New Delhi, Feb 9: Two-time Olympic medalist and badminton star PV Sindhu has withdrawn from the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships in China due to a hamstring injury, significantly diminishing India’s prospects for a medal in this prestigious tournament.
The competition will take place in Qingdao from February 11-16, with the Indian badminton team currently in training at a camp in Guwahati. In addition to Sindhu, other prominent players at the camp include Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, and the strong doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.
Sindhu was part of the team that claimed bronze in the last edition of this championship.
“It is with great sadness that I announce I will not be traveling with the team for BAMTC 2025. During training on February 4th in Guwahati, I experienced a twinge in my hamstring. Despite my attempts to push through using heavy taping for our nation, an MRI has shown that my recovery will take longer than I anticipated,” the 29-year-old Sindhu shared in a post on ‘X’.
Since securing her first gold medal in women’s singles at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Sindhu has faced several injuries.
Notably, she suffered a left foot stress fracture during the Games, which kept her sidelined for the remainder of 2022, missing events such as the World Championships and the World Tour Finals.
India finds itself in a challenging Group D alongside runners-up South Korea and Macau. They are set to begin their campaign against Macau on February 12, followed by a tough match against South Korea on February 13.
Sindhu extends her best wishes to the team, sharing that she will be “cheering from the sidelines.” (Agencies)
