Source: REUTERS/IVAN
ALVARADO
[Saba Sports News]
Pusarla Venkata Sindhu, the two-time Olympic medalist in women’s singles
badminton from India, recently made another adjustment to her coaching team in
preparation for her pursuit of the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. The
previous Malaysian coach, Hafez Hashim, has been replaced by Indonesian coach
Agus Dwi Santoso. Agus now becomes the fifth coach in Sindhu’s career. Agus
brings a wealth of experience, having previously served as the singles coach
for the Indonesian team. He had a brief stint coaching Taufik Hidayat and later
worked with players like Son Wan Ho and Sung Ji Hyun from the Korean team. Sindhu
cited the mismatch between her training needs and Hafez’s coaching methods as
the reason for the change. Since the Tokyo Olympics, Sindhu’s form has
experienced fluctuations, and her performance has declined with fewer
championship victories. In the 2023 season, Sindhu faced multiple early exits
and failed to reach the top 8 on several occasions. In last year’s Malaysia
Badminton Open, Sindhu was eliminated in the first round of the women’s
singles. These results indicate a decline in Sindhu’s overall form, which is
not as formidable as during the Rio Olympics cycle.