Anup, Saina head to Beijing

Sat, May 10 02:45 AM

The confirmation now is just a phone call away - the Badminton Association of India will receive intimation from the Badminton World Federation on the qualification of Anup Sridhar and Saina Nehwal (picture right) for the 2008 Beijing Olympics on Saturday.

As of May 1, 2008, ace shuttler Anup is ranked No.33 while Saina is ranked No.31, making them eligible for the 38 places available in each of the singles event.

India's other hope, their top doubles women's pairing in Jwala Gutta and Shruti Kurien, ranked No.26, have only a slim, outside chance - one that is highly unlikely - and would have to wait until the end of June for reallocation of berths, if other pairings pull out of the gala August event. "I'm so happy and people have been calling up so I know I've qualified. Never had I dreamed of getting to compete at the Olympics, which is such an opportunity at this age," said 18-year-old Saina, delighted albeit a little nervous.

It was Saina's good run at smaller events like the Dutch Open and the Macao international - where she reached the quarter-finals - and the runner-up effort at the Indian International that kept her in the hunt for the berth. "For the past year, I've maintained my ranking, which shot up to No.21 after the All England Open. When we took a two-month break for training, my ranking was hit - I went to No. 39 - but then I've played all tournaments this year, played against top players this years and lost by close margins," she said from Hyderabad on Friday. While she was admittedly found out in the second round of the India Open Gold GP on home turf last month by a higher ranked player (world No.13), Saina felt there weren't "big weaknesses" in her game and only needed to build on stamina.

Saina will compete in Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand in June, and dedicate July to practice before making the August meet.

BAI secretary LC Gupta confirmed the qualification of Anup, who has recovered from a heel injury, and Saina. "Anup and Saina have qualified for the Beijing Games because of their world rankings. India's only other chance is Jwala Gutta and Shruti Kurien, but that is close to impossible. We are still hopeful of that though," he said.

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