Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu on Tuesday announced the appointment of Malaysian Mohammad Hafiz Hashim as her new coach, adding that he has the “pedigree” and pedigree she was looking for ahead of next year’s Paris Olympics. He said he has all the characteristics, including an “aggressive instinct.”
PTI had earlier reported that Sindhu had written to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) seeking approval to train with the former All England champion Malaysian as part of the Sports Ministry’s Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). It was reported.
“Here we go!! In typical Fabrizio style, I’m excited to announce Hafiz Hashim as my new coach!!” Sindhu wrote in a social media post.
“After a long and lengthy process, I am very happy to announce that I have chosen the wonderful Hafiz Hashim as my coach.
“Hafiz has all the attributes I was looking for in a coach: height, speed and attacking instincts. A former 2003 British Champion, he certainly has the pedigree as well. Coach ( Having (Misbun) Saidok as his old coach just added to this aura to him.”
Sindhu has been battling inconsistent form and with the Olympic qualifying period for the 2024 Olympics starting on May 1, the Indian was looking for someone to guide her preparations for the coveted gold medal.
“We warmly welcome you on board, Coach Hashim. Everyone, stay strong. It’s going to be a hellish journey with Captain Hafiz at the helm!!”
Sindhu suffered a stress fracture in her ankle en route to winning gold at the Commonwealth Games in August last year and has been lackluster this season after returning from a five-month injury.
In February, the 28-year-old from Hyderabad parted ways with Park Tae-sang, the Korean coach who helped her win the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
The highlights of this season for her were reaching the finals of the Madrid Spanish Masters Super 300 and semi-finals of the Malaysia Masters Super 500 and Canadian Open Super 500. However, she prematurely withdrew from a series of events at the beginning of the year.
2019 world champion Sindhu’s inconsistent run affected her rankings as she fell outside the top 10 in April for the first time since 2016, dropping to 17th in the world in Tuesday’s latest BWF chart.
Sindhu was joined by SAI coach Vidhi Chowdhury after the Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) approved her proposal to financially support her to accompany her to the British Championships, Swiss Open and Spanish Masters. was cooperating with
Sindhu had worked with Hafiz at Suchitra Badminton Academy ahead of the Canadian Open.
While the national team’s chief coach Pullela Gopichand is her mentor, Sindhu also briefly worked with Kim Joo-hyun on her way to winning the world championship gold medal in Basel. She has been training with Park since Kim suddenly left.
Hafiz, a 2002 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, was a junior coach with the Malaysian Badminton Association before joining Suchitra Academy in Hyderabad on a three-year contract in February.
During a visit to Suchitra Academy, where Sindhu is receiving strength and conditioning instruction from trainer Srikanth Verma, the 40-year-old coach, who is also the coach of the Premier Badminton League’s Awadhe Warriors, asked for guidance. I was looking for it.
This article has been published from a news agency feed without modifications to the text.
