Saina Nehwal’s hard work over the years was rewarded by a perfectly-timed stroke of luck as she clinched a historic bronze medal in the London Olympics to cover new ground for Indian badminton in a mostly successful year.
After a rather subdued performance last year, Saina turned 2012 into a milestone year for Indian badminton when she fetched the country’s first Olympic medal at the London Games, winning the bronze in August.
In the Olympic year, Saina won two Grand Prix Gold titles — Swiss Open and Thailand Open — besides winning the Indonesia Super Series and Denmark Super Series. She also reached the finals of the French Open.
Saina, as usual, was the brightest name in Indian badminton as she geared up for the Olympics with some stupendous performances early in the year.
She first defended her Swiss Open title by defeating then World No. 2 Wang Shixian of China, a day after she turned 22.
With the Olympics approaching, the Hyderabadi stepped up her performance and clinched the Thailand Open by defeating local talent Ratchanok in June.
Picture Credit : Google
