Badminton tournament concludes, 22 players selected for NZ C’ship

Winners of different categories posing along with trophies during closing ceremony.
Winners of different categories posing along with trophies during closing ceremony.

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Sept 4: The Yonex Sunrise Seniors and Juniors Ranking-cum-Selection Badminton Tournament concluded with a grand prize distribution ceremony held at Badminton Hall, MA Stadium, here today. The tournament was organised by the Badminton Association of J&K (BAJK) in collaboration with the J&K Sports Council.
Rameshwar Singh Manhas, Principal of Pragmatic Institute of Education, Miran Sahib, was the chief guest and distributed prizes among the medal winners. Also present on the occasion were Dr. O.D. Sharma, Vice President, Badminton Association of India (BAI); Balbir Jamwal, General Secretary, BAJK; Anil Gaind, Dushyant Sharma (Treasurer, BAJK), Ved Saini, and a large number of parents and badminton enthusiasts.
In the boys’ singles U-19 category, Bhavdeep Singh emerged as the winner, while Shivansh Panotra finished as runner-up. In girls’ singles U-19, Suhani Sharma claimed the title, defeating Paavni Gupta. In boys’ doubles U-19, Akul Mengi and Samaksh secured victory over Bhavdeep Singh and Udayan. Diamond Rajput and Yashaswini Pandoh won the girls’ doubles title, while Vaibhav Mehta and Shrijus Sharma took the mixed doubles U-19 crown. In senior categories, Bhavya Sharma won the men’s singles, and Krishika Mahajan clinched the women’s singles title. In men’s doubles, Raghav and Akshey emerged victorious, while Unnati and Krishika won the women’s doubles. In the open mixed doubles, Puranjay Sharma and Shrijus Sharma took top honours.
Following the event, the selection committee announced the squad for the upcoming Inter-State North Zone Badminton Championship 2025, to be held at Una, Himachal Pradesh. The selected players in the men’s category include Bhavya Sharma, Puranjay Sharma, Bhavdeep Singh, Vaibhav Mehta, Vipul Saini, Sahil Verma, Abhijeet Jasrotia, and Kulbandhu Sharma. In the women’s section, the selected players are Unnati Jaral, Krishika Mahajan, Suhani Sharma, Antima Naruka, Shreya Gupta, Diamond Rajput, and Yashaswini Pandoh.
In the junior boys’ category, Shivansh Panotra, Udayan Sharma, Akul Mengi, and Samaksh Sameliya have been selected, while the junior girls’ category includes Gania Singh, Shrijus Sharma, and Paavni Gupta. A total of 22 players and four officials will represent Jammu and Kashmir at the prestigious North Zone Championship.