Badminton: Sindhu raises Indian hopes of first gold at Rio
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Pusarla Sindhu sent Indian fans into a frenzy by blasting through Japan's Nozomi Okuhara to reach the gold medal decider for the women's singles at the Olympic badminton on Thursday. With a huge contingent of home fans roaring "Go India, go!", the 21-year-old Hyderabadi gradually wore down sixth-ranked Okuhara before charging to an emphatic 21-19 21-10 victory at the Riocentro. Sindhu will meet Spanish top seed Carolina Marin, who hammered China's reigning champion Li Xuerui 21-14 21-16 in the early semi-final. A nation that has never punched its weight at the Olympics, India has had a paltry return at Rio, with only a solitary bronze won by freestyle wrestler Sakshi Malik on Wednesday. Sindhu must deal with the expectations of a billion people when she heads into a tough decider against the twice world champion Marin. “It’s not like pressure but it is a big moment for me playing in the final, so it’s just I have to...