Indian badminton ace PV Sindhu sent a cheeky yet adorable birthday wish to former coach, Korea’s Park Tae Sang, who mentored the shuttler during her memorable run to bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics among other achievements.
“Six years in India, four years coaching me – you didn’t just become my coach, you became my big brother,” Sindhu said in a social media post as coach Park turned 46. “Thank you for leaving your family behind to guide me. I’ll always be so grateful.”
The highlight of the Sindhu-Park partnership was of course the bronze in Tokyo, which was her second Olympic Games medal. It was a bittersweet one, however, as Sindhu had to pick herself up after a heartbreaking defeat in the semifinals, to then get ready for a match that is never easy to play: the one to avoid finishing fourth. Sindhu defeated He Bingjiao to ensure she finished on the podium and coach Park’s reactions at the end of that match is part of Indian badminton’s folklore now.
Sindhu added: “I hope the five titles, Commonwealth gold, and Olympic bronze made it all worth it – haha! Wishing you a day full of everything you love – golf, glowing skin, and a little Indian masala too! Please eat some sugar today… you won’t gain any weight, I promise!
Her visit to Guwahati for a national camp earlier this year – where coach Park now works at the National Centre of Excellence – also gave Sindhu a chance to catch up with him. Sindhu had a successful stint with the Korean coach, who earned something of a cult status among Indian badminton followers for his endearing demeanor. The two got along well off the court too. Once, coach Park posted a story on Instagram, “Sindhu, you are two minutes late.” The next day, Sindhu got to the practice courts earlier and posted a photo of him holding his hands up. “You’re late now, Coach.”
“I really miss him,” Sindhu told The Indian Express during an interview. “It was sad to say goodbye when I left. It was nice to see him after a long time. We exchange messages now and then, and he was very happy to see me. We spent some time together. He’s very sweet and a nice person. I’ve personally known him for a long time, even before he was my coach. I’ve known him since I was a junior.”
After she moved on from coach Park, Sindhu had worked with a few coaches – including the legendary Prakash Padukone to help her for Paris 2024 – but at the start of this year, she finally seems to have found a stability again. Former Indonesia men’s singles coach Irwansyah is now in Sindhu’s corner as she tries to climb her way back up the world rankings.