Buoyed by success in Sudirman Cup
New Delhi: Top doubles shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa, who led India to the Sudirman Cup knockout stage last week, has set a target to claim a medal at next year’s Commonwealth Games.
At Gold Coast in Australia, which will also host the Commonwealth Games next year, Ashwini spearheaded the Indian challenge as she played both the mixed doubles with young Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and women’s doubles with N Sikki Reddy and their performances were the highlights of the event.
“We are looking forward to the next tournament, doing better than what we have done. If we can reach a final of super series this year, that will be good and definitely winning a medal at the Commonwealth Games will be one of the important targets,” Ashwini said
Talking about the Sudirman Cup, Ashwini sai, “Ever since we came to know about the draw, I was confident we were good enough to beat them. Most of the players in the opposition team had top five players and when I knew I will have to play two matches, I had the belief that we could do well.
“Me and Satwik were training together just a few weeks ahead of the event as we had sent our entry for the Australian Open. So when we got a chance to play at the Sudirman Cup, we were excited.”
Ashwini along with Jwala Gutta formed a formidable pair, winning medals at the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and 2014 and a bronze at the 2011 World Championship. They also qualified for the Olympics in 2012 London Games and the 2016 Rio Games. While Jwala is now contemplating retirement, Ashwini has emerged as the top doubles star.
PTI
