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Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and the men's hockey team captain Manpreet Singh were the flagbearers for the Indian contingent at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games 2022. The ceremony was held at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham on Thursday.
Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra was selected to be the flagbearer for India in the opening ceremony, but he had withdrawn out of the CWG 2022 because of an injury he suffered during the World Athletics Championships, where he won the silver medal. Chopra won the gold medal in the last edition of the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.
Talking about India’s chances at the CWG 2022, flagbearer PV Sindhu has emerged as one of the favourites for bringing home the gold and has seconded these expectations before the start of the event. Sindhu talked about how winning Singapore has been a great confidence booster for her and wants to take this momentum to CWG 2022.
While speaking in an interview with Sportstar, she said “I always had great belief in myself. It was only a question of time before I could rediscover the winning touch. I am glad I did that at the recent Singapore Open. Yes, such wins (Singapore Open) are important, particularly ahead of a big event like the CWG. (It) meant a lot to me, a big confidence booster.”
She also talked about her opponents in Birmingham and said, “There are a couple of good players from Malaysia and Singapore. There are Li Michelle and Kirsty Gilmour who are very good. It is not easy. I can’t take it easy. I have to give my 100 per cent from my first match like in any other tournament.”