Jwala Gutta
About
Jwala Gutta, a left-handed badminton player, is India's most successful doubles specialist, & has won the National Badminton Championship fourteen times. She is the first badminton player of India to qualify for two events in the Olympics & is best known as one of the very few notable doubles players, using a forehand service.
Initially inclined towards playing tennis, Jwala started playing badminton on her mother’s insistence. She got introduced to S. M. Arif, the national badminton coach at the age of four and later she started training under him.
Her achievement as a youngster was winning the Under-13 Girls Mini National Badminton Championship.
She won the Junior National Badminton Championship in 2000 at the age of 17 and in the same year she also won the Women's Doubles Junior National Championship and the Senior National Badminton Championship, both in partnership with Shruti Kurien.
Jwala Gutta and Shruti Kurien’s pairing played together for seven years in succession winning the Women's Doubles National title for seven years from 2002 to 2008.
Jwala was then paired with Ashwini Ponnappa and together they won the gold medal in the women's doubles at the New Delhi Commonwealth Games making history of winning the first gold medal for India in the event. The pair consistently figured among the top-twenty in the BWF World Ranking reaching as high as no. 10 in 2015
In 2011, Jwala Gutta was awarded the ‘Arjuna award’ by the Indian Government, India's second highest sporting honor for her achievements as a badminton player.
At the London Olympics in 2012, Jwala played women's doubles as well as mixed doubles becoming the first and the only Indian to qualify in two events in the entire history of the game.
In 2014 Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa won the bronze medal at Asian Championships.
She is also known for standing up for issues like fair treatment in sports, health & education, women empowerment & gender equality. She has been listed several times among the most inspiring sportswomen of India.
Awards and Accomplishments
Awards and Accomplishments
14 times winner of ‘National Badminton Championship’ in doubles.
Gold in 2004, 2006 and 2016 in Women’s doubles at South Asian Games.
Gold in Women’s doubles in 2010 at the Commonwealth Games.
Gold in 2010 and Silver in 2014 in Women’s doubles at BWF World Championships.
In 2011, Jwala was awarded the ‘Arjuna award’ by the Indian Government, India’s second highest sporting honour.
Won Bronze in Women’s doubles at BWF World Championships, 2011.
Bronze at the Thomas & Uber Cup & a bronze medal at Badminton Asia Championships in 2014.
Bronze in Women’s doubles at Asian Championship, 2014.
Gold in Mixed doubles at South Asian Games in 2004 and 2006.
Why Jwala Gutta ?
Her aggression and preference for playing on the front court, combined with her skilled netplay, good anticipation, and ability to play deceptive strokes at the net, demonstrate Jwala Gutta’s skill and experience as a player. Known for being one of the only top doubles players to still use the forehand service as a doubles specialist, Jwala’s game is never affected and she proves her merit unabashedly just like her game.
