya
All badminton fans in the country were hoping for an all-Indian men’s singles final between Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth. But that didn’t happen as in his semi-final against world number 42 Ng Tze Yang, Srikanth lost in three games. The 22-year-old from Kuala Lumpur has blistering speed on court cover and can strike from a deep baseline, but reaches the net in a fraction of a second.
The final was the fastest game I’ve seen in 52 years in the game, an ecstatic Vimal Kumar says: “I’m very impressed with Lakshya today. Even though he lost the first match 19-21, he never got angry and kept his cool. I could also see that he mixed offense and defense well, which made Tze Yang not keep up with the pace and the long rallies really frustrated him.
Congratulations champion @lakshya_sen. I remember you now at 11 when you won in Singapore in 2011. Proud of your progress. @BAI_Media @himantabiswa @Infy_Foundation @YonexSunriseIn @Media_SAI @Sports_PDCSE @OGQ_Inde pic.twitter.com/S8yxgTLhdB
— Vimal Kumar (@vimalkumar_u) August 8, 2022
In fact, the long quick exchanges cost the Malaysian a lot, who literally gave up the second game and tried to focus on the third game. And it was a mistake as the 20-year-old Indian ace took the lead and held the game in a vise.
It was a biting, edge-of-the-seat encounter.
Vimal, who has coached and mentored Sen in Bengaluru since the age of 10, was amazed at his ward’s impossible recoveries. His defense is out of this world. I don’t know how he does it. He recovered impossible smashes. And he’s still so young,” he can only get better, warns Vimal.
One evening before the men’s singles gold medal match, Vimal texted Lakshya advising him how to counter his opponent in the medal clash.
“In tomorrow’s finals, be sharp from the start. If your dribbling works well, use it to open up on offense. Also be ready to defend his smashes and make him work. He has already played 2 difficult matches, so physically you have the advantage. When lifting from the net, if there is sideways drift, don’t try to play too much in the corners. As long as you keep a good length, it’s enough. Sometimes use your attack clearances. If you can score with your spikes like in Delhi, do it. Watch out for his sharp drop shots and hard cross shots around the head. When you touch the service, be careful. Play with confidence and be cool. You can win in 2 games. All the best champions,” Vimal texted the Indian shuttle ace.
In game two at 6-8, he had 15 points on the trot. It was by far the CWG game. From the start of the decisive game, the Indian took a 9-5, 15-9 and 18-11 lead, and never looked back, picking up one of the most memorable wins to secure the third medal of gold from India.
Mixed doubles saw Ashwini Ponappa and Sumeet Reddy crash out in the opener while in women’s doubles, Gayatri and Treesa lost in the semi-finals to eventual gold medal winners, and went on to win a memorable bronze medal.
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