07 September, 2026 – Jalandhar : State shuttlers created history by winning 10 medals at the North Zone Badminton Championship in Bhilwara, Rajasthan, on Sunday, including four gold, three silver and three bronze. Punjab Badminton Association secretary Ritin Khanna said it was the first time in the championships history that players from Punjab had won as many as 10 medals.
The strong showing will also benefit the players competitively, with the medal winners securing direct entries for the Junior and Senior National Badminton Championships on the strength of their performances.
In the men’s singles, Patiala’s Jagsher Singh Khangura won gold, while Jalandhar’s Viren Seth emerged champion in the junior boys’ singles. Gurdaspur’s Mehvish Kaur claimed the junior girls singles title.
Viren Seth also partnered Ludhiana’s Aditya Sharma to win gold in the junior boys’ doubles, completing Punjab’s four-gold haul.
Punjab secured three silver medals as well. Mehvish Kaur finished runner-up in the women’s singles, while Ludhiana’s Arryan and Syamprasad won silver in the men’s doubles. Seeza of Sangrur and Samaira of Amritsar finished runners-up in the girls’ doubles.
The state added three bronze medals, with Ludhiana’s Gursimrat Kaur Chahal finishing third in the women’s singles and Jalandhar’s Divyam Sachdeva winning bronze in the boys’ singles. Jalandhar’s Smarth Bhardwaj and Seeza also secured bronze in the mixed doubles.
Khanna said the performance highlighted the depth of badminton talent emerging from Punjab. He said that players had performed strongly at national and international levels over the past two years, with athletes from rural Punjab also making their mark.
The achievement comes soon after Punjab’s Tanvi Sharma won her maiden BWF World Tour women’s singles title at the Taipei Open Super 300.
Punjab also has another international representative in Jalandhar’s Inayat Gulati, who is representing India at the Junior Asia Badminton Championship in China.
The Tribune