PV Sindhu and her coach Park Taesang have parted ways, the South Korean confirmed via a social media post on Friday. The Indian badminton player is looking for a change after a disappointing outing in her recent matches, he said as the reason behind the split.
“I’d like to talk about my relationship with Sindhu , which many people have asked about. She has made disappointing moves in all recent matches, and as a coach, I feel responsible. So she wanted a change and said she would find a new coach. I decided to respect and follow her decision,” he wrote in an Instagram post.
“I’m sorry that I can’t be with her until the next Olympics, but now I’m going to support her from afar. I will remember every moment with her,” he added.
Under Park’s guidance, Sindhu had won her second Olympic medal, a bronze at Tokyo 2020, and then a gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, along with her first Super 500 title on the BWF tour last year. However, a stress fracture on her ankle during the Birmingham Games kept her away from the game for over five months.
Her return to badminton in January has been difficult as she faced first round defeats at both Malaysia Open and India Open. At the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championship earlier this month, where Sindhu was part of the bronze medal-winning India team, she had mixed results and Park wasn’t travelling with her.
The decision comes in a crucial year when the qualification cycle for the 2024 Paris Olympics begins from May 1, 2023 as well as the Asian Games, postponed from last year.
