India's hope for a Rio medal rests heavily on shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa
Name: Ashwini Ponnappa
Discipline: Badminton
Achievements:
- 2016 Guwahati South Asian Games – Women's Doubles - Gold
- 2016 Guwahati South Asian Games – Women's Team - Gold
- 2016 Guwahati South Asian Games – Mixed Doubles - Bronze
- 2014 Incheon Asian Games – Women's team - Bronze
- 2014 Glasgow CWG – Women's Doubles - Silver
- 2010 Delhi CWG – Women's Doubles - Gold
- 2010 Delhi CWG – Mixed Team – Silver
- 2011 London World Championship – Women's doubles - Bronze
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A 12-year-old Ashwini Ponnappa shot to fame when she bagged the Indian junior Championships title in 2001.
The 26-year-old badminton champion completed her schooling in Bangalore and later moved to Hyderabad along with her family. After completing her 
bachelor's course in Hyderabad, Ashwini began working with ONGC, but still pursued badminton with fervour and passion and continued her training.
Ponnappa secured two gold and silver medals at the 2016 South Asian Games held in Guhawati under women's doubles, women's team and mixed doubles categories.
Her successful partnership with Jwala Gutta earned them a gold medal in women's doubles event at the 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG) held in New Delhi. CWG 2010 champion duo Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa together hold World. No 14 position in women's doubles.
Ashwini has won millions of hearts with her popular backlines, drop-shots and high-powered smashes.
The badminton event at the upcoming 2016 Olympics Rio will be nothing less than a power-packed competition with Indian star badminton players making an attempt to bag the gold.
Ace shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa along with six others - Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Srikkanth, Jwala, Manu and B Sumeeth Reddy - will be heading to Rio for the 2016 Olympics which will kickstart from August 5.
"We have been progressing well over the past four years. That's why seven of us have qualified for the Olympics. Last time, however, we also had a mixed doubles pair. It would have been even better had we managed that. But still, having a men's doubles team in Rio is great, so we are pretty satisfied," Ashwini told the Times of India.
