World champion P.V. Sindhu meets PM Modi, sports minister Rijiju

Badminton World Champion P.V. Sindhu met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday | PTI

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday presented a Rs 10 lakh cheque to P.V. Sindhu for her historic triumph at the World Championships in Basel, Switzerland.

Olympic silver medallist Sindhu called on the sports minister following her arrival here. The Hyderabadi had defeated Japan's Nozomi Okuhara in a lop-sided World Championships final on Sunday. The Hyderabadi had won two silvers and an equal number of bronze medals in the previous editions.

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Also present on the occasion were Badminton Association of India president Himanta Biswa Sarma, coaches Pullela Gopichand and Kim Ji-Hyun and Sindhu's father P V Ramana, a former bronze medallist in volleyball at the 1986 Asian Games.

The interaction lasted for over an hour. 

The minister also extended his congratulations to Sai Praneeth besides rewarding him with a cheque of Rs 4 lakh for winning a bronze medal at the championships, India's first men's singles medal at the worlds since Prakash Padukone's feat in 1983.

Later, Sindhu met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who called her India's pride.

"India's pride, a champion who has brought home a Gold and lots of glory! Happy to have met @Pvsindhu1. Congratulated her and wished her the very best for her future endeavours," Modi tweeted after the meeting.

Sindhu was accompanied by Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju and national coach Pullela Gopichand among others during the meeting.

She returned to the country on Monday night and was welcomed by a large gathering of fans at the airport.

"I am really happy, I am very proud of my country. It's a much-awaited win and I am very happy about it," she said in response to media queries at the airport. 

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