Mumbai: Former national doubles champion in tennis, Nitten Kirttane completed a grand double in Men’s 50+ Open while Vanshik Kapadia won double gold in 19+ Open Men’s doubles and mixed doubles events as India returned with 14 medals from the Asia Pickleball Games 2024, organised by the Asia Federation of Pickleball and the Chinese Taipei Pickleball Association.
In all, the Indian athletes won five gold, four silver and five bronze medals, the All India Pickleball Association (AIPA) informed, announcing the stellar performance of its athletes in the event on Tuesday.
In the event which saw the participation of top players from Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, China, Indonesia, South Korea and Malaysia, India’s representatives brought home multiple gold and silver medals, further cementing the country’s reputation as a rising powerhouse in the sport.
Among the standout performances, Nitten Kirrtane captured gold in the 50+ Open Men’s Singles, while Vishal Jadhav secured silver in the 35+ Open Men’s Singles. Khushi Sachdeva and Shraddha Damani each won silver in the 19+ and 35+ women’s singles in the 4.0 category, respectively, while Sandeep Tawde added another silver in the 50+ men’s singles in the 4.0 category.
In doubles, the powerful duo of Nitten Kirttane and Sandeep Tawde triumphed with gold in the 50+ Open Men’s Doubles adding to Vanshik Kapadia and Tejas Mahajan’s gold in the 19+ Open Men’s Doubles. Vanshik Kapadia and Vrushali Thakare also won gold in the 19+ Open Mixed Doubles, while Vishal Jadhav and Isha Lakhani clinched gold in the 35+ Open Mixed Doubles.
The five bronze medals were on by Chetan Sanil, Vrushali Thakare, Khushi Sachdeva, Shraddha Damani, Sandeep Tawde and Johann Fernandes.
Talking about the players’ performance, Arvind Prabhoo, President of AIPA, said, “AIPA is immensely proud of the achievements of our athletes at the Asia Pickleball Games 2024. Our players have been consistently delivering exceptional performances at international levels in the sport.
“The success of our players is a result of their hard work, passion & dedication for Pickleball, both as a career sport as well as a leisure activity. At AIPA, we remain committed to fostering the growth of the Pickleball community and supporting our players as they continue to make the country proud on a global pickleball stage,” he said.
The remarkable success of India’s pickleball athletes at this event highlights AIPA’s dedication to expanding the sport in India and nurturing talent capable of competing internationally. AIPA looks forward to building on this momentum and promoting the sport’s development and recognition across the nation, the release said.
–IANS