Badminton champs Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa are excited about making the Olympics cut the second time in a row.

Qualifying for the Olympics for your country is a big deal, and doing that twice in a row is on a different level — one that’s been achieved by Hyderabad’s own badminton stars Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa. The duo will be representing the country in the women’s doubles category for badminton in Rio in August. The two believe that their past experience at the Olympics-level will help them this time around. Jwala says, “The journey was pretty tough, with not too much of support and you’re mostly on your own with your own belief. And you need to motivate yourself every day. But it’s also been fruitful. I’m very happy that we’ve qualified for the Olympics again. It’s a huge achievement for us.”

“It’s such a huge stage and it’ll be in a different venue in a different country… but I’m happy that we got the experience of the previous Olympics and this time, we’ll be going into each match with confidence,” adds Ashwini. The two have been training for seven hours daily under Malaysian coach Tan Kim Her. “The training is more organised, so there’s a lot more unity among the players. We’re all helping each other to do better, it’s a good atmosphere to play in right now,” adds Jwala.

Jwala’s experience on court only helps Ashwini, with the latter saying that her confidence helps her play a calmer game. “She’s very gutsy, brave, bold, confident and very sure of herself. And that comes out on court as well. It’s good to have someone like that to play with, as then you don’t have to worry about your partner because they’re confident enough to play,” says Ashwini.

Jwala adds that bonding with Ashwini while travelling has helped them understand each other better: “Even if I’m down, she’ll know how to cheer me up and get me back on track and I do the same with her. We need to understand that, because the game goes by so fast and we need to support each other.” The rise in the number of Indians taking to badminton, the two say, has helped the sport become popular in the country. But they also add that India has a long way to go before it’s even close to “sporting countries” like China and Korea. “Indians have been doing well, which motivates the juniors and gives them a lot of confidence to play well and beat the best when they go out for tournaments,” Ashwini says.

Jwala adds, “Most of our population are from the lower (income) and lower-middle classes. We need to bring in talent from there and the only way we can do that is with the help of the government. We need to have a proper system in place, give them the incentives, make education free… so that even if they’re not able to do too well in sports, the education will allow them to lead a better life.”

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Sports> Badminton / Deccan Chronicle, Christopher Isaac / June 21st, 2016

Ashwini Ponnappa talks about her doubles partner, a favourable draw at Rio and much more in an exclusive interview.

India’s ace women’s doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa are slogging it out in Hyderabad under the watchful eyes of their Malaysian coach Tan Kim. The pair – ranked 15th in the world – have one goal in mind, to bag an Olympic medal. Ashwini Ponnappa talks about the pair’s prospects in Rio and much more in an exclusive interview.

Excerpts:

Q How are your preparations going on for the Rio Olympics?

We (me and Jwala Gutta) are training hard in Hyderabad under doubles coach Tan Kim. We are focused on doing well at the Rio Olympics. Keeping our fingers crossed.

Q What’s your take on striking a balance between taking adequate rest and playing tournaments in the run-up to a marquee event like the Olympics?

It is imperative to have a proper balance – we will play in the Canadian Open later this month and US Open in early July before we have a month or so of rest and training before we head to Rio. I think we will be recharged for the Olympics.

Q Both of you had played at the 2012 London Olympics – how much do you think will it help to already have gained the experience of playing on a stage as big as the Olympics?

Of course, the experience of playing in the Olympics will help. We have to be ready for any challenge in Rio as it will be a new environment and another Olympics for both of us.

Q What is the importance for a favourable draw at the Olympics?

A favourable draw at the Rio Olympics is something every player looks forward to and if you get it is an ideal scenario. But such things are not under your control and one has to be prepared for anything that comes your way.

Q As a pair, what according to you is your biggest strength?

We are a unique pair and also our left-right combination also helps.

Q Indian badminton is struggling to produce quality women’s doubles pairs after you guys – your thoughts?

I think a lot of encouragement and big push is needed to produce good women’s doubles players.

Q Realistically speaking, how do you assess your Olympic medal-winning chances?

Me and Jwala are putting in a lot of hard work with the single-minded goal of bagging an Olympic medal. We are straining our every nerve towards that.

Q You turned out for Bengaluru Topguns in the 2016 Premier Badminton League. Your thoughts.

The PBL was conducted very professionally and I hope it happens every year in the same manner.

source: http://www.sportskeeda.com / SportsKeeda / Homepage> Badminton> Rio Olympics 2016> Interview / by Suhrid Barua @suhridbarua / June 14th, 2016

Bopanna and Paes can either aim darts at each other or play tennis to win.

Rohan Bopanna is a big Manchester United fan. He would know how Andy Cole and Teddy Sheringham detested each other for 15 years, but got the job of scoring goals done. There were delicious slights that went back and forth and all the offence of the world taken, but there was also the silverware — a Champions League trophy, three league titles and an FA Cup — when all the mutual sniping was done. In tennis, there were Boris Becker and Michael Stich who haven’t quite come around to maturely sitting down over a bottle of wine and talking about just where things went wrong between them. But they have the shared doubles gold from the Barcelona Olympics, should they need an ice-breaker.

Hatchets need to be buried, and not always in each other’s backs, and Rohan Bopanna who finally graciously accepted the selectors’ pairing of him with Paes, can look back at those two precedents to realise that deep personal mistrust needn’t meddle with medals. Neither Paes’ 18 Grand Slams nor Bopanna’s 0 (though he has a final at the US Open) have added up to an Olympic doubles medal. Come to think of it, neither did Mahesh Bhupathi’s 15 and Sania Mirza’s 10 have any bearing on the quadrennial doubles podium. But since both Paes and Bopanna would like that medal very much, they could do each other the favour of playing excellent tennis, never mind the personal animus. A medal should be the highest motivation, and if it takes clearing the air with an incompatible partner, then Bopanna’s task is cut out, and clear.

There’s a lifetime ahead to snipe at each other — just ask Stich and Becker. But should they win an Olympic medal, people will at least be interested in watching the two greats throw darts at each other. Otherwise, in the Olympic scheme of things, doubles tennis will remain irrelevant.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Opinion> Editorial / by Express News Service / June 14th, 2016