An exhausted mind, a bruised body and an unsavoury controversy -- Saina Nehwal had to contend with quite a bit ahead of and during the Commonwealth Games.
Little wonder then that she placed her singles gold in the event right up there with the trail-blazing Olympic bronze of 2012.
"I really term it as next to my Olympic medal and my world No.1 ranking. So I would keep it somewhere there. It's a gift to my father and my mother, my country. It's a very emotional moment for me after the disappointing loss in Rio due to injury," second seed Saina said after a straight-game but draining victory over top seed and compatriot P V Sindhu in the final here.
Saina played all the matches in the mixed team championship before competing in the individual event.
Asked how her legs were holding up after continuous competition, Saina quipped: "They are dead."
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