PV Sindhu Turns 30: A Look Back At The Badminton Legend's Notable Achievements

When PV Sindhu first held a badminton racquet at age eight, that simple moment redefined the course of Indian sports, marking the beginning of a historic journey. Her parents, ex-national volleyball players PV Ramana and P Vijaya, saw the spark in her early on and invested their full support in nurturing her skills. Inspired by her idol Pullela Gopichand and coach Mehboob Ali in Secundarabad, she determinedly honed her passion and grew up to become one of the most celebrated athletes in India.

As PV Sindhu celebrates her 30th birthday on July 5, let's have a look at her most remarkable milestones.

PV Sindhu important achievements

• PV Sindhu made her international badminton debut at age 14. She won a bronze medal at the 2009 Sub-Junior Asian Badminton Championships held in Colombo.
• Sindhu won her first senior title in women’s singles at the Maldives International Challenge in 2011.
• In 2013, she received the Arjuna Award from India’s Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
• Sindhu competed in the Commonwealth Games Glasgow 2014 and took the bronze medal in women’s singles. 
• In 2014, she won a bronze medal in the women's team event at the Asian Games in Incheon.
• Sindhu was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honours, in 2015.

• Sindhu made history in women's singles at the Rio Olympics 2016, becoming the youngest and first Indian woman to win a silver medal. She was 21 years old.
• She was honoured with a Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, India’s highest sporting honour, after her Olympic glory.

• At the 2018 BWF World Tour, PV Sindhu made history as the first Indian to win a season finale title.
• In 2018, at the Commonwealth Games Gold Coast, she won a gold medal in the mixed doubles event and a silver medal in the women's singles event.
• Also in that year, she won a silver medal in women's singles at the Asian Games in Jakarta.
• The following year, she became the first Indian woman to win the gold and the most successful Indian ever at the 2019 BWF World Championships.
• Sindhu was honoured with a Padma Bhushan in 2020.

• In 2021, Sindhu won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, making her the first Indian woman to win two Olympic medals.
• In 2022, she won a gold medal in women's singles at the Commonwealth Games Birmingham.
• Sindhu also competed in the Paris Olympics 2024. She was the flagbearer for Team India, alongside table tennis player Sharath Kamal.

Beyond sports

PV Sindhu is one of India's richest sportswomen. According to reports, she is the richest female badminton player in India, with an estimated net worth of ₹59 crores. She has been featured on the Forbes list of Highest-Paid Athletes in the world numerous times.

Sindhu is also employed as a sports manager at Bharat Petroleum. She was also appointed as the Deputy Collector (Group-I) by the Andhra Pradesh government in July 2017.

Sindhu got married in December 2024 to Hyderabad-based businessman Venkata Datta Sai. They had a lavish destination wedding in Udaipur.