SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Sept 19: Jamshedpur’s star player, Sarah Sharma, continued her dominance in junior badminton by claiming three titles at the Yonex Sunrise Jharkhand Under-19 Badminton Championship and selection trials, which concluded today at the Tata Steel Training Centre in Jamshedpur.
In the boys’ category, Suraj Pratap Singh of Jamshedpur emerged as the Under-19 singles champion.
Sarah’s Triple Crown victory
Sarah triumphed in the girls’ singles final, defeating Ananya Singh of Ranchi 21-14, 21-08. Although Ananya put up a fight in the first set, she couldn’t sustain the momentum in the second, handing Sarah the victory.
Sarah claimed her second title in the girls’ doubles event. She paired with Ananya Singh to defeat the Dhanbad duo of Vaibhavi Maan and Debdrita Bagchi, winning the final 21-15, 21-13.
Her third crown came in the mixed doubles event, where Sarah, partnering with Niraj Keshri from Ranchi, outclassed the Ranchi pair of Yuvraj Kumar and Yogita Bora in a dominant performance, winning 21-07, 21-12.
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Suraj Pratap Singh claims boys’ title
In the boys’ Under-19 singles, Suraj Pratap Singh of Jamshedpur dethroned defending champion Niraj Keshri of Ranchi in a well-fought final, winning 21-15, 21-13 to become the new state champion.
Despite his loss in singles, Niraj Keshri managed to secure victory in the boys’ doubles event. He teamed up with Sachin Gope from Gumla to defeat the well-known Rahman brothers, Amaan and Ayaan, in a thrilling final that ended 21-19, 21-18.
The Rahman brothers fought valiantly, keeping both sets closely contested right until the end, especially the first set, which saw continuous shifts in momentum.
Prize distribution ceremony
The closing ceremony featured Mukul Vinayak Choudhary, head of Tata Steel Sports Department, as the chief guest. Along with K. Prabhakar Rao, President of the Badminton Association of Jharkhand, they presented trophies to the winners and runners-up.
Also present at the prize distribution were National Coach Sachin Rana, Avinash Tiwari, convener of the Jharkhand Referee Association, and officials from the East Singhbhum Badminton Association.
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