Peel off that external and the participant comes to the surface. The soft and the severe blend nicely in her, and with world class performances to add to the glow, this 20-year-old shuttler was the face of Indian sport in 2010. This, despite some sterling shows by Indians during the year.Having created record at the Indonesian Open on June 21 2009 by becoming the first Indian to lay claim to a Super Series crown, Saina's success graph hit a new high.Three more Super Series triumphs and the Common wealth Games gold has given 'Super' Saina a more permanent membership of the elite club in world badminton. The Asian Games failure is a mere blip.
As the TOI sports team delved deep to dissect performances of Indian sporting heroes in 2010, Saina faced a strong test from Sachin Tendulkar, who raised the bar by accomplishing the never-heard-of before feat of a half-century of Test centuries.Then there was Somdev Devvarman, gold winner in both CWG and the Asian Games, as well as chess king Viswanathan Anand. World wrestling and CWG champion Sushil Kumar, Arjun Atwal (first Indian to win an USPGA Tour event) and Pankaj Advani make it a real tough competition.It is a measure of her achievements that Saina still manages to stand out. As the votes were counted, it became a two-horse race between Saina and Sachin.
In a country where cricket relegates every other sport to mere footnotes, and Sachin straddles the collective awareness like no other, Saina emerging as the choice for the 'TOI Sportsperson of the Year' is nothing short of stunning.But, then, no one is surprised anymore that she now commands Rs 1 crore per endorsement, behind only Sachin and MS Dhoni in the sports famous person market. That absence of astonishment is a declaration in itself.Badminton's Super Series is an examination of one's skills and stamina at the highest level of competition across 12 countries, and Saina showed striking consistency. She lifted four titles in five attempts including back-to-back crowns (Indian Open and Singapore Open) - making her the most successful achiever on the circuit.
As the TOI sports team delved deep to dissect performances of Indian sporting heroes in 2010, Saina faced a strong test from Sachin Tendulkar, who raised the bar by accomplishing the never-heard-of before feat of a half-century of Test centuries.Then there was Somdev Devvarman, gold winner in both CWG and the Asian Games, as well as chess king Viswanathan Anand. World wrestling and CWG champion Sushil Kumar, Arjun Atwal (first Indian to win an USPGA Tour event) and Pankaj Advani make it a real tough competition.It is a measure of her achievements that Saina still manages to stand out. As the votes were counted, it became a two-horse race between Saina and Sachin.
In a country where cricket relegates every other sport to mere footnotes, and Sachin straddles the collective awareness like no other, Saina emerging as the choice for the 'TOI Sportsperson of the Year' is nothing short of stunning.But, then, no one is surprised anymore that she now commands Rs 1 crore per endorsement, behind only Sachin and MS Dhoni in the sports famous person market. That absence of astonishment is a declaration in itself.Badminton's Super Series is an examination of one's skills and stamina at the highest level of competition across 12 countries, and Saina showed striking consistency. She lifted four titles in five attempts including back-to-back crowns (Indian Open and Singapore Open) - making her the most successful achiever on the circuit.
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