Rajasthan Under-14 boys badminton team emerges SGFI School National champions
TNN | Jan 15, 2024, 03.41 PM IST
JAIPUR: The beginning of 2024 brought the best news for Rajasthan badminton fraternity. For the first time in Rajasthan badminton history, the state team has stamped their authority at the national level, promising a bright future for the sport in Rajasthan.
The Rajasthan Under-14 boys badminton team clinched the historic gold medal at the 67th SGFI National School Games 2023-24 held recently at the Thyagaraj Stadium in New Delhi.
The week-long annual national tournament was organised by the School Games Federation of India (SGFI) from January 3 to 8 in which more than 30 states from across the country took part.
The underdog Rajasthan team emerged as the surprise packet in the tournament and caused several upsets to pocket the title. Harman Pandit and Anshuman Choudhary were the chief architects of the historic triumph.
In a thrilling summit clash, Rajasthan rallied back to shock Gujarat 2-1 for the gold medal. Anshuman Choudhary turned out to be the hero for Rajasthan as the left-handed shuttler won the deciding third match of the tie after both the teams were levelled at 1-1.
Anshuman lost the first game but fought back gallantly to beat Gujarat’s Zion Zuriel 15-21, 21-11, 21-18 in a nail-biting clash.
Tanish Choksi provided a flying start to Gujarat in the final by winning the first singles against Harman Pandit. However, Rajasthan restored parity by claiming the doubles through Harman and Jai Vardhan Singh.
Earlier in the semi-final too, Rajasthan registered a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Punjab to seal the final spot. This time, Harman won the deciding reverse singles after both teams were locked at 1-1.
The 32 participating teams were divided into 8 groups of four teams each. The topper of each group qualified for the quarterfinals. Rajasthan topped tough Group E by defeating formidable Telangana, CBSE Welfare Sports Organisation and Himachal Pradesh.
Harman signed off the tournament in a grand manner by grabbing the bronze medal in the individual events. After the team championship finals, individual events were held. Harman lost in the U-14 boys singles semi-finals but downed Tanish Choksi of Gujarat in straight games to clinch the bronze medal. It was also sweet revenge for Harman as he had lost to Tanish in the team championship final. Martin Ingudam of Manipur beat Haryana’s Vedant Pahwa in the final.
“Harman and Anshuman were the star performers for Rajasthan. The competition was very tough, but Rajasthan boys displayed great character and won several hard-fought matches on their way to emerge champions. Harman proved he has a bright future ahead of him by winning the bronze in the individual,” said Khushwant Sharma, coach of Harman.
Triumphant Rajasthan U-14 badminton squad:
Anshuman Choudhary, Kandarp Sharma, Jai Vardhan Singh (all Jaipur), Harman Pandit (Udaipur), Haresh Swami (Bikaner). Coaches: Vedprakash Joshi, Ashish Sharma.
The Rajasthan Under-14 boys badminton team clinched the historic gold medal at the 67th SGFI National School Games 2023-24 held recently at the Thyagaraj Stadium in New Delhi.
The week-long annual national tournament was organised by the School Games Federation of India (SGFI) from January 3 to 8 in which more than 30 states from across the country took part.
The underdog Rajasthan team emerged as the surprise packet in the tournament and caused several upsets to pocket the title. Harman Pandit and Anshuman Choudhary were the chief architects of the historic triumph.
In a thrilling summit clash, Rajasthan rallied back to shock Gujarat 2-1 for the gold medal. Anshuman Choudhary turned out to be the hero for Rajasthan as the left-handed shuttler won the deciding third match of the tie after both the teams were levelled at 1-1.
Anshuman lost the first game but fought back gallantly to beat Gujarat’s Zion Zuriel 15-21, 21-11, 21-18 in a nail-biting clash.
Tanish Choksi provided a flying start to Gujarat in the final by winning the first singles against Harman Pandit. However, Rajasthan restored parity by claiming the doubles through Harman and Jai Vardhan Singh.
Earlier in the semi-final too, Rajasthan registered a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Punjab to seal the final spot. This time, Harman won the deciding reverse singles after both teams were locked at 1-1.
The 32 participating teams were divided into 8 groups of four teams each. The topper of each group qualified for the quarterfinals. Rajasthan topped tough Group E by defeating formidable Telangana, CBSE Welfare Sports Organisation and Himachal Pradesh.
Harman signed off the tournament in a grand manner by grabbing the bronze medal in the individual events. After the team championship finals, individual events were held. Harman lost in the U-14 boys singles semi-finals but downed Tanish Choksi of Gujarat in straight games to clinch the bronze medal. It was also sweet revenge for Harman as he had lost to Tanish in the team championship final. Martin Ingudam of Manipur beat Haryana’s Vedant Pahwa in the final.
“Harman and Anshuman were the star performers for Rajasthan. The competition was very tough, but Rajasthan boys displayed great character and won several hard-fought matches on their way to emerge champions. Harman proved he has a bright future ahead of him by winning the bronze in the individual,” said Khushwant Sharma, coach of Harman.
Triumphant Rajasthan U-14 badminton squad:
Anshuman Choudhary, Kandarp Sharma, Jai Vardhan Singh (all Jaipur), Harman Pandit (Udaipur), Haresh Swami (Bikaner). Coaches: Vedprakash Joshi, Ashish Sharma.