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GOA’s Open Badminton Tourney Father, son clash highlight final night action
Gokarn Ramdhani plays a drop shot in the Men’s double final. (Sean Devers photo)
The Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) Guyana Badminton Association (GBA) Open Tournament concluded Monday Evening at the National Gymnasium with action in the Men’s, Ladies’ & Mixed Doubles of the three day event which was used to observe Olympic Day 2016.
The Day is observed each year on June 23 and National Olympic Committees (NOCs) celebrate the occasion on the Sunday closest to that day.
Olympic day is the only annual worldwide event of the Olympic Movement and the majority of the NOCs in each Continent take advantage of this occasion to share the Olympic spirit with people of all ages and all walks of life.
The much hyped clash in the Men’s doubles final involving father and son proved that fitness and youth usually prevails against experience and age as 50-year-old national Coach Gokarn Ramdhani who teamed up with Nicholas Ali lost to his son and National Champion 18-year-old Narayan Ramdhani, who had as his partner national player Jonathan Mangra.
The contest was not as one-sided as some may have thought it would be. The elder Ramdhani, a former National player in the 1980s, rolled back the years and used all his experience and along with youthful partner produced an exciting contest with the younger pair before running out of gas and losing 21-14, 21-17.
The Ramdhani siblings (Naryan & Priyanna) defeated Jonathan Mangra & Ambika Ramraj in the mix doubles final. (Sean Devers photo)
Narayan, who celebrated his birthday on the 3rd of this month and Mangra were able to execute the more powerful smashes, while the aging legs of Gokarn would not allow him to turn back the hands of time as several drops shots caught him napping.
In the Mixed Doubles final, the Ramdhani siblings (Naryan & Priyanna) defeated Jonathan Mangra & Ambika Ramraj 21-18, 21-15 after Mangra and Ramraj had gotten past Cecil Abrams & Kara Abrams in the semi-finals.
The first final in this tournament was played off on Friday with Priyanna Ramdhani & Ambika Ramraj defeating Ayanna Watson & Emelia Ramdhani: 21-7, 21-12.
Also on Friday, Narayan Ramdhani & Jonathan Mangra defeated Ronald Yuen & Avinash Odit: 21-15, 21-18, while Ali teamed up with his Coach Gokarn Ramdhani to produce a thrilling three setter to win against Darrell Carpenay & Marlon Chung: 13-21, 22-20, 21-13 in the semis of the Men’s Doubles.
In the Ladies doubles semi-finals Priyanna Ramdhani & Ambika Ramraj defeated Ayanna Watson & Emelia Ramdhani 21-7, 21-12, while the husband & wife pair of Gokarn Ramdhani & Emelia Ramdhani lost to Cecil Abrams & Kara Abrams 21-12, 19-21, 21-16 in the Mixed Doubles quarter finals.
Narayan Ramdhani & Priyanna Ramdhani defeated Darrell Carpenay & Ayanna Watson: 21-5, 21-12 in the Mixed Doubles semi-finals.
The GBA will hold the Presentation Ceremony on Saturday July 2 at the Olympic House on High Street Kingston from 13:30hrs. (Sean Devers)
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