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'That Night, I Sat Alone & Cried': PV Sindhu Reveals Her Ordeal After Winning Silver In 2016 Rio Olympics

Freepressjournal | May 19, 2025 3:39 AM CST

Veteran Indian badminton player PV Sindhu has opened up on the defeat at the Rio Olympics 2016 final defeat, depriving her of gold. Although Sindhu said the world might have viewed it as victory, given she bagged silver but the 29-year-old claimed that she sees it as she was not good enough to win the top prize.

Sindhu reached the final in Rio 2016, where she met Spain's Carolina Marin. However, Marin emerged victorious 19–21, 21–12, 21–15 to bag gold. Sindhu went on to clinch bronze in the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, but lost in the round of 16 last year in Paris.

Speaking the convocation ceremony of a private university in Pune, Sindhu stated that she sat alone that night and cried.

"The Rio Olympics, 2016. I had made it to the finals. The whole country was watching. The pressure? Unreal. I played my heart out. But I lost. Silver medal. Now, to the world, it looked like victory. But in my heart — it felt like defeat. Because I knew I had almost done it. Almost. That night, I sat alone and cried. And no — not a cute, Instagram-tears kind of cry. It was an ugly, full-body, “I gave everything and it still wasn’t enough” kind of cry."

"You’re not always going to feel strong" - PV Sindhu

Sindhu shared a secret of keeping her motivated by stating that all it takes for someone is to show up and keep going despite not feeling like it. She added:

"People often ask me, ‘Sindhu, how do you stay motivated?’ Let me tell you a secret: I don’t. Not every day. Not every week. But what I do is — show up. Even on the days I didn’t feel like it. Especially on the days I didn’t feel like it. You’re not always going to feel inspired. You’re not always going to feel strong. But if you just show up — you’re already ahead of most."