Ashwini Ponnappa: If we can be at our best, we stand a chance at Olympics

BySaketh RVK, SportsCafe Editor

06/09/2016

Star shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa has said that India’s top women pairing of her and Jwala Gutta have a chance to win a medal at the Rio Olympic Games in August. The 26-year-old is keen to improve on her performance from the last Olympics where she and Gutta bowed out in the group stages.

Women’s doubles pair of Jwala Gutta-Ashwini Ponnappa will be participating in their second Olympics at Rio de Janeiro with Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, K Srikanth, Manu Attri, and B Sumeeth Reddy also accompanying them. This would be the nation’s largest-ever badminton contingent at the marquee event. Talking to TOI, Ashwini Ponnappa opened up about her preparations for the quadrennial event. “We have been progressing well over the past four years. That’s why seven of us have qualified for the Olympics. Last time, however, we also had a mixed doubles pair. It would have been even better had we managed that. But still, having a men’s doubles team in Rio is great, so we are pretty satisfied,”said Ashwini.

The ‘smash queen’, along with her partner came close to making it to the last eight in London 2012 but a match-fixing scandal rocked their chances and they were eliminated in the group stages. She hopes to improve on that performance, this time, around. Ashwini told TOI that though she felt sad after the result, they have moved on and will hopefully do better.

"It was disappointing that we could not progress to the quarters in London. I felt very sad after the competition, but we moved on. Hopefully, we will be able to improve this time," said the Bengaluru shuttler.

The bronze medal that the Indian team won at the Uber Cup in China should have a good bearing on their confidence as they head to Brazil. Yet, inconsistency has plagued Indian badminton players lately and their patchy form remains a concern. Ashwini though, feels that very little separates the top players and the others at this level of the game.

“We have had hectic schedules over the past months and got little time to train with the doubles coach Kim Tan Her. But, now we have some time on our hands and have the opportunity to iron out our flaws.”

“Also, if you look at the teams on the circuit at the moment, any one of them can win on their day. There is very little to choose among them. So if we can be at our best, we stand a chance,” Ashwini told TOI.

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