Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Goa’s young badminton star, Aarush Pawaskar, made the state proud by securing a silver medal at the prestigious France Open U17 Badminton Tournament, held in Aire-sur-la-Lys, France, from February 13 to 15, 2025. Aarush displayed remarkable skill and determination, defeating top-ranked opponents en route to the final. His journey included victories over England’s Joel Joby (21-18, 21-14), European No. 6 and tournament top seed Santiago Araujo of Switzerland (21-13, 20-22, 21-11), and Quentin Boschung of Switzerland (21-18, 21-9). In the quarterfinals, he triumphed over France’s No. 2, Victor Le-Roux (21-9, 14-21, 21-17), followed by a hard-fought semifinal win against England’s Sajan Senthuran (24-22, 21-18). Aarush fought valiantly in the final against Denmark’s Axel Boesen, narrowly missing the gold in a thrilling three-game battle (21-15, 20-22, 15-21).
Congratulating Aarush on his remarkable feat, Manoj Patil, President of the Goa Badminton Association, said, “Aarush is Goa’s No. 1 player and has already proven his talent at the national level, having reached the quarterfinals of the Sub-Junior Nationals last year. He is a player of great potential, and his dedication and hard work are truly commendable. We at GBA are proud of his Silver medal achievement and extend our gratitude to his coach Utsav Mishra, Udbhav Badminton Academy, Goa Carbon Limited, Yonex Sunrise India, and the Badminton Association of India for their invaluable support in his journey. We are confident that Aarush has a bright future ahead and will continue to bring laurels to Goa and India.”
