2019 BWF World Championships
BWF World Championship 2019: P V Sindhu defeats Nozomi Okuhara to win gold medal
Ace Indian shuttler P V Sindhu defeats Japan's Nozomi Okuhara to win the BWF World Championship 2019 in Basel, Switzerland on Sunday.
India's ace shuttler P V Sindhu beats World no. 4 Japan's Nozomi Okuhara to win the gold medal at the BWF World Championship in Basel, Switzerland on Sunday. The 23-year-old Indian outclassed the third-seeded Okuhara 21-7, 21-7. Sindhu now leads the head-to-head tie with the Japanese by 9-7. This is Sindhu's maiden gold maiden at the World Championship.
In the first game, Sindhu sailed past Okuhara with an early lead taking it to 8-1 resulting from a series of errors by the Japanese. She quickly reached the half-way mark making it 11-2 with a cross-court smash. Okuhara secured a point only at 16-3 but Sindhu maintained her composure. Okuhara came back with two successive points at 18-5. But Sindhu showed her prowess covering the four corners and eventually winning 21-7.
The second game began with Okuhara showing her good reflexes but the Indian stayed at her best shape and kept on outplaying her opponent. Sindhu maintained a two-point lead at 4-2 and further built upon her rival's errors. Sindhu looked way more psychologically stern consistently steaming off her opponent. She went on to build her lead to 9-2. A couple of errors costed her two points but makes to the interval 11-4. There was no stopping Sindhu as she cruised towards her maiden gold World Championship title leading 15-4. Okuhara made to 17-6, but Sindhu was at her ever best. A brilliant smash took her 19-6 and eventually won the match point.
Sindhu becomes the first Indian shuttler to win the World Championship thus scripting history in the country's sporting record book. The Hyderabad girl showed strong grit and perseverance to win this long-eluded gold medal on her third consecutive final appearance. With this, she avenged her 2017 defeat to Okuhara in the final by narrow margins. In 2018, Sindhu went down against Spain's Carolina Marin. Sindhu now has five medals in BWF World Championship (Gold - 2019; Silver - 2017, 2018, Bronze - 2013, 2014) equalling the record of China's Zhang Ning.
