Saturday, March 26, 2011

Jwala Gutta


Profile of badminton player Jwala Gutta:

Jwala Gutta is India's best doubles badminton player as of today. In the mixed doubles event she along-with her partner Valiyaveetil Diju, are ranked No.18 in the world (as on 26-Mar-2011). Jwala also partners with Ashwini Ponnappa in the women's doubles event & they are currently ranked 19 in the world (as on 26-Mar-2011).

Jwala Gutta - Family Background

Jwala Gutta was born on 7-Sep-1983 in Wardha district of Maharashtra, and was brought up at Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh in India.She is an Indian of a mixed Indo-Chinese descent.

Her great grandfather Tseng (her mother's grandfather) who hailed from Tianjin in China, was a journalist by profession and the editor of a Chinese newspaper in Singapore. Inspired by the Indian freedom struggle & Mahatma Gandhi, Tseng travelled to India in 1937 and stayed with Mahatma Gandhi for several months. Gandhi was very fond of Tseng, and nicknamed him Shantidoot (meaning messenger of peace), and used to call him Shanti.

After Mahatma Gandhi was assasinated, Jwala's great grandfather Tseng went back to China, but he came back again to India in the year 1977, almost 40 years after his first visit, and he stayed at the Sevagram Ashram at Wardha, where he did the very notable work of translating Gandhi's biography and other works into the Chinese language. He died at Acharya Vinoba Bhave's ashram, and left behind him a grand-daughter named Yelan.

Yelan could have gone back to China, but she chose to stay on in India, and later got married to an Indian (Jwala's father) in the year 1982. A year later the couple was blessed with a child, who they named Jwala, and who was destined to make a permanent mark on Indian badminton.

Jwala Gutta - Fact File
Date of birth: 7-Sep-1983
Place of birth: Wardha, Maharashtra, India
Jwala stays at: Hyderabad, in Andhra Pradesh, India.
She was coached by: S. M. Arif

Jwala Gutta World Ranking as on 26-Mar-2011

Women's doubles world ranking: 19 (partnering Ashwini Ponnappa)
Mixed doubles world ranking: 18 (partnering V.Diju)

Badminton Achievements


Year
Jwala Gutta - Notable Badminton Achievements
2000
·         Jwala partnered with Shruti Kurian to clinch the National Women's Doubles badminton title for the first time.
2001

2002
·         Won the Women’s doubles National Champion with Shruti Kurian as partner.
2003
·         She won the Women’s doubles National Champion with Shruti Kurian as partner.
·         Jwala became the Mixed doubles National champion for the first time with P.Gopichand as partner.
2004
·         Women’s doubles National Champion with Shruti Kurian as partner.
2005
·         Women’s doubles National Champion with Shruti Kurian as partner.
·         Mixed doubles National champion with V. Diju as partner.
·         Gutta won the Jakarta Satellite tournament XD (Mixed Doubles) event.
·         Also won the Welsh International tournament XD event.
2006
·         Women’s doubles National Champion with Shruti Kurian as partner.
·         Jwala Gutta won the Sri Lanka International Satellite tournament WD event.
2007
·         Women’s doubles National Champion with Shruti Kurian as partner.
·         Mixed doubles National champion with V. Diju as partner.
·         Winner at Sri Lanka International Satellite tournament XD (Mixed Doubles) event.
·         She won a double title at the Cyprus Badminton International tournament winning both the WD & Mixed Doubles events.
·         She also won at the Pakistan International Challenge tournament WD event.
·         Also double title winner at the Indian International Challenge tournament winning both in the WD and XD events.
2008
·         Women’s doubles National Champion with Shruti Kurian as partner.
·         Mixed doubles National champion with V. Diju as partner.
·         Jwala won the double crown at Nepal International Series tournament winning both the WD event and the XD events.
·         Also won the Yonex Dutch Open Grand Prix 2008 WD event.
·         Winner at the Bitburger Open Grand Prix tournament XD event.
·         Winner at the Bulgaria Open Grand Prix tournament XD event.
2009
·         Women’s doubles National Champion with Ashwini Ponnappa as partner.
·         Mixed doubles National champion with V. Diju as partner.
·         Reached the Mixed Doubles finals of the World Super Series Masters Finals in Malaysia.
2010
·         Jwala Gutta won the Gold medal in Women Doubles Badminton event at the Commonwealth Games 2010.

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