Very fine margin at the top: Ashwini Ponnappa

MUMBAI: Come August, India will be sending seven shuttlers to the Rio Olympics. This is the largest ever badminton contingent from the country that will participate in the quadrennial extravaganza.
And needless to say, the level of expectation fans will have from Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikkanth, Jwala Gutta, Ashwini Ponnappa, Manu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy will be unprecedented.
But, this is something that Ashwini is prepared for.
Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa. (TOI Photo)
"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 TOI.
The women's doubles pair of Jwala & Ashwini will be heading to their second Olympics after the duo came tantalisingly close to making the quarterfinals in London but crashed out under circumstances that went beyond their control.
This is one regret Ashwini still harbours, but hopes they can make amends in the famed Brazilian city. "It was disappointing that we could not progress to the quarters in London. I felt very sad after the competition, but we moved on. Hopefully, we will be able to improve this time," said the athlete who is associated with Red Bull.
Ashwini was part of the Indian team that won bronze in the Uber Cup recently and that should hold them in good stead with the Games less than two months away. But on the whole, India's shuttlers have had patchy performances of late. Nevertheless, the 26-year-old believes there is very little that separates the top teams and individuals at the highest level of the game.
"We have had hectic schedules over the past months and got little time to train with the doubles coach Kim Tan Her. But, now we have some time on our hands and have the opportunity to iron out our flaws," reckoned Ashwini.
"Also, if you look at the teams on the circuit at the moment, any one of them can win on their day. There is very little to choose among them. So if we can be at our best, we stand a chance," said Ashwini who is currently ranked 14th in the world rankings.