Badminton
Jwala Gutta, born on September 7, 1983, is an Indian badminton player known for her achievements in both mixed and women's doubles. She has represented India at international events since the late 1990s and has amassed a total of 316 match wins in both disciplines, the highest by any Indian player. Gutta reached a career-high world ranking of no. 6 and has won medals at various tournaments on the BWF circuit, including a silver at the 2009 Superseries Masters Finals and a bronze at the 2011 World Championships.
Gutta was born in Wardha to a Chinese mother and a Telugu father and developed a passion for badminton at a young age. She initially played with Shruti Kurien, but found greater success partnering with Ashwini Ponnappa. The duo consistently ranked among the top twenty in the BWF World Ranking, reaching as high as no. 10 in 2015. Gutta made history as the first Indian badminton player to qualify for two events in the Olympics, competing in women's doubles with Ponnappa and mixed doubles with V. Diju at the London Olympics. She is known for her skilled left-handed stroke-play and is one of the few doubles players who use a forehand service.
Gutta has earned numerous medals for Indian badminton, including a bronze at the 2011 BWF World Championships in London and a gold and silver at the 2010 and 2014 Commonwealth Games, respectively, in the women's doubles event, which were the first for the country in the discipline. She also won a historic bronze medal at the 2014 Thomas & Uber Cup held in New Delhi, a bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in the same year, and reached the finals and semi-finals in many significant international events. Notably, she reached the finals of the 2009 BWF Super Series Masters Finals with Diju, marking a first for India in any discipline.