Sindhu begins quest for record sixth World Championships medal

P.V. Sindhu will begin her campaign at the Badminton World Championships in New Delhi on Monday, August 17, 2026, with the opportunity to make history. The Indian star is chasing a record-breaking sixth medal in the women's singles event, a feat that would make her the first player to achieve that milestone in the tournament's history.

The 31-year-old two-time Olympic medalist enters the home championships with renewed momentum after ending a nearly two-year title drought with a victory at the Japan Open. Speaking at a pre-tournament press conference on Sunday, August 16, Sindhu stated that the recent win provided a crucial confidence boost. "Yes, it was a long wait, but the Japan Open gave me confidence ahead of the World Championships. Definitely, after winning the Japan Open, that gave me a lot of boost," she said.

Sindhu's quest for a sixth medal follows a distinguished World Championships journey that began over a decade ago. She secured bronze medals in 2013 and 2014, before reaching the final in 2017 where she lost a dramatic three-set match to Japan's Nozomi Okuhara. She reached the final again in 2018, earning a second silver, before finally claiming gold in 2019 by...