Dehradun: Rising Indian badminton star Anmol Kharb stunned top seed Anupama Upadhyaya in straight games to clinch the gold medal in the women’s singles event at the National Games 2025 here.
The 18-year-old Anmol, hailing from Haryana, outclassed world No. 43 and senior compatriot Anupama with a 21-16, 22-20 victory in the final played at the Multi-Purpose Hall in Dehradun’s Parade Ground on Tuesday.
Anmol, who had claimed the national title at the age of 16 in 2023, gained prominence last year after playing a crucial role in India’s historic gold medal win at the 2024 Badminton Asia Team Championships in Malaysia. She had defeated multiple higher-ranked and experienced opponents during that tournament to propel India to the title.
The young shuttler continued her fine form in 2024, winning the Belgian and Polish Internationals and finishing runners-up at the Guwahati Masters Super 100 tournament last December. En route to her National Games triumph, Anmol also overcame another seasoned campaigner, Tasnim Mir, in the semi-finals.
In men’s singles, top seed Satish Karunakaran emerged victorious, defeating 16-year-old Suryaksh Rawat 21-17, 21-17 in the final.
Meanwhile, home favourite and Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen withdrew from the men’s singles competition on Monday, citing fitness concerns.
Karunakaran added another gold to his tally by partnering Aadya Variyath in the mixed doubles event. The duo secured the title with a hard-fought 21-11, 20-22, 21-8 victory over Deep Rambhiya and Akshaya Warang in the summit clash.
In men’s doubles, the pair of Nithin HV and Prakash Raj S dominated their opponents Vaibhav and Ashith Surya, registering a comfortable 21-16, 21-14 win to bag the gold medal.
The women’s doubles gold went to Karnataka’s Shikha Gautam and Ashwini Bhat, who breezed past Angel Punera and Anya Bisht 21-11, 21-13 in a one-sided final.
