This is my last Olympics, says sobbing badminton stalwart Ashwini Ponnappa

NEW DELHI: Ashwini Ponnappa, a veteran of Indian badminton, emotionally declared that her Olympic journey had come to an end following a defeat alongside her partner Tanisha Crasto in the women's doubles event at the Paris Games. The announcement was accompanied by tears from the seasoned player.The Indian duo faced Setyana Mapasa and Angela Yu of Australia in their concluding Group C match on Tuesday. Ponnappa and Crasto were unable to secure a victory, losing the encounter with scores of 15-21 and 10-21. This loss marked their third consecutive defeat in the group stage, bringing their campaign to a close without a single win."This will be my last, but Tanisha has a long way to go," said 34-year-old Ashwini, as quoted by PTI, who was playing in her third Olympics, when asked whether she hopes to play in the 2028 Los Angeles Games."It takes a toll emotionally and mentally, I can't go through this again. It is not easy, you can take all these if you are a little younger. Having played for so long, I can't take it anymore," she said while trying to hold back tears.Ashwini, the winner of her maiden national championship in 2001, had established an impressive and trailblazing partnership with Jwala Gutta, a player active until 2017.The duo had secured numerous accolades on the global stage, notably a gold medal at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games and bronze at the Uber Cup (2014 and 2016) and the Asian Championships (2014).Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa achieved a significant milestone in 2011 when they secured a bronze medal at the World Championships, becoming the first Indian duo to accomplish this feat. The medal stood as the pinnacle of their professional achievements.Throughout their partnership, the Jwala-Ashwini duo maintained a strong presence in the global rankings, consistently placing within the top 20 and even reaching the impressive 10th position at one point.Despite their success, the pair's Olympic journey in 2012 and 2016 ended in the early stages of the competition."We wanted to get a win today. As much as we would have liked the outcome to be different and better, the biggest takeaway I and Tanisha had is we had quite a journey, getting to the Olympics. It has not been easy," said Ashwini.Tanisha also could not control her emotions and she sobbed inconsolably."She (Ashwini) has been my biggest support here. We had wanted a better result and held out heads high. She motivated me every time.