New Delhi, Aug 2 (IANS): Two-time Olympic medallist shuttler PV Sindhu has penned an emotional note on social, calling her loss in the pre-quarterfinals at the Olympic Games in Paris as "hardest" of her career. Sindhu, playing in her third Olympics, lost to China’s He Bing Jiao 21-19, 21-14 in a Round of 15 match. The Chinese was the same shuttler whom the Indian defeated in Tokyo to take bronze, her second Olympic medal, in the re-scheduled Paris 2020 Olympics in August 2021.
"Paris 2024: A Beautiful Journey but a Difficult Loss. This loss is one of the hardest of my career. It will take time to accept (it), but as life moves forward, I know I will come to terms with it," Sindhu posted on X.
"The journey to Paris 2024 was a battle, marked by two years of injuries and long periods away from the game. Despite these challenges, standing here and representing my wonderful country at a third Olympics makes me feel truly blessed," she wrote in her post.
"I'm incredibly fortunate to compete at this level and, even more importantly, to inspire a generation. Your messages have been a tremendous source of comfort during this time. My team and I gave everything we had for Paris 2024, leaving it all on the court with no regrets," she further wrote.
Though Sindhu missed out on her hat-trick of Olympic medals the 29-year-old is looking at her future in the "sport she loves so much" and planning to evaluate the journey ahead carefully.
"Regarding my future, I want to be clear: I will continue, albeit after a small break. My body, and more importantly, my mind needs it. However, I plan to carefully evaluate the journey ahead, finding more joy in playing the sport I love so very much," she concluded.
Former world champion Sindhu won a silver medal on her Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, before clinching bronze in Tokyo Games.
Before Sindhu's loss, the doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty had suffered a shock exit, suffering defeat at the hands of Malaysian duo Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik.
Now, Lakshya Sen is India’s sole remaining challenge in badminton at the Paris 2024 Olympics. He will face 12th-seeded Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in the men’s singles quarterfinals on Friday.