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As Treesa-Gayatri end India’s 15-year women’s doubles medal wait, Ashwini Ponnappa reflects on 2011 and calls for grassroots reforms.
Ashwini Ponnappa/Treesa-Gayatri in action (Picture credit: AFP/AP)
There is an uncanny resemblance between Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa’s bronze-medal run at the 2011 BWF World Championships and Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand’s campaign at the 2026 edition.
Jwala and Ashwini faced the second-seeded Cheng Wen-hsing and Chien Yu-chin as early as the second round, beating them in straight games. They then knocked out the 11th seeds in the third round and the 12th seeds in the quarter-finals before their run ended against the fifth-seeded Chinese pair in the semi-finals.
Treesa and Gayatri started their campaign against 16th seeds Lauren Lam and Allison Lee in the Round of 32, defeating them in straight games. They then ousted the seventh seeds in the Round of 16 and the fourth seeds in the quarter-finals, before their run ended against the top-seeded Chinese pair in the semi-finals.
This is nothing but eerie.
So much similarity, yet so much has changed.
“There has been a massive change, leaps and bounds. When Jwala and I were playing, we were dependent on government funding and were grateful for the tournaments we got to play,” Ashwini said while speaking to News18 Sports, in between her commentary stint at the World Championships.
“The 2010 CWG in India helped a lot of sports get funding from the government. The funding received for the preparation really helped the shuttlers as we could travel for a lot of tournaments,” Ashwini added.
She said that consistent performances at the Olympics, Asian Games and other major badminton events have resulted in significantly greater funding today. Ashwini noted that almost all top shuttlers now have access to personal coaches, trainers, physiotherapists, nutritionists, mental coaches and dietitians, compared to the past, when funding was limited to travel, a coach and a physiotherapist for the entire team.
“The change helps the current top players in the sport as they focus more freely on playing the sport,” Ashwini added.
The 2010 CWG gold medallist recalled that there was no one to oversee her and Jwala’s recovery and that they competed with limited support. In hindsight, Ashwini finds it remarkable that they never even discussed strategy.
“No one sat down with us and said, ‘This is how you approach opponents who are ranked much higher.’ And after we won gold at the 2010 CWG in India, a lot of people thought it was a fluke,” Ashwini said.
“We didn’t really think about anything and were just focused on playing it one match at a time and giving our best each match.” Now, however, things have changed. Top shuttlers today have access to facilities that I don’t think could get much better,” Ashwini added.
She said that she and Jwala played as per what was required on the day, without overthinking things. Ashwini and Jwala’s training, too, was neither structured nor geared towards winning, unlike today, when shuttlers have a clear pathway, defined goals and a blueprint to follow.
“That, I think, is the biggest difference. In terms of sponsorship, funding, infrastructure and support, the current shuttlers are at a different level. And that’s very good to see,” Ashwini said.
“It’s really good to see how much badminton has grown since the 2011 World Championships. Top shuttlers today have access to almost everything they need, so there isn’t much they can complain about. You can see the impact in the level they are playing at; it’s a very, very high standard of badminton,” Ashwini added.
After 15-Year Medal Wait, Ashwini Seeks System Overhaul
It took India 15 years to win another World Championships medal in women’s doubles. With Treesa and Gayatri ending the long wait, the question now is whether more Indian pairs can follow their lead and enjoy success on the global stage.
“The support that Gayatri and Treesa receive is good. This is also one of the reasons why they can perform so well at the highest level. Having good all-around support is very important and that makes it easy for players to focus on what they need to do,” Ashwini said.
“That aspect makes a huge difference in helping players perform. So, yes, that is different. I am not talking about the entire system; I am referring to the top tier. That is why I was careful to mention the top tier. For the rest of badminton, I think we need to revamp our structure,” Ashwini added.
She said that the level of support changes once shuttlers reach the top, but stressed that India needs significant structural and coaching reforms to produce more successful doubles pairs.
“We have the capacity and, I would say, the funding to make those changes, with a focus on identifying and nurturing younger talent from an early age and developing them into successful doubles players,” Ashwini said.
“So, I think it boils down to the path that badminton is going to take in our country. I don’t know who is going to take charge of that and I can’t get into the specifics,” Ashwini added.
She said that Indian badminton still has plenty of scope for improvement at the grassroots level and across the wider ecosystem, in terms of coaching and creating more chances for young shuttlers to develop.
“I don’t think that kind of support is there yet, except when it comes to funding. Players do get opportunities to travel and many receive financial support from state or central governments or private organisations,” Ashwini said.
“At least the good thing is that they get to travel and compete and some aspects of their travel are taken care of. I think that’s one of the reasons we are seeing a lot of younger talent, in women’s singles, emerge from different parts of the country,” Ashwini added.
The former star shuttler also lauded Treesa and Gayatri for their brilliant bronze-medal run at the World Championships in New Delhi.
“Every opponent they have defeated has been good. This is the World Championships, after all and they have beaten shuttlers who are ranked higher than them,” Ashwini said.
“Of course, both Gayatri and Treesa have also been in the top 10 of the world rankings. They are not there, but if you look at their records, you know they are a top-10 pair,” Ashwini added.
Key Questions Answered
Ask News18India has the capacity and funding to produce more world-class doubles pairs, but it requires significant structural and coaching reforms. There needs to be a focus on identifying and nurturing younger talent from an early age to develop them into successful doubles players.
Ask News18August 23, 2026, 07:00 IST
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