Punjab Boys Make History at National Badminton Championship

Historic Victory for Punjab in Badminton

In a remarkable achievement, two young athletes from Punjab have disrupted the traditional dominance of southern states in badminton by securing the top two spots in the under-17 category at the 37th Sub-Junior National Badminton Championship held in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.

Jagsher Khangurra from Nabha triumphed over Jalandhar's Viraj Sharma with scores of 21-12, 21-16, earning gold and silver medals respectively. Former international badminton player Sachin Ratti noted, "This marks the first instance of a Punjab vs Punjab final at a national badminton event."

Ratti highlighted the significant improvements in Punjab's badminton infrastructure, stating, "The state now offers excellent facilities, including numerous badminton academies in Jalandhar. The Punjab Badminton Association is incentivizing players with attractive rewards, encouraging our emerging talents to excel consistently."

In addition to Viraj, two other players from Jalandhar also achieved podium finishes. Zorawar Singh secured two bronze medals in the boys' doubles and mixed doubles under-15 categories, while Inayat Gulati, aged 13, earned bronze in both under-15 singles and mixed doubles.

Ritin Khanna, honorary secretary of the Punjab Badminton Association and a former national player, expressed pride in the athletes' accomplishments. He remarked, "The dedication over the past five years is now yielding results, with Punjab producing several international medallists like Tanvi Sharma, Palak Kohli, Abhinav Thakur, and Jagsher Khangurra."

Jagsher has previously won bronze medals for India at the U-17 Asian Junior Championships in October 2025 and in the U-15 category in 2023 in China. His father, Manpreet Singh, a government school teacher, was present in Bhubaneswar to support his son during this historic moment. "He won silver last year in this tournament, and I noticed significant improvements in his game this time," an excited Manpreet shared.

Reflecting on Jagsher's journey, Manpreet recounted, "We recognized his energy at the age of seven and decided to introduce him to badminton. He began training at the Nabha Badminton Club and quickly showed promise. At 12, he moved to the Shining Star Academy in Bahadurgarh, Delhi, and has been training at the Prakash Padukone Academy in Bengaluru for over a year now."

Viraj's father, Rahul Sharma, was unable to attend the tournament but watched the match live online. "This is my son's greatest achievement to date. As a Class X student, he was the youngest in his category, and I believe he will excel even more next year," Rahul stated.

Rahul, who runs a sanitary hardware business, expressed his pride, saying, "By achieving second place nationally, he has fulfilled my childhood dream of being a sportsperson. I always wanted to pursue sports, but my parents didn't support that ambition. Viraj began playing at six, and I would wake up at 4 am to take him for morning practice for seven years until he joined the Rise Sports Academy in Noida two years ago. After this victory, we are hopeful for his selection in the Asia tournament next year, aiming for gold in 2026."