Team Goemkarponn
Panaji: Goa’s Aarush Pawaskar produced a notable performance at the West Zone Inter State and Zonal Badminton Championship 2026 in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, claiming bronze in the Junior Boys’ singles and earning direct qualification for the 2026 Junior Nationals.
Aarush advanced to the semifinals after overcoming Madhya Pradesh’s Kanhaiya Sharma 15-12, 17-19, 15-10 in the round of 16. He then defeated Gujarat’s Saanidhya Agarawal 16-18, 15-7, 15-12 in a closely contested quarterfinal.
His campaign ended in the semifinals against Maharashtra’s top seed Rutva Sajwan. Aarush fought hard but went down 17-19, 14-16 to settle for the bronze medal. His performance was enough to secure one of the four available direct qualification spots in the singles category for the Junior Nationals.
Goa also secured a bronze medal in Junior Boys’ doubles through Shaheen C K and Aswin M. The pair narrowly lost their semifinal 10-15, 13-15 against Maharashtra’s top seeded twins Arjun and Aryan Birajdar. However, with only two direct qualification spots available in doubles, the duo missed out on a direct Nationals berth.
Several other Goa players recorded wins in individual events. Nishant Shenai defeated Madhya Pradesh’s Mridul Bhiryani in the Men’s singles round of 16, while Arjun Bhagat beat Ashay Karde. In Junior Girls’ singles, Shivanjali Thite defeated Chhattisgarh’s Rewaraje Verma.
Goa’s team campaigns ended in the quarterfinals across all four sections. The Junior Boys and Girls teams lost to Gujarat 1-2 and 0-2, while the Men and Women went down to Madhya Pradesh 0-3 and 1-3.
Maharashtra completed a clean sweep by winning all four team titles. Madhya Pradesh finished runners up in Junior Boys and Men, while Gujarat took second place in Junior Girls and Women.
The performance has highlighted both Goa’s progress and the need to expand its competitive player base. With stronger academies and deeper talent pools emerging across the country, greater coordination between the Khelo India State Centre of Excellence, Sports Authority of Goa and Goa Badminton Association could help the state raise its standards further in the coming years.
