P. V. Sindhu

The following year she won silver again, this time at the World Championships, before she claimed silver in singles and gold in mixed team badminton at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

PV Sindhu then wrote her name into the history books by winning the world title in 2019, becoming the first player from India to top the podium at a world championships in any form of the sport.

The Hyderabad native also stepped on to the podium at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 in 2021. Seeded sixth, she dominated the group stage and continued her charge in the knockouts, where she beat Mia Blichfeldt of Denmark in the last 16 and the number four seed from Japan, Yamaguchi Akane, in the quarters. Sindhu was beaten by Tai Tzu-ying in the semi-finals, but bounced back to beat He Bingjiao in the bronze medal play-off.

Her triumphs continued in 2022, as she again secured gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and added another feather to her cap by winning a bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in the Philippines.

Though she struggled for form in 2023, Sindhu led India to a bronze medal finish at the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships in Dubai, marking India's first-ever medal in the tournament.

Her 2024 began with more continental success, as she led India's women to gold at the Badminton Asia Team Championship. PV Sindhu's quest to win a third successive Olympic medal at Paris 2024, however, was cut short by China's He Bingjiao in the round of 16. She had earlier topped her group with convincing victories over Estonia's Kristin Kuuba and the Maldives' Fathimath Razzaq.