Kidambi Srikanth : Hopefully next Olympics, I will win gold

Although Saina Nehwal crashed out of the Olympics in the group stage, PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth showed the might of Indian badminton at the Rio Olympics by producing tremendous performances. While Sindhu became an overnight sensation in the country after her silver medal winning performance, Srikanth gave the legendary Lin Dan a scare before bowing out in the quarters. Although he produced an admirable performance against the 2008 and 2012 Olympic gold medallist, Kidambi Srikanth believes that he had a chance to defeat the star shuttler.

"If I had got those two points there (in the third game), the whole scenario would have changed. Having said that, I still played well and I'm happy with that game," the 23-year-old added.

Tokyo Olympics is four years away, but Srikanth hopes that he can be stronger next time and can win the gold for the country.

"Everybody goes to Olympics thinking of winning gold. I did it. I lost by a small margin. Next time, hope I will be stronger and win gold," he said with confidence. "When I saw Sindhu play the final, I felt bad for myself that I could not win my quarterfinal match. At the same time, I was happy somebody was representing India in the final.

Next time, hope I will be stronger and win gold."

Also, read : Can India end China’s dominance as a badminton superpower?

"Everybody wants to win. The attitude of today's athletes has changed. They have very good aggression. To have that feeling of winning for the nation, giving something back to the nation is foremost. I did not want to go there, play and come back. I wanted to go there, give my best with the aim of winning a medal for the nation."

"The whole idea of representing the nation has changed. Only representing the nation doesn't give us satisfaction. Winning a medal and making the nation proud is what we look for," said the right-handed shuttler.

“The passion we have for the particular sport we play and the amount of hard work we put in training. We work so hard thinking of winning that medal,” he added.

Although he believes that the Olympics was a good experience, the Guntur-born shuttler felt that the Super Series tournaments were more competitive.

"In Superseries, right from the first round, it is serious competition. In Olympics, you play some of the weaker players in the initial rounds, players who are ranked lower. You are challenged from the quarterfinal round. Having said that, Olympics is special as it gives the chance to represent the country,” Srikanth told dna.

Also, read : Pullela Gopichand | The untold story of India’s badminton Dronacharya