Ashwini Ponnappa Machimanda is a renowned name in the badminton world.
She is one of the finest women’s doubles players India has ever had. She also excels in mixed doubles. She made a big name for herself at a time when nobody focused on badminton doubles, with everyone’s primarily attention was on singles.
How she took up badminton:-
When the sports is in your genes, opportunities present themselves. It’s in her genes.
Her father, M.A. Ponnappa, was an Indian national hockey player. Her mother was passionate about trekking. She has an uncle who was a state-level cricketer and relatives who were into athletics and other sports. Ashwini was born on September 18, 1989, in Coorg, Karnataka. At the age of 2.5 years, her mother introduced her to badminton, giving her a racket, and she was surprisingly good at contacting a paper ball thrown by her mother.
Her father wanted her to take up a sport, and she chose badminton because a badminton court was close to her home, where she would play with her friends and family. She had power in her shots, and as she grew older, around 8 years old, her parents saw her love for the game. They moved to Bangalore, and her father encouraged her to take the sport seriously. They sent her to the South Youth Centre, where she trained under Umapathi, her first coach. He taught her the basics of the game, and she started participating in district and state level competitions under 10. Initially, she didn’t like training much and didn’t enjoy competing, often losing in the semifinals or finals.
Soon after she joined the South Youth Centre, Umapathi sir passed away.
She then met Ashlesh Rao, who took over as her coach at the South Youth Centre. He was a NLP trainer. He changed her perspective towards the game, teaching her how to enjoy it while playing whether it’s about handling the pressure training hard or compete on the court. He became her mentor and friend, someone she could share or talk to about anything. At the age of 10, she joined the Prakash Padukone Academy, but Ashlesh Rao continued to train her there as well.
At the age of 10, she won her first state-level U-10 singles Karnataka championship and continued to do so for the next two years. Ponnappa first came into news when she won the Indian Junior Badminton Championship in 2001.
Turning point from singles to doubles:
With her coach’s guidance, family’s immense support, and her dedication, she flourished in her career and won her first state national tournament, the U-13 championships.
However, her coach, U. Vimal Kumar, suggested that she should try women’s doubles, as it would enhance her skills, speed, and overall performance.
Initially, she was hesitant to switch from singles, having played singles since childhood, but with the support of her coaches and family, she made the switch to doubles, and it turned out to be fruitful for her.
Her first National Accomplishment:
She won her first national sub-junior girls women’s doubles championship in 2004, alongside Aparna Balan, her first doubles partner.
They went on to win the sub-junior women’s doubles national championships for the next three years consecutively. After that started playing in senior-level tournaments. And she won her first senior national badminton title in doubles with her partner Aparna in 2008.
Major achievements over the years
Ashwini Ponnappa’s decade-long career has been marked by several big tournament wins, but the ones that brought her fame and success are:
Ashwini Ponnappa’s Performance in Olympics:
Partners On court till date:-
2014-2016: Jwala Gutta
2017-2022: N. Sikki Reddy
2022-present: Tanisha Crasto
Mixed Doubles:
2007-2010: Valiyaveetil Diju
2010-2012: Tarun Kona
2012-2014: Arun Vishnu
2014-2016: Manu Attri
2018-2020: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy (few games in 2022 as well
2019-2022: B. Sumeeth Reddy
2022-present: None (focused on women’s doubles)
Paris Olympics Qualification Way :
Complementary each other Playing Style:
Medal Hopes:
Written by Chiya
