JAIPUR: Experienced Jaipur shuttler Tribhuwan Bisht excelled in the Yonex-Sunrise Maharaja Agrasen All India Masters Ranking Badminton tournament being played at Mohali, Punjab.
Competing in the 35 plus age category, Bisht won two medals including a gold medal to stamp his authority in style. With these brilliant results, Bisht also qualified for the Masters Veterans National Championship scheduled to be held in Panchkula in March.
Unseeded Bisht and Swati Sharma, who hail from Delhi, were on a giant-killing spree to clinch the mixed doubles crown. Bisht and Sharma stunned second seeds Anuj Dhand and Rucha Joshi 21-15, 21-11 in the final that lasted 26 minutes.
Earlier in the morning, the scratch pair of Bisht and Sharma knocked out top seeds Pankaj Naithani and Amrita Mukherjee 21-13, 21-15 in 25 minutes to storm into the final.
The quarterfinal was the toughest encounter for the Bisht-Sharma pair where they edged past Ankush Joshi and Monika Dhillon 22-20, 21-11 on Monday.
Bisht, an employee of AG Office Jaipur, dazzled in the men’s doubles section too. Partnering Assam’s Amarjyoti Sonowal, Bisht bagged the bronze medal.
Seventh seeds Bisht and Sonowal, upset third seeds Ramanpreet Singh Mgon and Munir Mohammad 21-18, 21-10 in the quarters. The duo of Bisht and Sonowal raised their level of play in a thrilling encounter to oust higher-ranked opponents in straight games.
However, their splendid run was stopped in the semis by a sixth seeded combination.
Sankar Gopan (Kerala) and TK Jamsheed (Karnataka) defeated Bisht-Sonowal 21-6, 21-11. The southern pair later went on to claim the gold medal, surprising second seeds Jayan James and N Rajesh Krishnan in a three-game summit clash.
Bisht was happy to win his maiden gold medal at the national-level veterans’ competition.
“Last year, I won the bronze medal in the singles category. This time, I played only doubles, and I am glad I did well in both the events. Since both my partners (Swati Sharma and Amarjyoti Sonowal) are from the same organisation (CAG), we already knew each other’s game. I will now prepare hard for the forthcoming Nationals and try to repeat the same performance there,” said Bisht while returning to the city from Mohali.
