EXCLUSIVE: Drawn in tough group, shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa ready to give it her best with Tanisha

There are athletes who display signs of early brilliance, and such players are in plenty in India. Combine longevity with the talent, and the number reduces considerably. Women’s doubles shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa belongs to the latter, and is going to participate in her third Olympics, after London 2012, and Rio 2016.

She missed Tokyo 2020, but is back in the mix at Olympics 2024, with her relatively new partner, Tanisha Crasto. The Ashwini Ponnappa/Tanisha duo are ranked 19th in the world in women’s doubles and will face the World No. 8 South Korean pair of Kim So Yeong/Kong Hee Yong on July 27, in their first encounter of the Games. Then, as the tough Group proceeds, Ashwini/Tanisha will go on to face Japanese World No. 4 Nami Matstuyama/Chiharu Shida. And they play their last match vs Setyana Mapasa/Angela Wu.

In an exclusive interaction with InsideSport, Ashwini opened up on the team’s chances at the Paris Olympics, her experiences in the first two editions, and also the partnership with Tanisha.

EXCERPTS

Could you throw some light on your first two Olympics? How was the whole experience?

I think the first two — 2012 and 2016 — were pretty interesting experiences. In London, there was this whole controversy where we had players throwing off matches. 2016, I had Dengue, a month before the Olympics. So I wasn’t in the best of shape. Come the Tokyo Olympics, I was pretty injury prone that year. And then, of course, COVID happened. So, Sikki and I weren’t in the best of positions and had quite a bit of catching up to do. Unfortunately, we didn’t qualify. But this time around, I felt like we weren’t really the favorites to qualify for the Olympics. We were nowhere in the scene. This Olympics, it’s pretty unimaginable that we made it compared to where we were last January when we started. 

What clicked for you and Tanisha Crasto?

When we started playing, it was a great feeling. And starting a fresh partnership at this age is pretty risky because you don’t really know how it’s going to go. It was literally starting from scratch. And I was playing all India tournaments, which I hadn’t done for years. So getting into a partnership like that, where we were literally starting from scratch was tricky. But at that point in time, I had to take a call. I wasn’t sure as to how many years I had left in me, and wanted to give it a good shot. And I’m glad that Tanisha and I clicked well.

What went well for Jwala/Ashwini & Ashwini/Sikki?

What clicked in 2012 and 2016, when Jwala and I qualified, we had a combination where our game styles really matched each other’s. Sikki and I, we had a lot of things that we needed to work on. But again, with Tanisha right now, it’s a different age, different, so many things. At the end of the day, I think even where I am right now is very different compared to where I was in those two partnerships and what I gave for those two partnerships. So I think the dynamics between all the three partnerships have been very, very different.

What’s the difference in all your partnerships?

I think age-wise, I’m a lot older and compared to the past, I think a lot more injuries now, which wasn’t really the case and it’s a lot more managing my body right now. I think I will go all in with my partner in this one and be together. We have a tough draw in a tough group that we are in, but we are definitely aiming to give our best shot and hopefully do well.

How difficult is it for an Olympic athlete to really just focus on the game?

It is tricky. I wouldn’t say it’s easy. It is tricky to like keep your head on your shoulder and focus on what needs to be done and keep your eyes on the place. Especially when there are a lot of questions being asked from different corners, I think where we come from as athletes is really important for us to know what we want to do and what we want to achieve and have that focus.

How do you prepare for a tournament like the Olympics?

I think it’s definitely about balancing your mindset, knowing that it’s once in four years and how big it is. And also like understanding, you can’t really hype it up so much and have so much pressure. That’s the tricky thing that we as athletes would have to do because otherwise, if you’re going to hype it up, it either helps or it doesn’t.

What does your training routine and diet look like?

Training wise, we definitely have been putting in a lot of hours training in the morning. We have a fairly strenuous morning session from 8.30 till about 11. And then in the evening, it’s more about skill. I do skill work and then I do gym work along with my strength and conditioning coach, which is four times a week. Twice a week we have evenings off and Sundays off. It’s also about adding a bit of yoga in between and doing a lot of the other things as well. But food wise, it has been definitely trying to eat to recover as much as possible.

What matches would you like to watch at the Olympics?

I would have loved to watch the American basketball team play. Mostly because I’ve heard my husband talk about them so much and definitely the Indian hockey team play as well. And Neeraj Chopra, of course. How can I forget? I would love to watch Neeraj Chopra.