Joshna Chinappa Height, Age, Husband, Family, Biography & More
Quick Info→
Age: 37 Years
Hometown: Chennai
Marital Status: Unmarried
Bio/Wiki | |
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Profession | Squash Player |
Physical Stats & More | |
Height (approx.) | in centimeters- 170 cm in meters- 1.70 m in feet & inches- 5’ 7” |
Weight (approx.) | in kilograms- 65 kg in pounds- 143 lbs |
Figure Measurements (approx.) | 34-28-36 |
Eye Colour | Black |
Hair Colour | Black |
Squash | |
International Debut | 2003 - British Junior Open title |
Coach/Mentor | Muhammad Medhaat of Egypt served as her coach in 2007, but she later switched to England's Malcolm Willstrop. Speaking about her decision to switch coaches in an interview, she stated, "Malcolm is more technically sound and I love training under him mainly because he is strict and insistent on discipline and work ethics." In 2019, she began training with Hadrian Stiff in Bristol, England. [1]Hindustan Times |
Records (main ones) | • In 2000, she became the youngest squash player to hold both junior and senior national championship titles. • In 2008, she became the first Indian to bag the Women International Squash Player Association (WISPA) tour title. • With a total of 19 national titles, she held the record for the most championship wins in 2023. |
Awards | • 2013 - Arjuna Award • January 2024 - Padma Shri |
Personal Life | |
Date of Birth | 15 September 1986 (Monday) |
Age (as of 2023) | 37 Years |
Birthplace | Chennai, Tamil Nadu |
Zodiac sign | Virgo |
Nationality | Indian |
Hometown | Chennai |
School | Lady Andal Venkatasubba Rao School, Chennai |
College/University | Ethiraj College For Women, Chennai |
Educational Qualification | A bachelor’s degree in English Literature |
Religion | Non-religious [2]The Times of India |
Hobby | Surfing |
Relationships & More | |
Marital Status | Unmarried |
Family | |
Husband/Spouse | N/A |
Parents | Father- Anjan Chinappa (Owner of a Coorg coffee plantation and a squash player who played for Tamil Nadu) Mother- Sunita |
Siblings | Brother- Gaurav (younger) Sister- None |
Favourites | |
Cuisine | South Indian |
Actors | Vin Diesel, Kalki Koechlin |
Sportsperson | Andre Agassi |
Holiday Spot | Los Angeles |
Gadget | Go Pro |
Clothing Brands | Abercrombie, Topshop, Tommy Hilfiger, Diesel, and Mango |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Joshna Chinappa
- Joshna, along with Dipika Pallikal, helped India win its first-ever squash medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2014.
- Joshna Chinappa began playing squash at the Madras Cricket Club at the age of seven, under her father’s guidance. In an interview, she said that she felt fortunate to have grown up in a household of squash players.
- In 2003, Joshna won the British Junior Open title in the U17 category. In 2004, in the U19 category, she lost to Omneya Abdel Kawy of Egypt in the British Junior Open finals.
- In 2005, she won the British Junior Open title by defeating Tenille Swartz of South Africa in the finals. In the same year, she competed in the Belgium-hosted World Junior Squash Championships and finished as the runner-up.
- In November 2008, she became the first Indian woman to win a tour title in the Women International Squash Player Association (WISPA).
- A week after this victory, she defeated Low Wee Wern in the championship match to win the NSC Super Satellite No. 4 tournament in Malaysia, winning her second consecutive WISPA title.
- In 2010, she won the German Ladies Open squash tournament held in Saarbrucken, Germany, and won her first title on the European WISPA tour; she remained undefeated in the entire tournament.
- In 2010, she competed for the Indian women’s national squash team along with Anaka Alankamony, Dipika Pallikal, and Anwesha Reddy. The team competed in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, and won the bronze medal.
- In 2011, she defeated Dipika Pallikal in the championship match to win the Windy City Open, which was held in Chicago, US.
- In 2014, at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, Joshna, along with Dipika Pallikal, represented India in the women’s doubles competition. After winning the semifinal match, they defeated Jenny Duncalf and Laura Massaro, two English players, in less than twenty-eight minutes, with scores of 11–6, 11–8. They won the first-ever squash medal for India at the Commonwealth Games with this victory.
- She competed for the Indian women’s national squash team in the 2014 Asian Games held in Incheon, South Korea along with Dipika Pallikal, Aparajitha Balamurukan, and Anaka Alankamony where the team went on to win the silver medal.
- In September 2015, her opponent’s racquet struck her in the face during the NSCI Open championship finals, but she was still able to win the match.
- In the same year, she defeated the top-ranked squash player in the world at the time, Raneem El Welily of Egypt, in the opening round of the Qatar Classic.
