# Aparna Balan

Aparna Balan (born 9 August 1986) is an Indian badminton player from Kozhikode, Kerala. She was part of the national team that won the silver medal in 2010 Commonwealth Games, also gold medals in 2004, 2006 and 2010 South Asian Games. She is 6 times National Champion in mixed doubles and 3 times National Champion in women's doubles. She represented India in many international badminton tournaments.

## Career

In 2006, she won the national mixed doubles title partnering with V. Diju. At the same year, she competed at the 2006 South Asian Games and won two silver medals in the women's and mixed doubles event. In 2010 South Asian Games, Balan won the women's doubles gold with Shruti Kurien and mixed doubles silver with Sanave Thomas.

## Personal life

On 09 April 2018, she married Sandeep M S. The couple has a son, Sriyaan Sandeep Maliyekkal.

## Achievements
### South Asian Games

Women's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2006 | Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka | B. R. Meenakshi | Jwala Gutta Shruti Kurien | 21–18, 21–23, 12–21 | Silver |
| 2010 | Wooden-Floor Gymnasium, Dhaka, Bangladesh | Shruti Kurien | P. C. Thulasi Ashwini Ponnappa | 21–19, 22–20 | Gold |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2006 | Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka | Thomas Kurien | V. Diju Jwala Gutta | 11–21, 13–21 | Silver |
| 2010 | Wooden-Floor Gymnasium, Dhaka, Bangladesh | Sanave Thomas | V. Diju Ashwini Ponnappa | 11–21, 15–21 | Silver |

### BWF Grand Prix

The BWF Grand Prix had two levels, the BWF Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) which was held from 2007 to 2017.
Women's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2009 | Australian Open | Shruti Kurien | Chia Chi Huang Tang He Tian | 13–21, 19–21 | Runner-up |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2009 | India Grand Prix | Arun Vishnu | Tarun Kona Shruti Kurien | 21–14, 17–21, 21–19 | Winner |
    BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament
    BWF Grand Prix tournament

### BWF International Challenge/Series (7 titles, 13 runners-up)

Women's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2007 | Tata Open India International | Jyotshna Polavarapu | Jwala Gutta Shruti Kurien | 11–21, 8–21 | Runner-up |
| 2008 | Bahrain International | Sampada Sahasrabuddhe | Nicole Grether Charmaine Reid | 16–21, 13–21 | Runner-up |
| 2009 | Spanish Open | Shruti Kurien | Line Damkjær Kruse Mie Schjøtt-Kristensen | 14–21, 21–17, 15–21 | Runner-up |
| 2011 | Bahrain International | N. Siki Reddy | Nicole Grether Charmaine Reid | 10–21, 19–21 | Runner-up |
| 2012 | Tata Open India International | N. Siki Reddy | Lee So-hee Shin Seung-chan | 21–19, 13–21, 17–21 | Runner-up |
| 2013 | Bahrain International | Sanyogita Ghorpade | Prajakta Sawant Arathi Sara Sunil | 21–18, 18–21, 16–21 | Runner-up |
| 2013 | Bahrain International Challenge | Sanyogita Ghorpade | Pradnya Gadre N. Siki Reddy | 13–21, 21–19, 5–21 | Runner-up |
| 2014 | Tata Open India International | Prajakta Sawant | Meghana Jakkampudi K. Maneesha | 21–13, 10–21, 21–13 | Winner |
| 2017 | Nepal International | Sruthi K.P | Harika Veludurthi Karishma Wadkar | 21–8, 21–9 | Winner |
| 2018 | Nepal International | Sruthi K.P | Thilini Hendahewa Kavidi Sirimannage | 21–16, 21–13 | Winner |
| 2018 | Bangladesh International | Sruthi K.P | Vivian Hoo Yap Cheng Wen | 14–21, 13–21 | Runner-up |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2007 | Pakistan International | Valiyaveetil Diju | Diluka Karunaratne Renu Hettiarachchige | 21–11, 21–14 | Winner |
| 2007 | Tata Open India International | Rupesh Kumar | Valiyaveetil Diju Jwala Gutta | 14–21, 16–21 | Runner-up |
| 2008 | Bahrain International | Arun Vishnu | Valiyaveetil Diju Trupti Murgunde | 17–21, 21–18, 21–19 | Winner |
| 2009 | Spanish Open | Arun Vishnu | Robin Middleton Mariana Agathangelou | 16–21, 15–21 | Runner-up |
| 2010 | Tata Open India International | Arun Vishnu | Patipat Chalardchaleam Savitree Amitapai | 10–21, 15–21 | Runner-up |
| 2011 | Maldives International | Arun Vishnu | Toby Ng Grace Gao | 21–10, 12–21, 9–21 | Runner-up |
| 2013 | Bahrain International | Arun Vishnu | Valiyaveetil Diju N. Siki Reddy | 21–14, 25–23 | Winner |
| 2015 | Sri Lanka International | Arun Vishnu | Robin Middleton Leanne Choo | 15–21, 21–17, 21–13 | Winner |
| 2015 | Tata Open India International | Arun Vishnu | Satwiksairaj Rankireddy K. Maneesha | 13–21, 16–21 | Runner-up |
    BWF International Challenge tournament
    BWF International Series tournament

### Major National Achievements

* National champion in mixed doubles 2006
* National champion in mixed doubles 2007
* National champion in women doubles 2011
* National champion in mixed doubles 2012
* National champion in women doubles 2012
* National champion in mixed doubles 2013
* National champion in mixed doubles 2014
* National champion in mixed doubles 2015
* National champion in mixed doubles 2016
* National champion in women doubles 2017
* National games 2015 mixed doubles gold
* Premier Badminton League 2016 winners