Saina Nehwal gives it back to trolls who said she got an Olympic medal as a gift

The ace Indian shuttler had made headlines for her comments about India’s campaign at the Paris Olympics 2024.

Saina Nehwal has remained one of the top-notch names in Indian badminton, and she has made India proud with several wins in her career. One such win was in the 2012 London Olympics, when she won the bronze medal, becoming the first player from the country to have won an Olympic medal at that time. However, recently, she made headlines for her comments on India’s campaign at the Paris Olympics 2024. She was criticized for her comments on wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who was ousted from the event for missing her weight cut out.

Saina Nehwal hits back at the online criticism.

Saina Nehwal and her husband, former player Parupalli Kashyap, have hit back at people criticizing them. Kashyap, during a conversation with RJ Anmol and actor Amrita Rao, said, “During the Paris Olympics, she had said something, and in the comments (on social media), I was seeing people saying that she got gifted the bronze medal.” Saina added, “Olympic level ke layak toh bano aap. Pehle Olympics ke liye qualify toh karke dikhao (Try and get yourself up to the level of the Olympics).”

Saina recalls about her win at the 2012 London Olympics.

Saina Nehwal’s bronze medal came after her opponent on the day, Wang Xin, the two-time World Championship medallist, had to retire with an injury during the second game. Saina had lost the first game 21-18. She recalled, “She was not the kind of player who showed any pain or emotions on court. But there I was seeing that she is flinching and I could see it in her face and I felt that something is going on here. I just heard a light sound from her end and she just sat down. I didn’t realise that something has happened to her from that. The next two-three points she was struggling to walk. And then suddenly, she held out her hand, and I wondered what was happening here. I asked, and she just said, ‘Very bad, very bad.’ Gopi sir is then looking very happy and saying I have won a medal. I just couldn’t understand anything.”