Pusarla Venkata Sindhu becomes first Indian woman to win silver medal at Olympics

Sindhu went down fighting to Spain’s Carolina Marin in the women’s badminton singles final at the Rio Olympics on 19 August ,2016, giving India its second medal at the Rio Games and becoming the first Indian woman to win a silver medal at the Olympics.

Carolina Marin overhauled the brave Indian to win Spain’s first badminton title. The top seed, known as the “Rafa Nadal” of badminton in Spain for her tenacity and fierce left-handed game, closed out a 19-21, 21-12, 21-15 victory over the 21-year-old Sindhu, who was majestic in her Olympic debut.

After winning the first game 21-19 with a five-point burst to recover from 16-19, Sindhu struggled to answer Marin’s smashes in the second game.  In the decider, Sindhu recovered to trail 11-10 at the break, but lost her momentum afterwards.