BAI sets Popat free for Sydney

BAI sets Popat free for Sydney
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

BANGALORE, AUGUST 4: National champion Aparna Popat was on Friday cleared for the Sydney Olympics by the Badminton Association of India setting at rest doubts over her participation.

Twenty-three-year-old Indian Oil Corporation employee Aparna said she was happy over the qualification though she had not thought too much about her making the grade.

The chances of former junior world number two took a dip after she was banned for three months for testing positive for a dope test conducted during the Uber Cup preliminaries held in New Delhi in February. Aparna had taken `De Cold Total' to overcome her cold and was found positive as it contained banned substance. Her international rating had dropped from an all-time high of 28 and was now hovering around 50 as she could not play in major tournaments. She served suspension from March 13 to June 12 and had now started playing in local tournaments.

Only recently, Aparna had said, ``the feeling of butterflies in my stomatch began the moment I realised that I was on top of the reserve list. I am keeping my fingers crossed.''

The senior National champion for the last three years said that she had not worked out her schedule for the preparation for the major event. After the BPL championship, she would work out the schedule with her coach Prakash Padukone.

Aparna, who had a string of good performances last year and early this year, was a pre-quarterfinalist in the women's singles event of the All England open championships 2000. Aparna was a silver medallist in the individuals category of the women's singles and bronze medallist in the team event of the Commonwelath Games held at Kuala Lumpur in 1998.

Padukone, the former All England open champion, was happy over her selection. ``It was a good news. But she needs to perform at the Olympics. Both Aparna and Gopichand have the talent. They should play to their potential and do something worthwhile. The selection was a first step,'' he added.

Prakash said that her chances had improved last week after she emerged as the first reserve for the Olympics.