P. V. Sindhu

P. V. Sindhu, born on July 5, 1995, is a distinguished Indian badminton player and Olympic competitor, celebrated as one of India's most successful athletes. Her remarkable journey in badminton has seen her achieve numerous accolades, including medals at the Olympic Games, World Championships, and the World Tour. Notably, she is the first and only Indian to become the badminton world champion and the second individual from India to secure two consecutive Olympic medals.

Sindhu's ascent in the sport began when she broke into the top 20 of the BWF World Rankings in September 2012 at the young age of seventeen. By April 2017, she reached a career-high world ranking of No. 2. Her impressive record includes five medals at the BWF World Championships, making her only the second woman, after China's Zhang Ning, to achieve such a feat.

Her Olympic journey commenced at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she made history as the first Indian badminton player to reach the Olympic final, ultimately winning a silver medal against Spain's Carolina Marín. She continued her Olympic success at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she earned a bronze medal, becoming the first Indian woman to win two Olympic medals.

Sindhu's accolades extend beyond the Olympics; she clinched her first superseries title at the 2016 China Open and followed it with victories in South Korea and India in 2017. She also triumphed at the 2018 BWF World Tour Finals, remaining the only Indian player to win a season finale title. Additionally, she is the reigning Commonwealth Games champion, with three consecutive singles medals, a silver medal at the Asian Games, and two bronze medals at the Uber Cup.

With substantial earnings, including eight point five million dollars in 2018 and seven point one million dollars from 2022 to 2024, Sindhu has consistently ranked among the Forbes' list of Highest-Paid Female Athletes from 2018 to 2024. Her contributions to sports have been recognized with prestigious awards, including the Khel Ratna Award, Arjuna Award, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri, underscoring her status as a national icon.