Ashwini Ponnappa, honestly, probably can’t pinpoint the exact moment badminton grabbed her—it was one of those things that just snuck up when she was too young to even remember. But what she’s done since is impossible to ignore: she’s one of the first Indian women to snag a World Championship gold in doubles, and her smashes?
Ashwini Ponnappa Biography
Ashwini Ponnappa Machimanda is a professional Badminton player who represents India in the International Badminton Court for women’s doubles and mixed doubles. Along with her partner Jwala Gutta she had won many Gold and Bronze Medals. They both were continuously ranking 20th before reaching to 10th rank.
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Visit Express VPNAshwini Ponnappa Biography Details
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| Born | 18 September 1989 Bangalore, Karnataka, India |
| Residence | Hyderabad, India |
| Height | 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in) |
| Weight | 60 kg (132 lb) |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Handedness | Right |
| Category | Tennis Players |
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About Ashwini Ponnappa Biography
Ashwini Ponnappa Machimanda is an Indian badminton player who represents the country at the international badminton circuit in both the women’s and mixed doubles disciplines.
Born: 18 September 1989 (age 34 years), Bengaluru
Teammates: PV Sindhu, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty
Medals: Badminton at the 2022 Commonwealth Games – Mixed teams
Parents: Cauvery Ponnappa, MA Ponnappa
Siblings: Appanna Ponnappa
Height: 1.65 m
Early Life
In her early life, she was born on September 18, 1989, in Bangalore, Karnataka to MA Ponappa (father) and Kaveri Ponappa(mother). Her father was a National hockey player and she had played hockey for some years because of her father’s wish. But, after a while, she had switched her interest to Badminton because she came to a realization that she had her career in that sport.
Career
Then her family shifted to Hyderabad and there she completed her Bachelor’s Degree. She is employed at ONGC. She started to prove from 2001 when she won the Indian junior championship. She has won doubles match in Sub-Junior Nationals and Junior Nationals at her young age. She was shot into limelight and got name and fame for the first time when she bagged gold medal at the South Indian Games held in the year 2006.
She made a good pair with Jwala Gutta and won gold medal in the Women’s doubles event at 2010 Commonwealth Games. At 2012 London Olympics, she lost opening match together with Jwala Gutta in the women’s double competition to Japanese pair. She then won the next match against Chinese Taipei pair. She took training under Edwin Iriawan and Syed Mohammed Arif also. Since it is her maiden Olympics, she is filled with excitement and is much expected.
Honors
Till now, she had won total 252 matches in the women’s singles, women’s doubles and mixed matches. According to her data performance in women’s singles, she had played a total of 9 matches and earned a total of 990 points out of which she had lost 3 matches and had won 6 matches. In women’s doubles, she had played a total of 333 matches and had earned 57,420 points out of which she had lost 174 matches and had won 159 matches. For the same, in 2019, she had 24 matches and scored 5.744 points out of which she had lost 15 matches and won 9 matches. In her all mixed matches she had played 180 matches and scored 21,913 points, of which she lost 93 matches and won 87 matches.
Ashwini Ponnappa Professional Life
She has a world ranking of 24 in women’s doubles and 26 in mixed doubles. In the World tour, she has 18th rank in women’s doubles and 44th rank in mixed doubles. She had played a total of 15 tournaments till now. She had two coaches named Tan Kim Her and Tom John. Her lowest point was when she sparked controversies regarding her elimination in the London Olympics in 2012. She took two years in getting recovered from the trauma and again in 2014, she had won Gold medal. She had faced many objections regarding her losing medal in the Olympics.
Ashwini Ponnappa Hobbies
Her favourite hobbies are listening to music, reading books, watching movies and cooking as on Femina lifestyle page she had her recipe named Yarchi Nad Kanne published. Ashwini loves Corrge dishes which are Nooputtu, Chicken, Curry, Kadumbuttu, Thaliya puttu and Coorg style egg curryt. Secondly, she loves Konkani food. She also loves to eat Mangalorean and Goan-style seafood. She mostly travels to Singapore to the great taste of food with a variety of dishes
Ashwini Ponnappa: A Brief Biography
Ashwini Ponnappa Machimanda is an Indian female badminton player who was brought into the world on 18 September 1989 at Coorg in Karnataka. She is a right-handed shuttler who enjoys and excels at powerful smash shots on the court. She is the primary Indian player to have won a decoration in the Copies classification of World Badminton Title.
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Net Worth
Ashwini Ponnappa has not just made a name on the court but also turned it into some serious league-level clout. Sahara Adventure Sports picked her up for Rs. 32 lakhs to play for the Awadhe Warriors in the Premier Badminton League, after stints with Delhi Acers for Rs. 20 lakhs in 2017 and Bengaluru Raptors for Rs. 15 lakhs in 2016. According to the BWF, she’s earned over $46,000 from doubles and nearly $16,000 from mixed events, which all adds up—her net worth now sits around $5 million. Not bad for someone whose smashes are almost as sharp as her business sense.
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Low Points
Ashwini Ponnappa experienced a major setback when she alongside Jwala Gutta were disputably disposed of at the 2012 London Olympics. They overcame it after almost two years, and in 2014, they won their next medal. Ashwini has likewise confronted analysis for not winning a decoration at the “Huge Occasions” like Olympics.
Real Name, Profession
| Real Name | Ashwini Ponnappa |
| Profession | Indian Badminton Player |
Physical Stats
| Height (approx.) | 5′ 5″ (165 cm) |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Black |
International Debut, Achievements
| International Debut | South Asian Games, 2006 |
| Coach/Mentor | Tom John |
| Handedness | Right |
| Achievements (main ones) | • Secured a Gold medal at the South Asian Games held in 2006. • Won the National Junior Badminton championship titles in the girl’s doubles events in 2006 & 2007. • Gold Medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2010. • Pairing with Jwala Gutta, Ponnappa secured a gold medal at the Delhi Commonwealth Games 2012 Women’s Doubles event. • Bagged a Silver medal in the mixed team event of the 2012 Commonwealth Games. • Ponnappa also won a Silver Medal at the Commonwealth Games 2014. |
| Career Turning Point | After securing a Gold Medal at the 2006 South Asian Games, there was no looking back for Ponnappa. |
| Highest Ranking | 10 (in XD) (August 2015) |
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Personal Life Informations
| Date of Birth | 18 September 1989 (Monday) |
| Age (as of 2026) | 35 Years |
| Birthplace | Bangalore, Karnataka, India |
| Zodiac sign | Virgo |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Bangalore, Karnataka, India |
| School | St. Francis Xavier’s Girl’s High School, Bangalore |
| College | Mount Carmel College, Bangalore & St Mary’s College, Hyderabad |
| Family | Father- M.A.Ponnappa Mother- Kaveri Ponnappa Brother- Not Known Sister- N/A |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Hobbies | Listening to Music, reading Books & watching movies |
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Favourites
| Brands | Promod, Pull & Bear, Zara |
| Car | Renault Duster |
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Boys, Affairs and More
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
