PV Sindhu has been nominated for the country's third-highest civilian award - Padma Bhushan by the Sports Ministry of India. The 22-year-old is in line to become the third shuttler and the youngest after Saina Nehwal (2015) and Pullela Gopichand (2014) to get the prestigious award.
The Padma awards will be announced on the eve of the Republic Day (January 26, 2018).
Metoric rise
Sindhu's career has seen a meteoric rise ever since she finished on the podium at the Olympic Games in 2016. The Indian shuttler, who was clearly not among the favourites, rallied against odds and outclassed the likes of Tai Tzu Ying, Wang Yihan and Nozomi Okuhara before finishing second best in the gold medal match against Carolina Marin.
While she had won World Championships medals (bronze in 2013 and 2014), Sindhu built on her Olympics success to win her maiden Superseries title at China Open last year. The Indian avenged her Olympic defeat against Marin in the final of India Open, which gave her the second Supersereis title and her first at home.
The Hyderabad athlete showed she was a big-tournament player when she finished with a silver at the World Championships last month after a marathon final against Japan's Okuhara that helped win hearts across the sports fraternity.
Sindhu put the disappointment of losing the final in Glasgow behind her and went on to become the first Indian shuttler to win the Korea Open title earlier this month.
Savour @Pvsindhu1's championship winning point at Korea Open, Sunday last. Such maturity for a 22 yr old. Jai Hind! pic.twitter.com/96kDe5dId1
— Rajesh Kalra (@rajeshkalra) September 19, 2017
Sindhu has reaped the rewards of her hard work on the field as she is among the most celebrated sportpersons in the country. The lanky shuttler, along with her senior compatriot Saina, is helping badminton grow across the nook and corner of the country.
Sindhu better than Dhoni
Sindhu also has established herself among the most marketable sports persons in the country. She reportedly trumped World Cup-winning Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni and is next only to the current skipper Virat Kohli when it comes to endorsement fee per day.
Notably, Dhoni was also nominated for the prestigious award earlier this month by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The 36-year-old, who has revived his form after a slump in 2016, look set to play an integral role in the Indian cricket team at least until the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
