PV Sindhu met Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday post her iconic win at World Badminton Federation (WBF) Championship. Rijiju said it was a proud moment for India and presented her with a cheque of Rs 10 lakh. At the event Kiren Rijiju also awarded bronze-winner Sai Prashanth a cheque for Rs 4 lakh, in recognition of his achievement at the world championship. Sai Prashanth is only the second person to bring home a bronze in men's singles after Prakash Padukone's historic win back in 1983.

Smiles and cheers all around after PV Sindhu wins maiden World Championship

 

Other notable figures present at the meet included the President of Badminton Association of India (BFI) Himanta Biswa Sarma, coaches Pullela Gopichand and Kim Ji-Hyun. PV Sindhu's father PV Raman, who represented India in the 1986 Asian Games and returned with a bronze was also present in the meeting. PV Sindhu also met with Prime Minister Modi after that who congragulated her and called her India's pride and champion. He further added that she has brought home lots of gold and lots of glory.

Read: PV Sindhu's World Championship Win Message Will Make All Indians Proud

"It's a great moment for me. I am really very proud to be an Indian. I wish I will get many more medals for the country," Sindhu told reporters. "Hard work is the key to success. I would like to thank each and every fan of mine. It's because of their love and support that I am here," she added.

‘Much Awaited’ Triumph: 

After two years of being robbed of the gold by Okhura in a 110 minute battle at Glasgow, PV Sindhu earned her first world Championship victory on Sunday. She is also the only person who successfully qualified for the championship finals three consecutive years. Remarkably she has also won the Silver medal on three separate occasions - Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games in Jakarta. Notably PV Sindhu had bagged a silver BWF World Tour Finals last year as well. Dedicating the win to her monther on her birthday, PV Sindhu added that she was very proud to be an Indian. She then thanked the crowd for their support and for always standing by her. She later dedicated the award to her mother who celebrated her birthday on Sunday. 

"A big thanks to my coach Miss Kim and Gopi sir and the entire support staff. I also want to dedicate this to my parents and especially my mom, it's her birthday today. So, happy birthday mom. I lost in the last two finals and this win was very important for me. I want to thank the crowd for supporting me every time. I won for my country and I am very proud to be an Indian”.

Read: CSK Delete Sexist Tweet On PV Sindhu's WC Gold, Apologises Later

The Battle That Proved The Mettle:

The last time Sindhu had met Okhura in 2017 in a 73-shot rally, the latter had emerged victorious. However, despite Nozomi Okuhara winning the first point of the first game on Sunday, Sindhu went on to win eight straight points after that to an 8-1 lead. Okuhara managed just one more point before the interval with Sindhu leading at 11-2. Later towards the end, Okuhara scored a few consecutive points to extend her score to 7, briefly keeping pace until the score was 3-2 in Sindhu's favor after which the ace Indian shuttler took six consecutive points and raced to a 9-2 lead.

This was the 16th match between Sindhu and Okuhara. Sindhu now leads 9-7 head-to-head, including three victories in the last five meetings before Sunday's clash. Both players had not won a title this year. While Okuhara reached the final after a hard-fought 17-21, 21-18, 21-15 win against Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon, Sindhu bested China's Chen Yu Fei 21-7, 21-14 in her semifinal clash. Sindhu picking up the pace rapidly, completed the first set by adding 10 points and thereby, winning the set 21-7. PV Sindhu's gold is the second medal that India won at the World Championship this year with Sai Praneeth earning a bronze in the men's singles category

Read: PV Sindhu Makes Triumphant Return To India, Says 'win Much Awaited'

Read: PV Sindhu Creates History As She Wins Maiden BWF World Championship