As 2020 Summer Olympics which is also known as the Games of the XXXII Olympiad and Tokyo Olympics 2020 is approaching, there is a lot of preparations going on such as participates getting into the Olympics through quotas which is of course a happy news but a huge barrier has come in the way of our badminton player, P.V. Sindhu. Sindhu’s Korean coach Kim Ji Hyun resigned from her post and as there are only a few months left for Tokyo Olympics as it is scheduled to take place from 24th July to 9 August 2020, this has brought up stress.
Pusarla Venkata Sindhu is an Indian professional badminton player and she made her debut in 2009. Recently, she won a gold medal at the 2019 World Championships. She qualified for Tokyo Olympics by defeating Japanese Nozomi Okuhara to win first Indian shuttle to win World Championship in Basel. It was Kim’s guidance in PV Sindhu winning gold in Badminton World Championships and becoming a world champion and Sindhu also thanked Kim for the improvement she made under her training, “I am really focused this time and of course now I have a new coach- Miss Kim. I have been training under her for the past couple of months and certainly, I have improved a lot under her. I am really very thankful to her.” But the road to the Olympics’ medal has turned out to be tricky for Sindhu as her coach Kim has resigned citing personal reasons.
Kim Ji-Hyun also known as Jihyun Marr is a former South Korean badminton player and due to her massive achievements and experience, she was appointed as coach for Indian national team. She is a gold medalist in the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games and won the World Junior Girls title in Jakarta in 1989. Also, she took part in the Olympics in 1996 and 2000 and announced her retirement in 2001. The 45-year-old from Busan rushed to New Zealand to take care of her husband Ritchie Marr, who suffered a stroke a few days ago and thus her family needs her. India’s chief national coach Pullela Gopichand also confirmed this, “It is true, Kim has resigned as her husband is pretty unwell. He suffered a kind of neuro stroke sometime during the World Championship. So, she rushed back. She needs to take care of him as it will take around 4 to 6 months for him to recover.”
Kim Ji Hyun was appointed by the Badminton Association of India (BAI) early this year and she has played a vital role in Sindhu’s game improvement. Kim is India’s third foreign coach who resigned without completing the tenure. Now, the Badminton Association of India will have to find a replacement for Kim as the Tokyo Olympics is just 10 months away. Pullela Gopichand said, “We are trying to get someone to fill in her boots. But it will be again a stop-gap arrangement. We need to find a permanent solution.” Kim’s resignation has surely increased workload and pressure on Gopichand and he feels that there should be more staff.
Sindhu is left with no other option other than practicing without Kim and she said, “It is unfortunate that Kim had to leave at this stage and I wish her husband a quick recovery.” She also added, “I had a good rapport with her and I know it will be a fresh start for me but it is something which is part of sportsperson’s life. I will have to work harded and I am sure Gopi sir and the BAI will take care of everything.” PV Raman, Sindhu’s father said that she can even take guidance from men’s singles coach Part Tae Sang.
Hopefully, Sindhu will get a new coach soon for sure and her achievements will boosts.
