Jalandhar: Inayat won 6 gold, Divyam won title in badminton championship

Jalandhar: The four-day Jalandhar District Badminton Championship concluded on Sunday with remarkable performances across various age groups and categories, which saw the performances of experienced and emerging young talents. The prize distribution ceremony was also attended by Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner Dr Himanshu Aggarwal, who presided over the event and appreciated the discipline, dedication and sportsmanship of all the participants. In the men’s singles final, Divyam Sachdeva defeated Shivansh Puri in straight sets to win the title. In the women’s singles, Samridhi Bhardwaj successfully defended her title, giving a tough fight to Manya Ralhan. However, the championship also saw some unexpected events. State champion Mridul Jha and former champion Madhav Kanaujia bowed out in the quarterfinals of the men’s singles, leading to major upsets in the draw.
The biggest attraction of the tournament was 14-year-old Inayat Gulati, who stunned the audience by defeating defending champion Samridhi Bhardwaj in the Under-19 girls final. Inayat won a total of six gold medals in various events and established herself as the new badminton sensation of Punjab. Dr Aggarwal appealed to the players, parents and guests on the occasion to cooperate with the district administration in the flood relief programme and urged all to contribute generously in the relief and rehabilitation efforts. Rajesh Kumar, Senior Marketing Head, Indian Oil, was present as the chief guest at the event and he praised the District Badminton Association (DBA) for conducting the tournament professionally. According to Ritin Khanna, Secretary, Punjab Badminton Association, more than 400 players participated in 39 events in the tournament and a total of 471 matches were played over four days. The winners were felicitated with cash prizes and prize money worth Rs 6 lakh. A special moment during the ceremony was the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously to late Ustad Chaman Lal Ratti in recognition of his long-term service to the association.