Won't be easy for PV Sindhu, Sai Praneeth a dark horse at Tokyo 2020, says Vimal Kumar
The former Indian national badminton team chief coach picks Tai Tzu Ying as a gold medal contender.
Carolina Marin's absence from Tokyo 2020 doesn't mean PV Sindhu will have an easy run at the gold medal during the Summer Games this July, believes former Indian badminton chief coach Vimal Kumar.
With Rio 2016 women’s champion Marin withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympics, Indian badminton star PV Sindhu, who won silver in Rio, has emerged as a firm favourite for the women’s singles gold medal at Tokyo.
Vimal Kumar, who represented India at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, however, feels otherwise.
“Marin was a strong contender for the gold and her absence will be felt. So many players will have an advantage, not just Sindhu,” Vimal Kumar told PTI.
“PV Sindhu is definitely in with a chance for the gold but there are at least six other girls who can claim the title,” he added.
Vimal Kumar identified current world No. 1 Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei, Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara and Akane Yamaguchi as PV Sindhu’s biggest threats at Tokyo.
He also noted China's Chen Yufei and He Bingjiao and Thailand’s Ratchanok Inthanon could emerge as tough challengers for the title.
“It will also boil down to that particular day, who is in the right mental and physical conditions on that day to pull through. So it is still very open, anybody from these six girls can be 1-2-3,” Vimal Kumar said.
With less than a month to go for the Tokyo Games, Vimal Kumar feels PV Sindhu needs to utilise the time to assess her opponents.
“It helps devise tactics and also gives confidence to the players,” he advised.
Besides PV Sindhu, men’s singles player B Sai Praneeth and men’s doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy are the other Indian players who will compete in Tokyo’s badminton event.
Vimal Kumar also backed B Sai Praneeth to do well at Tokyo 2020.
“As a junior, I always felt B Sai Praneeth will achieve more than anybody else. He is the first one to do well in the world championship after Prakash Padukone, so there is no reason why he can’t do well in the Olympics,” Vimal Kumar said.
B Sai Praneeth won the bronze medal at the 2019 world championships to become the first Indian male badminton player to claim a podium finish at the global showpiece since Padukone’s bronze in 1983.
“If Sai gets a good draw, he can be a dark horse,” Vimal Kumar signed off.