PV Sindhu ropes in Indonesian Agus Dwi Santoso as new coach to prepare for Paris Olympics

Sindhu parted ways with Muhammad Hafiz Hashim.

Indian badminton star PV Sindhu has hired Indonesian Agus Dwi Santoso as her new coach ahead of 2024 Paris Olympics. Sindhu, who won silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics and bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, is aiming to improve her game and performance under the guidance of the experienced coach.

Sindhu confirmed the news to Reuters, saying that she started working with Santoso in the last five days. She said that Santoso is keeping a close eye on what she might need and that he has a different mindset from her previous coaches. She also said that she wanted some change after training with former All England champion Muhammad Hafiz Hashim, who parted ways with her in November 2023.

Santoso is Sindhu’s third coach in a year. In February 2023, the 28-year-old split with long-time coach Park Tae-Sang. She then worked with Malaysian Hashim in July but failed to win any title on the BWF World Tour. She also suffered an injury at the French Open in October, which ended her season.

Sindhu, currently under protected ranking, said that she is focused on the Paris Olympics, which is the ultimate goal for her. She said that she needs to be 100 percent in every aspect and that she hopes to regain her form and confidence with Santoso’s help.

Santoso, who was born in Malang, Indonesia, has a rich coaching resume. He has coached several world and Olympic medallists, including Sydney 2000 Olympic silver medallist Hendrawan, All England Open 2002 finalist Budi Santoso, 2018 Asian Games bronze medallist Busanan Ongbamrungphan, and former world No. 1 Son Wan-ho. He has also worked with the Indonesian, South Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese national badminton teams.

Santoso also has experience coaching in India. He coached singles players Kidambi Srikanth and B Sai Praneeth, in 2020 and 2021 and was with the Indian badminton contingent for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He joined the Indian team after leaving the Thailand team in February 2020.

Sindhu, who has moved her base to Bengaluru, will also be mentored by former All-England champion Prakash Padukone at his academy.

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Sindhu, who has won five World Championships medals, two Olympic medals, and one Asian Games silver medal, is one of the most decorated badminton players in India. She is also the first Indian woman to win an Olympic silver medal and the first Indian to become a world champion in badminton.

Sindhu is expected to make her comeback at the 2024 Badminton Asia Team Championships, which will be held in Malaysia in February.

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