Gopichand hopes India will get gold at Tokyo Olympics

Mumbai: Saying that "every year has been better than the previous one",chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand is hopeful that India would clinch its first ever gold medal in the discipline at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

"Well, I think every year, in the last few years, has been better than the previous one.

"In 2008 (Beijing Olympics) -- the quarterfinal results was the biggest result, in 2012 (London Olympics) we had the first-ever bronze (Saina Nehwal), in 2016 (Rio Olympics) we had the first-ever silver (P V Sindhu) and, hopefully, 2020 (Tokyo Olympics) we will have the first-ever gold," Gopichand said here Monday.

The former All England champion was speaking after felicitating the seven winners of the IDBI Federal Quest for Excellence #Young Champ programme who will undergo training at the his academy in Hyderabad.

Gopichand said earlier badminton was remembered for men's singles players like Nandu Natekar, Suresh Goel and Prakash Padukone, among others, but Saina Nehwal changed the perception.

"Well, yes. For a long time before these girls (referring to Saina Nehwal, P V Sindhu) came out, badminton was primarily remembered for men's singles players, whether it is Nandu Natekar, Suresh Goel, Prakash (Padukone) Sir or Syed Modi.

"It is how that whole thing was. The change to that (perception) happened (and for that) Saina (Nehwal) was important.