Akanksha, Shubham hunt for gold at Nat’l Games

Panaji: Akanksha Salunkhe (squash) and Shubham Debnath (traditional yogasana) made it to the final at the 38th National Games in Uttarakhand on Sunday.
In squash, defending champion Akanksha comfortably sailed past every round to book her place in the final, after blanking Pooja Raghu (Tamil Nadu) 3-0 in the semis.
In the final, Akanksha will take on Maharashtra's Anjali Semwal, who put it across Tamil Nadu's Rathika Seelan 3-2. In the quarterfinals, Ankita hammered Maharashtra's Ankita Dubey 3-0, while Riyansika Verma (Karnataka) met similar fate in the pre-quarterfinals.
Shubham, who had clinched gold in the previous edition at Goa, topped the semifinals by earning 59.14 points.
"I will get another gold for Goa," said Shubham. “Personally, I feel I am doing better but that doesn't mean I don't have competition. I have to perform for 20 minutes. All begin with zero in the final and I believe my experience in the last National Games will be helpful."
The top eight will compete for the final, which is scheduled for Tuesday.
"Shubham has set an example for Goa enthusiasts in yogasana. We have put a lot of effort in getting our players ready. So far, we have won 20 medals at various national level tournaments," said Sandesh Barazankar, general secretary of the Yogasana Sports Association Goa.