- In December 2015, she passed Dipika Pallikal in the rankings to take the top spot among Indian women players.
- In 2016, she defeated her Pakistani competitor Maria Toorpaki Wazir in the finals of the South Asian Games held in Guwahati and lifted the trophy.
- In 2017, she defeated Dipika Pallikal in a thrilling final match to win the Asian Individual Squash Championships held in Chennai, with the scores 13–15, 12–10, 11–13, 11–4, 11–4, and became the first Asian Squash Champion from India.
- Together with her former opponent Dipika Pallikal, she competed in the World Doubles Squash Championship in August 2017 and won a bronze medal.
- At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, she won a silver medal in the women’s doubles category and reached the quarterfinals of the women’s singles category.
- Joshna Chinappa, Tanvi Khanna, Sunayna Kuruvilla, and Dipika Pallikal were the members of the Indian women’s squash team that won a silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. She won a bronze medal in the singles category at the 2018 Asian Games.
- In 2019, she won the Asian Individual Squash Championships held in Kuala Lumpur by defeating Annie Au in the final. In an interview, while talking about her experience of the final match, she said,
Annie is tough to play against, mentally and physically. I had lost to her three times so it was extremely satisfying to win the final.”
- In 2020, she won her eighteenth national title by winning the 77th Senior National Squash Championship.
- At the 2021 Asian Team Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Joshna competed for the Indian squad that won the bronze medal.
- In 2022, she won the Squash World Doubles Championships held in Glasgow, Scotland along with Dipika Pallikal.
- In December 2022 she won the HCL 78th National Squash Championship, winning her 19th national title by defeating Anahat Singh in the women’s singles finals.
- She defeated Anahat Singh in the women’s singles final to win the HCL 78th National Squash Championship in December 2022, winning her 19th national title.
- Joshna Chinappa represented India at the 2023 Commonwealth Games in the women’s singles event but was defeated in the quarter-finals by Canada’s Hollie Naughton.
- She represented India at the 2023 Squash World Cup held in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, along with Abhay Singh, Tanvi Khanna, and Saurav Ghosal. Joshna’s outstanding performance helped India maintain a lead in the pool stage, but India lost to Malaysia in the semi-finals; Abhay Singh lost to Ong Sai Hung 4-7, 7-5, 7-1, 1-7, 6-7, Joshna Chinappa lost to Aira Azman 3-7, 3-7, 7-5, 4-7, and Saurav Ghosal lost to Darren Pragasam 5-7, 7-2, 6-7, 5-7.
- She competed for the Indian women’s national squash team at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China along with Dipika Pallikal, Anahat Singh, and Tanvi Khanna where the team went on to win the bronze medal.
- In 2016, she reached her highest career ranking of 10 in the world rankings; previously Dipika Pallikal was the only other Indian player to make it into the top 10.
- In 2022, i.e. six years later, Joshna returned to the top 10 squash players in the world. [3]The Times of India
- She shares a close relationship with P. V. Sindhu and is frequently spotted hanging out with her.
- She suffered a knee injury in 2011, but she made a comeback in 2015 by finishing first in India’s rankings and playing brilliantly in some of the games. She worked with Ritwik Bhattacharya, a former national champion, to sharpen her skills during her break. [4]The Economic Times
- By winning her 17th national squash champion title in June 2019, she broke the record held by Bhuvneshwari Kumari for the most national titles held.
- According to Joshna, getting a Smoking Devil tattoo on her back without telling her parents when she was 15 is one of the naughtiest things she has done. In order to experience some pain after losing a game, she got her belly pierced. [5]The Times of India
- On the weekends, she doesn’t practice squash; instead, she hangs out with her loved ones and enjoys eating chocolates. [6]The Times of India
- The media often talks about Joshna and Dipika’s rivalry. Joshna clarified in an interview that they are teammates rather than arch-rivals. She said,
They just want to see two girls fight and not necessarily on the court! We care little about what is being written. The truth is we are teammates and often roommates too. We have to back each other up. It’s just her and I who are strong enough for the Indian team as of now. We both want to do well, win medals for the country. We have been playing each other for a long time to respect each other. Of course, on court you want to win, just as you want to against any other player on the PSA World Tour.”
- Joshna claims that the United States of America is her favourite destination to play.
- She was appointed ASICS’s brand ambassador in 2021.
- Joshna has a pet dog and often posts pictures of her dog on her Instagram account.
- Along with other Indian squash team members, she walked the ramp as a showstopper for the Caprese X Gauri & Nainika show at Lakme Fashion Week x FDCI 2023.
- On 3 January 2019, Joshna took a pledge to donate her eyes.
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