Goa’s Squash Queen Defends National Games Gold
Panaji: Goa’s Akanksha Salunkhe reaffirmed her status as India’s top active women’s squash player by clinching gold at the 38th National Games in Uttarakhand, successfully defending her title from the previous edition held in Goa.
Salunkhe delivered a flawless campaign in Dehradun, not dropping a single game en route to the title. In the final, she outclassed Maharashtra’s Anjali Semwal with a commanding 11-6, 11-5, 11-4 victory. The 26-year-old, ranked 65th in the world as of February, had earlier eased past Tamil Nadu’s Pooja Aarti 3-0 (11-3, 11-8, 11-2) in the semi-finals.
Her dominance was evident from the opening round, where she dispatched Jharkhand’s Adhya Budhia 3-0 (11-1, 11-3, 11-2), followed by another straight-games win over Karnataka’s Riyansika Verma 3-0 (11-1, 11-4, 11-8) in the second round. In the quarterfinals, she overcame a tough challenge from Maharashtra’s Anika Dubey, sealing a 3-0 (11-2, 11-9, 15-13) win.
Salunkhe has been in exceptional form, representing India at the World Team Squash Championship in Hong Kong last December. She also claimed a PSA Tour title in Limoges, France, in October, further cementing her reputation as one of the country’s finest squash talents.
Goa sink in Group A
Panaji: Goa failed to secure a spot in the semifinal after a 1-4 defeat against hosts Uttarakhand in the 38th National Games Men’s Football at IGI Sports Complex, Haldwani on Monday.
With this result, Goa finished bottom of Group A with three points, failing to progress to the semifinals. Assam topped the group with six points, while Uttarakhand secured the second qualification spot with a superior goal difference over Mizoram, both finishing on four points.
Uttarakhand came out firing and took control early, with Akshay Thapa opening the scoring in the 15th minute before Nirmal Bisht doubled the lead six minutes later. Goa struggled to find their rhythm in the first half but pulled one back through a Faheez Mohammad penalty in the 54th minute, giving them a glimmer of hope.
However, Uttarakhand sealed the win with a late surge. Bisht converted from the spot in the 84th minute to restore the two-goal cushion, and Shailendra Negi put the result beyond doubt two minutes later. Earlier at the same venue, Mizoram eased past Assam 3-0.
Mizoram opened the scoring through K Lalremmuana, while Lalengmawia netted once from the spot. In the second half, Mizoram’s Peter Lalrinhlua struck another in the 73rd minute to seal the win.
