Punjab boys smash national badminton barrier, take top 2 slots

Breaking the dominance of the southern states in badminton, two boys from Punjab created history on Saturday by clinching both top positions in the under-17 category at the 37th Sub-Junior National Badminton Championship in Bhubaneswar.

Nabha-based Jagsher Khangurra beat Jalandhar’s Viraj Sharma 21-12, 21-16, winning gold and silver medals. “This is the first time we have witnessed a Punjab vs Punjab final at the national level in any badminton category,” said former international badminton player Sachin Ratti.

He said Punjab never provided such good facilities in terms of quality of courts and professional coaching as it does now. “There are seven-eight badminton academies in Jalandhar alone. The Punjab Badminton Association is offering attractive incentives and prize money to players who make it to the top, motivating our budding shuttlers to perform better each time,” remarked Ratti.

Besides Viraj, two more players from Jalandhar have secured podium finish. Zorawar Singh has won two bronze medals in boys doubles and mixed doubles under-15 categories. Similarly, Inayat Gulati (13) bagged two bronze medals in under-15 singles and mixed doubles.

Former national player and Punjab Badminton Association honorary secretary Ritin Khanna said, “Our players have made us proud. The efforts we put in over the past five years have started showing results. Punjab now boasts of several international medallists, including Tanvi Sharma, Palak Kohli, Abhinav Thakur and Jagsher Khangurra.”

Jagsher has twice brought bronze medals for the country: In the U-17 Asian Junior Championships in October 2025 and in the U-15 category of the same event in 2023 in China. His father Manpreet Singh, a government school teacher in Nabha, was with him today in Bhubaneswar to cheer up his son as he scripted history. "He won silver last year in the same tournament. I could see his game get more sharpened and accurate this time," said an elated Manpreet.

Sharing his son's journey, Manpreet said, “Jagsher was seven when we observed he was very energetic and though of making him join the sport. He began his initial training at the Nabha Badminton Club and started showing results very quickly. He was only 12 when we sent him to the Shining Star Academy in Bahadurgarh, Delhi. For the past more than a year, he has been training at the Prakash Padukone Academy in Bengaluru."

Viraj's father Rahul Sharma, however, could not accompany his son to the tournament. "But I watched the match live on YouTube. This is my son's biggest achievement so far. A Class X student, Viraj was the youngest player in his category and we are confident he will perform much better next year," said Rahul.

Having a sanitary hardware business in the city, Rahul said, "By securing the second position in the country, he has fulfilled my childhood dream. I always wanted to be a sportsperson, but my parents never understood the kind of push that was required. Viraj started playing when he was six. I would wake up with him at 4 am to take him to the ground for morning practice.”

Rahul said they continued the routine for seven years in Jalandhar until his son joined the Rise Sports Academy in Noida about two years ago. “After today's victory, we expect Viraj to be selected for the Asia tournament next year,” he said, confident of a gold medal in 2026.