Aparna Popat is is one of India`s preeminent badminton players. She holds the record for winning the National Senior Women`s Badminton title for the highest number of times consecutively. She has also excelled in several international badminton championships.

Popat was born on the January 18, 1978 at Mumbai. She studied at the J.B. Petit School and completed her education from Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru. She went on to complete a bachelor`s degree in Commerce from the University of Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Aparna Popat started playing badminton when she was merely 8 years old. While initially more inclined to tennis, but a lack of good facilities, and early recognition in badminton put an end to her tennis aspirations. Popat was spotted by Anil Pradhan, the Badminton Coach at the Cricket Club of India who himself was a National Doubles Champion. He encouraged Aparna Popat to take the sport of badminton seriously. By age 13 she had won several tournaments and had matured to an excellent badminton player. In 1994, Aparna Popat moved to Prakash Padukone`s Badminton Academy based at Bengaluru to further sharpen her playing skills.

In 1989, Popat defeated Neelima Chaudhary to win the National Under-12 Badminton Championship held at Bengaluru. Her first Senior National Championship victory of Aparna Popat came in 1997, where she defeated Manjusha Pawangadkar at Pune. After her first victory, Aparna created history by winning the National Senior Championship title consecutively for a record number of nine times till 2005. By wining this title for nine times in a row, Aparna Popat broke the record of Madhumita Bisht who won this title consecutively for seven times (from 1984 to 1990).

Aparna Popat also made her presence felt in the international badminton arena. In the year 1996, she participated in the World Junior Badminton Championship held at Denmark where she won a Silver Medal. She secured a Silver medal again at the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games (1998). In that same year she formed a new record by becoming the first Indian female player to win the French Open title. She won a Bronze at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games and reached the Semi Final round of the Swedish Open Badminton Tournament.

Aparna Popat has received several awards as recognition of her talent and brilliant performances by the Government of India. She has received the prestigious Arjuna Award in 2005. For her brilliant performance at the Commonwealth Games, the Maharashtra state government as well as Karnataka state government honoured Aparna Popat as an outstanding badminton player of the country.