Pune's Purva Barve wins her 5th State Badminton Championship
In the match that lasted for 25 minutes, Barve comfortably beat her opponent in two games with scores of 21-15 and 21-15. She told The Indian Express, 'It feels great to play this consistently. I've won state championships in all age groups since under 10, so it makes it a good 15-16 years now. It's like a nice boost for me for my internationals and national tournaments.'
The championship was organised by Maharashtra Badminton Association and took place from August 17 to 20. Her win here gives Barve an entry into the Maharashtra State team which will compete in the West Zone Championship.
The 24-year-old is a psychology graduate and is pursuing a master's degree through Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). 'I will mostly pursue sports psychology. IGNOU is really convenient because I don't have to attend college and can study at home. I practice like six, seven hours a day, I can't attend college.. Right now my first priority is badminton,' added Barve.
She said that playing a sport has helped her in her academics as well. 'Because of sports, your focus levels are much better, 'is what I feel. So I can study more in less hours kind of is what I've always felt,' Barve said.
Currently ranked 304 in the Badminton World Federation Women's Singles ranking, Barve aims to get into the top 50 in the world. 'I really want to be in the top 50 of the world. And of course, the Olympics is everyone's aim. But realistically speaking, if I can make it to the top 50 then I can actually start working for the Olympics or higher levels,' she explains.
In other results at the event, Sankalp Gurala won the Men's Singles while Sarvesh Yadav bagged the second place (21-16, 21-13). Arya Thakore and Dhruv Thakore won the Men's Doubles event while Viplav Kuvale and Viraj Kuvale took the second place (27-25, 21-13). In Women's Doubles, Nehal Gosavi and Nikkita Joseph won the championship while Shruti Mundanda and Tanishka Deshpande won the second place (21-19, 20-22, 21-17). The pair of Deep Rambhiya and Ritika Thaker won the Mixed Doubles event while Aman Farogh Sanjay and Anagha Karandikar stood second (30-29, 21-23, 13-21).
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