Former world champion Pusarla Venkata Sindhu told AFP she has her sights set on a medal at the badminton world championships as she returns to Paris one year after the Olympic Games. Last year in Paris, Sindhu could not add to her Olympic collection of a silver from Rio 2016 and a bronze from Tokyo 2020. “It was sad that I couldn’t get the medal, but then I mean you learn a lot, you win some and you lose some right,” Sindhu said after starting the world championships strongly on Tuesday. “It’s wonderful to play the Olympics itself and you know it (was) my third time, so it was competitively very different compared to the last two Olympics as well,” added the 30-year-old, reflecting on her round of 16 exit at Paris 2024. What PV Sindhu Said About BWF World Championships? Now back at the same venue 12 months on, Sindhu admitted she does not want to leave empty-handed again. “Definitely hoping for a medal this time, I mean it’s just one match at a time for me, so really looking forward to it (the tournament),” she said. “I’ve played in Paris a lot of times, so I think this time hopefully I’ll take back home that medal and (am) hoping for the best.” Sindhu has already collected two silvers, two bronzes, and one gold medal at the world championships over her illustrious career. She demonstrated her skill against Bulgarian teenager Kaloyana Nalbantova with a commanding performance in the second game, securing a 23-21, 21-6 win in their first-round match at the Adidas Arena. “I think the second game was quite easy because I just went with the flow, but I think the first game was very important where it was tricky for me to understand, but once I understood the court I think I was quite there right playing my game,” said the 2019 world champion. “I think the first game in the tournament, first match, it definitely took me some time to get used to it (the playing conditions). “So I think for me it took some time to actually get adjusted, but I think after 11 points I was actually on track where I was ready for every point and I knew where it was going.” Despite a tough draw at the world championships, with second seed Wang Zhiyi of China potentially in the third round, few players will want to face the 15th seed if she can maintain her “flow” in Paris. (With inputs from AFP)