Saina Nehwal delighted with her Commonwealth Games gold medal-winning show, but faces reality too

Badminton has never witnessed such adulation. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's wife, Home Minister P Chidambaram and Congress icon Rahul Gandhi watched in awe as Saina Nehwal claimed her Commonwealth Games gold last Thursday.

Saina's epic win over Malaysia's Wong Mew Choo probably allowed Indians to forget all the corruption associated with organisation of this CWG edition. SUNDAY MiD DAY caught up with Saina recently.

Excerpts:

You threw your gold-winning racquet into the crowd after winning the last point...
It was just an emotional thing. The crowd and their support meant so much to me all through those 10 days in Delhi. It was just a small token of my appreciation to those fans. Part of my victory was dedicated to them and the other part for my parents, family, coaches and other well-wishers, who could not make it to Delhi, but watched me on TV. My thanks to all of them!