Saina Nehwal stands a chance to win medal at London Olympics, says national coach Pullela Gopichand
India’s former All England Champion and current national coach, Pullela Gopichand says that the top shuttler Saina Nehwal is capable of winning a medal at the 2012 London Olympics, which will kick off in London, England, from the last week of July.
The world Number Four Saina, who suffered with a small bad patch of almost four months in the end of previous year, seems to be back on track as she has performed well in the starting tournaments of current year.
The Indian shuttler has managed to remain in the top five positions in Women’s Singles world rankings because of her consistent performance at international level. She is one of the most dangerous female players who can shake the boat of Chinese supremacy.
According to the coach, the current year is very important because everyone in the world of badminton is aiming to perform well at London Olympics. He is optimistic for a good result in the Women’s Singles category as Saina is in good shape at the moment.
The 21-year old Saina is the first female player from India who has the privilege of winning many Super Series titles and has got an elevated position in the Women’s Singles world placements.
The young Indian has defeated the top Chinese shuttlers on numerous occasions proving that she can win any title in the badminton world.
Saina is expected to lead the national team in London Olympics and stands a good chance to topple the best shuttlers in the arena of badminton.
While talking about Saina’s performance in Super Series tournaments, a satisfied Gopichand said that she has done well so far and also appreciated her performance in the last week’s Malaysia Open where Saina reached in the semi-final.
Gopichand said, “The Super Series format is closest to the Olympics. She has done reasonably well in the Super Series and entered the semis at the Malaysian Open. She has a good chance of winning a medal (at the Olympics).”
However, the coach also emphasised that Saina’s performance in the upcoming tournaments before Olympics will be very important as it will help her to find a better seeding in the mega event.
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