Ashwini Ponnappa determined to hit the mark in 2012 London Olympics – Badminton Update
Indian Women’s Doubles expert Ashwini Ponnappa is scheduled to participate in London Olympics and she is positive to register her presence in the mega event, which will be in full swing from July 27, 2012.
The coming edition will be her first appearance in the Olympics and she will team up with the experienced compatriot Jwala Gutta.
Ashwini, who is turning 23 this September, is thrilled of having this honour as she declared it a dream occasion for any athlete to participate in this esteemed event.
She said, “I am very excited that for the first time I am going to the Olympics. Every sportsperson dreams of representing nation at the Olympics.”
The Indian pair Jwala-Ashwini holds the 19th spot in World rankings and it will be an uphill task for both partners to surpass higher ranked Olympic contenders.
However, they have proved their class several times in the past. They fetched bronze medal last year in World Championships and wore gold medals around their necks in 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Now, Ashwini is in high spirits and claimed to repeat history in an improved manner. She declared Wembley arena their lucky hunting ground as they touched new heights in previous edition of World Championships.
She said, “We had the World Championship in the same arena. We got the bronze last time. I hope it will be a better medal this time.”
At the moment, both female campaigners are training under the supervision of master coaches like Syed Mohammed Arif and Edwin Iriawan as these badminton gurus are satisfied with their progress.
Though, Women’s Doubles expert Ashwini Ponnappa admitted that they will face great opposition in shape of world class teams but in same breath she also stated that they have the potential to overcome all these contenders.
She said, “Everyone is going to work extra hard for the Olympics. Everyone is going to play really well. At the same time everyone is beatable.”
Moreover, she also admitted that there will be huge pressure on them to meet expectations of the nation but she vowed to remain focused just to their game.
Ashwini also briefed about duo’s training schedule by revealing that they are going through several practice sessions in the morning as well as in the evening.
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