37th Sub-Junior Badminton Championships Yaiphaba-Yangba pair win silver, K Sonakshi settles for bronze

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Dec 16 : Young shuttlers from Manipur continue to shine at the National level competition as the U-13 pair of Ng Yaiphaba and Thokchom Yangba and K Sonakshi made podium finishes in the 37th Sub-Junior Badminton Championships that concluded today at Bhagalpur in Bihar.
While Ng Yaiphaba and Th Yangba secured a silver medal in the U-13 boys doubles event, K Sonakshi settled for a bronze medal in the singles competition following a semi-final loss.
Yaiphaba and Yangba faced tough challenges from early rounds of the competition but fought their way to the final before going down fighting to the Assamese pair of Sonowal and Raihan Zaman 9-21, 20-2 to contend with the silver medal.
The duo got a bye in the Round of 64 before overcoming Lokesh Gurjar and Rakshit Singh Mehra 21-10, 190-21, 21-14 in a Round of 32 clash.
In the Round of 16, they eased past Shlok Goyal and Jatin Saraf 21-7, 21-8 and held off Aarav and Arav Negi 18-21, 21-14, 21-9 in a keenly contested quarterfinal match to book their place in the semis.
In the semi-final, they conceded the first set to Suhas Kendepi and Surya Ramana Rithwik Yenneti but made an impressive return to walk out 18-21, 21-12, 21-13 winners and seal their place in the final.
Meanwhile in the U-13 girls singles competition, K Sonakshi got a bye in the Round of 128 and defeated Padmja Singh 21-15, 21-11 to progress into the Round of 32.
In a Round of 32 clash, Sonakshi edged out Rittika Das 12-21, 21-13, 21-15 before making easy work of  Mridula S   (21-16, 21-10) in the Round of 16.
Sonakshi then overwhelmed Lyosha Korukonda 21-12,     21-15 in the quarterfinals to make their way into the semi-final.
She however bowed out in the semi-final as she went down 21-16, 15-21, 11-21 to Japleen Kaur to settle for the bronze medal.
The Manipur State Badminton Association (MSBA) in a press release expressed immense pride over the outstanding performances of its young shuttlers at the National arena showcasing the State’s potential in the junior badminton circuit.
MSBA president and Thongju AC MLA Thongam Biswajit also greeted the young shuttlers over their achievements at the championships, it said.
 Biswajit stated that their podium finishes reflect their rigorous training and fighting spirit and expressed pride in the competitive scores achieved against top National opponents, it said.
MSBA also quoted Biswajit as saying, “These achievements underscore our commitment to developing world-clash talent and inspire the next generation of badminton players in Manipur.”
MSBA further congratulated the dedicated coaches and supporting parents of the young athletes.