Sports minister congratulates Sindhu

Sports Minister Jitendra Singh Sunday congratulated badminton player P.V. Sindhu for winning India's first women's singles bronze medal at the World Championships in China.

"Congratulations on your outstanding performance... You have made the country proud. The ministry stands committed to supporting your endeavour to bring laurels to India in future," Singh said in a statement.

Sindhu settled for the bronze after she lost her women's singles semifinal to eventual World Champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand.

World No.12 Sindhu, who ousted defending champion Yihan Wang and Asian Games gold medallist Shixian Wang en route the last four, was beaten by the World No.3 10-21, 13-21 in 36 minutes Saturday.

This is only the third instance that an Indian brought home a medal from the Worlds.

Prakash Padukone won the men's singles bronze in 1983 at Copenhagen while Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa won another bronze in women's doubles in the 2011 edition in London.