This girl from south India has earned laurels for her country ever since she set foot on the court and has now hung up her boots after the Paris Olympics. We met her and caught up with her inspiring journey. Ashwini Ponnappa hails from a sporting family with her father being a hockey player for many years. Her mother had passion and interest for mountaineering and trekking. Her family members have always been avid hockey players and close relatives were into athletics and cricket, so she knew from the beginning that she would grow up to become a sportstar.

Being a hyperactive child, her parents ensured they kept Ashwini busy. That’s when the journey to becoming a professional athlete ignited her mind. She started enjoying the game and playing with her parents was fun.

She soon became a national icon in the field of badminton. She has been one of the biggest names in the badminton fraternity since her Junior Girls-Doubles National Title in 2006 and 2007 respectively. She is known as the “Doubles Queen of India” because of her resilience, commitment, ethics and dedication for sports. She held the record for the hardest hitter of the shuttle in the World in Women’s Badminton, as her overhead smash touched the speed of ~260 kmph at Paris World Championship in 2010. Ashwini Ponnappa was awarded the Arjuna Awards for being the 2nd highest Sporting Honour of India, for her Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games.

Ashwini strongly believes that “Sports teaches us to be multitaskers in the formative years of our life. At a young age, you learn how to juggle between your studies and sports, and I think this toughens you”. In the earlier days of Ashwini’s preparation, her dad was her constant help, her mentor and her trainer as he took care of her physical conditioning. Being a sports enthusiast and an athlete himself he was pretty fit and helped Ashwini with her physical fitness during tournaments, and in the off season when we didn’t have any training. Ashwini’s mother had an equal role to play, as she was her dietitian and she made sure that Ashwini ate the right food. More importantly, she helped Ashwini in keeping calm and composed. The most important aspect is that they were with her always, irrespective of what happened in the match, and encouraged her to follow her dream of playing badminton and excel in it. “Sports teaches us the ability to take both victory and defeat in stride and move ahead. This lesson of sports, if learnt well, helps the best of the sportspersons not to take or put undue pressure. When a sportsperson is able to reach this zone, they perform their best,” she states. Ashwini got married to her longtime friend Karan Medappa in December 2017.

Where did you study and grow up? How did you first get into badminton, and what inspired you to pursue it professionally?
I was born and brought up in Bangalore and did my entire schooling at St. Francis Xavier’s Girls High School and PU at Mount Carmel College. For my degree, I was in Hyderabad at St. Mary’s college.

After winning the Sub-Junior National Badminton Championship title in the Girls Doubles Category I knew I wanted to pursue badminton seriously. My parents also encouraged me to focus on the game. I was recruited by ONGC when I was 18 years old and with their support I got all the confidence needed to pursue the game professionally.

Can you describe your typical training routine leading up to a major tournament? Since you hail from a family with a rich sporting lineage, would you agree that it was always in your blood to have a sports bent of mind?
It depends on which major tournament we are going for. For most of them it’s a few weeks of training before we head for the tournament. We follow through on the same training routine, which is on court session in the morning and gym/skill work sessions in the evening. We don’t have an off season, so we’ve learned to manage our training in between our hectic tournament calendar.

I would say coming from a family that has a rich sporting lineage, sports is in my genes and that has probably helped me quite a bit in my sport.

What has been the most memorable match of your career so far, and why?
Winning gold in the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games. It was India’s first Gold Medal in Women’s Doubles and there was no better place to have done it other than in front of our home crowd in Delhi.

How do you build and maintain a strong partnership in doubles badminton?
It helps a lot when games styles match. Complimenting game styles help partnerships work. Other than that, it is working on things not just on court, but also doing stuff together off court to help build a bond.

What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your career, and how did you overcome them?
There have been lots of them. But through it all my parents, husband, brother, family and friends have been a massive pillar of strength and support. They’ve helped and guided me through each and every tough hurdle that I’ve faced.

How important is fitness in badminton, and what specific exercises do you focus on to stay in top shape?
Fitness is extremely important as badminton is a high intensity sport. You need to be physically fit and strong to be able to play injury free. I work with my strength and conditioning coach Deckline Leitao since 2016 to stay in shape.

The focus is always based on where my body is at. A few specific exercises would be focusing on squats, calf raises, biceps and triceps.

What does your diet look like, especially when preparing for a competition?
I’ve got no specific diet. I focus on eating a clean meal. Rice, pasta, sandwiches, greens, chicken are basically what I’d look for during competition.

How do you mentally prepare for high-stake matches?
It’s important to prepare well for the match. We prepare by sitting with our coach and watching our opponents match and talk about how we should play.

Who are your role models in the sport, and what have you learnt from them?
I’ve always loved watching people around me and love learning from them, including my peers. I haven’t had one role model as such, but look up to a lot of players and try and learn from them.

You were among the first Indian women shuttlers to win in the Doubles Category at the World Badminton Championships. Please describe the moment when you won and your practice leading to the win?
My partner and I were the first Indian women to have won a Bronze Medal at the 2011 BWF World Championships. It was 28-years after India’s first bronze medal at the BWF World Championships that was won back in 1983. So it was quite an honour.

Please also recall the time when you won two golds, two silvers and a bronze at the Commonwealth Games and four South Asian Games gold medals, resting alongside many other accolades?
It has been a roller coaster ride, definitely not an easy one. But I have enjoyed each and every bit of it. It’s always an honour to represent India and it feels great to have been able to win those medals for our country.

What are your goals for the future, both in your badminton career and beyond?
At present as I’ve just got back from the Paris 2024 Olympics, and I want to focus on rest and recovery for some time. I haven’t really planned anything for the future.

What advice would you give to young, aspiring badminton players?
Focus on the basics and enjoy putting in the hard work needed to do well.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time when you’re not playing badminton?
I like reading, listening to music, spending time with family and friends.

You recently announced that the Paris 2024 Olympics will be your last appearance at the Summer Games. Please shed some more light on the same.

LA 2028 Games are too far away for now. I don’t see myself playing badminton for so long. Hence, Paris 2024 Olympic Games was my last Summer Games.