'It takes a toll emotionally and mentally; I can't go through this again. It is not easy.'
Indian badminton stalwart Ashwini Ponnappa broke down in tears, announcing she has played her last Olympics after she and her partner Tanisha Crasto suffered their third straight defeat in the women's doubles competition of the Paris Games.
Ashwini and Tanisha lost to Australia's Setyana Mapasa and Angela Yu 15-21, 10-21 in their final Group C game on Tuesday and ended their campaign after losing all their three group matches.
"This will be my last, but Tanisha has a long way to go," said 34-year-old Ashwini, 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 added, trying to hold back tears.
Ashwini, who won her first National title in 2001, had formed a formidable and history scripting women's pair with Jwala Gutta, who played till 2017. They won many international medals, including a gold at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games and bronze at the Uber Cup (2014 and 2016) and Asian Championships (2014).
In 2011, they scripted history by becoming the first Indian pair to win a medal -- a bronze -- at the World Championships. That was their biggest prize in their careers.
The Jwala-Ashwini pair was consistently ranked among the top 20 in the world and reached No. 10 at one time.
Ashwini and Jwala played in two Olympics together (in 2012 and 2016) but could not go beyond the initial stage.
"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.
