India’s junior badminton team, led by senior national finalist Tanvi Sharma and a group of upcoming youngsters, is poised to compete for a podium finish at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships 2024. The tournament will be held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, starting on June 28th.
The 18-member Indian squad, meticulously selected by the Badminton Association of India (BAI) after rigorous trials and an All-India ranking tournament, underwent a preparatory camp at the National Centre of Excellence in Guwahati before departing for Indonesia on Tuesday. The team faces a challenging group stage in the mixed team championship, drawn in Group C alongside host nation Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
Among the prominent names in the squad are All India junior ranking champions Pranay Shettigar and Aalisha Naik of Maharashtra. Top-ranked Indian juniors Dhruv Negi and Navya Kanderi will be vying for glory in both girls’ singles and doubles. The individual championship will commence immediately following the conclusion of the team event. India is fielding four singles players in both the boys’ and girls’ categories and two pairs each in boys’, girls’, and mixed categories.
India boasts a rich history in the competition, having secured two gold medals, one silver medal, and six bronze medals in past editions.
Meanwhile, on the squash court, Indian juniors Yusha Nafees and Dhruv Bopana have made strong starts to their respective campaigns at the 31st Asian Junior Individual Squash Championships in Islamabad. Nafees, seeded sixth, triumphed over local challenger Ubaid Ullah in the boys’ U-17 category, while Bopana overcame Iranian opponent Amirreza Alvansaz Yazdi in the boys’ U-13 section. Lokesh Subramani, however, suffered a first-round defeat against Sim Yeak Wei in the boys’ U-15 section. The remaining Indian participants in the tournament received first-round byes.
In other sporting news, five of India’s six Olympic-bound boxers will embark on a training camp in Saarbrucken, Germany, from June 27th to July 22nd, as part of their preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympics. The contingent includes women boxers Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg), Jaismine Lamboria (57kg), and Lovlina Borgohain (75kg), along with male boxer Nishant Dev (71kg). They will be accompanied by eight sparring partners and a comprehensive support staff, comprising six coaches, two physiotherapists, two masseurs, a doctor, a strength and conditioning expert, a psychologist, a nutritionist, a chef, and a video analyst. Amit Panghal (51kg) has opted to train in India.
