PV Sindhu's resolute quest for a second successive Olympic medal has paid off. Having shed the pain and disappointment of coming up short against Tai Tzu Ying in the semifinals on Saturday, Sindhu unleashed her aggressive best on the court on Sunday, decimating the challenge of China's He Bing Jiao 21-13, 21-15 in the bronze medal playoff.
In doing so, the Rio silver medallist became the first Indian woman to win back-to-back Olympic medals. Wrestler Sushil Kumar is the only other Indian with two Olympic medals.
That she had lost six of the last nine encounters against Bing Jiao did not stop Sindhu from asserting her superiority. She was hungry, animated, pumping her fists and looking to move in for the kill at the slightest opportunity.
Sindhu's team told TOI that she was very upset after losing the semifinals.
However, a few hours after working with the physio, Sindhu was fully charged and determined to give her best in the bronze-medal playoff. She slept early and was ready for the big match. It showed on the court.
Sindhu has always delivered on the big stage. Her five medals at the World Championships — including gold and silver — apart from her show at the Olympics is testimony to her dedication.
The lead-up to Tokyo, however, was not smooth. She had parted ways with long-time coach Pullela Gopichand and relied on Korean Park Tae Sang and the Suchitra Badminton Academy.
She then shifted base to the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, got some sparring partners and worked on her fitness with trainer Srikant Verma. When she returned from England, she was not at her best but the hard work she had put in was on display in Tokyo.
She looked fully fit and it helped in the way she moved around the court against Bing Jiao. Known for her tactical acumen, the Chinese girl kept Sindhu moving all over the court with her deft touches at the net and deceitful pushes.
Sindhu, however, was up to the challenge, stretching forward and rushing back to the centre of the court to keep the shuttle in play.
Sindhu dictated the pace for most of the match. Whenever Bing Jiao looked like staging a comeback, India's star shuttler would shut her out with power-packed smashes.
So dominant was Sindhu that there were at least a dozen smash winners in the second game.
Up 5-2 after a confident start in the first game, Sindhu was ahead 11-8 at the break, then enhanced the lead to 14-8 before clinically finishing off the game. Sindhu was more aggressive in the second.
Some of her down-the-line smashes were a delight to watch. How she ended a rally by packing more power in her drives unnerved Bing Jiao. Though Bing Jiao kept up with Sindhu till 14-16, the eventual winner took the game away with some sharp returns and quickly put the issue beyond doubt.