Harmeet Desai won Three GOLD MEDALS in Mens Team Championships, Mens Doubles and Mixed Doubles and also won One SILVER MEDAL in Mens Singles at the 13th South Asian Games at Kathmandu (Nepal) from 1st to 10th December, 2019
=> Indians sweep doubles gold and silver medals
Jammu, December 4: Indian paddlers, after winning the team gold medals yesterday, in the ongoing 13th South Asian Games at Kathmandu, also grabbed the gold and silver medals in all the three doubles events today.
With the three gold medals today, India are leading the chart with five gold and three silver medals, the maximum possible, to make a complete sweep.
In men’s doubles, Harmeet Desai and Anthony Amalraj defeated compatriots Sanil Shetty and Sudhanshu Grover 8-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-5, 8-11, 12-10, while in women’s doubles, Madhurika Patkar and Sreeja Akula beat Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee 2-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-6, 5-11, 11-5 for the two gold medals.
Nepal’s Santoo Shrestha and Vinesh Khaniya finished with the bronze as did the Sri Lankan pair of Chambers Ginige and Rashmika Krishnanand. In women doubles, the bronze medals were shared by Sri Lanka (Vishaka Madhurangi and Hansini Puilima) and Bangladesh (Sonam Sultana Soma and Sadi Raman Mou).
In mixed doubles, Harmeet combined with Sutirtha Mukherjee to down Amalraj and Ayhika 11-6, 9-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-8. Harmeet, thus leads the chart with three gold medals, including the one he earned in the team event.
The bronze medals were shared by Sri Lanka (Imesha Udeya Ranasinghe and Ishara Madurangi) and Nepal (Santoo Shrestha and Nabita Shrestha).
=> Indian teams grab gold medals yet again
Jammu, December 3: The Indian men and women paddlers claimed team gold medals for yet another time, stamping their authority in the ongoing 13th South Asian Games at Kathmandu today.
In the men’s team final, India beat hosts Nepal 3-0, while their counterparts defeated Sri Lanka, also by an identical 3-0 verdict.
In the men’s team events, Nepal grabbed the silver medal while the bronze medals were shared by both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Among women, Sri Lanka finished second while Nepal and Maldives ended with bronze medals.
Santoo Shrestha gave some torrid moments to Anthony Amalraj before the latter overcame him 12-10, 14-16, 11-5, 11-8 to put India in lead. Soumyajit Ghosh, representing India for the first time in a year, accounted for Shiva Sunder Gothe 11-3, 11-2, 12-10 and Harmeet Desai finished it off in style with a 11-4, 11-4, 11-8 score against Purushottam Borjacahrya.
Earlier in the semifinals, Indian men had trounced Sri Lanka 3-0 with a different combination—Sanil Shetty, Harmeet Desai and Sudhanshu Grover. But except for Harmeet who dropped two games, Sanil, the winner of singles title at the Institutional championships at Ajmer, and Sudhanshu dropped a game each against their Sri Lankan opponents.
Sanil beat Udaya Ranasinghe 11-7, 11-7,9-11, 11-7, Harmeet dropped the first game but recovered to lead 2-1 against Cahmeera Ginige who took the fourth game 11-9 to equal the score. In the decider, Harmeet stopped him way ahead to win 9-11, 11-3, 11-6, 9-11, 11-9, 11-3. With a comfortable 2-0 lead, Sudhanshu downed Krishan Wickramathune 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 11-5.
In women’s final, Sutirtha Mukehrjee gave a good opening beating Lanka’s Ishara Madhurangi 11-9, 11-7, 11-3 which Krittiwika Sinha Roy consolidated with a 11-6, 11-4, 11-2 win over Erandi Waruswithana before Sreeja Akuka accounting for Hansini Piumila 11-5, 11-5, 11-3.
In the semifinals, India beat Nepal 3-0 when Ayhika Mukherjee downed Nabita Shreshtha 11-4, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8 to put India 1-0 up. Madhurika Patkar cashed in on the weak opposition with a 11-7, 11-4, 11-3 triumph against Sikka Suwal and, finally, Sreeja defeated Elina Maharjan 5-11, 11-6, 11-2, 11-5.
HARMEET DESAI_13th South Asian Games DEC2019
=> Amalraj, Sutirtha emerge champs as India top chart
Jammu, December 6: Anthony Amalraj defeated compatriot Harmeet Desai 4-3 to claim the men singles title, while Sutirtha Mukherjee downed Ayhika Mukherjee 4-2 for the women singles crown to make a clean sweep of gold medals and silver medals in the 13th SAF Games in Kathmandu today.
With today’s sweep, Indian paddlers have won the maximum medals on offer at the Games—seven gold and five silver medals—to lead the medal chart.
It was a difficult start for Amalraj, who was 0-3 down in the final before overcoming Harmeet, who has had a fantastic form, 6-11, 9-11, 10-12, 11-7, 11-4, 11-9, 11-7. This was the finest comebacks in recent times for Amalraj, including on the domestic circuit. In fact, Harmeet had beaten Amalraj in the final of the Indonesian Open recently and the latter would have relished the gold won at Kathmandu after having avenged that loss.
Sutirtha, too, did not have an easy flow of things as began badly against Ayhika but soon after they won alternate games until Sutirtha pulled up her socks to take the last three games to push Ayhika to be satisfied with the silver. Sutirtha won 8-11, 11-8, 6-21, 11-4, 13-11, 11-8.
Earlier, in the semifinals, top-seed Harmeet defeated Purushottam B of Nepal 11-5, 11-4, 11-1, 11-4 and Amalraj accounted for Santoo Shrestha 11-4, 12-10, 11-8, 11-2, also of Nepal. In women’s semifinals, Sutirtha and Ayhika beat their Sri Lankan opponents, Ishara Madurangi (11-7,11-4, 11-7, 11-5) and Erandi Dilushika (11-7, 11-9, 11-4, 11-5), also in straight games to stamp their authority.