Tragedy strikes 16-yr-old shuttler, father dies on day of her final

“What could we have told Chitwan ahead of her final? As her father suffered a massive heart attack, I rushed to the spot and took him to a nearby private hospital. Doctors could not revive him after multiple attempts and we decided not to tell Chitwan about her father’s demise. When she finished playing in the final, she was taken to the hotel where she was residing with fellow players. It was only after her mother and uncle arrived that she was told about her father’s death. It was disheartening to see her holding the medal and her father’s dead body. Her father always motivated her and it’s a loss that nobody can fill,” shared coach Harender Malik, who trains Chitwan at Malik Badminton Academy in Sonepat, while talking to The Indian Express.

Winners of Scott Edil’s “INVITATIONAL BADMINTON TOURNAMENT” Under the aegis of Punjab Badminton Association, at Shivalik Public School, Phase VI, Mohali on Sunday, April 3, 2022. (Express photo by Jasbir Malhi)

While Khatri’s father worked as an ECG operator at PGI, Rohtak, the youngster has been training under Malik for the last five years and has been taking part in the Badminton Association of India ranking tournaments at the junior and senior levels. This week’s tournament was Khatri’s first of the year. Like in the past, her father accompanied her to the tournament. In the morning, she scored 21-14, 16-21, 21-14 and won the semi-final against Gandhi before she lost after giving a tough fight to Deepshikha in the 48-minute long final. The players and officials got to know about her father’s demise and later observed a two-minute silence to pay their respect to the departed soul.

“Chitwan knew that her father’s health was not well yet she decided to play in the final. She gave her best despite having to worry about her father’s health and even though she lost, she is the winner for us all today. Like any other parent, her father too supported her dream of achieving big in badminton and his loss is the biggest loss for Chitwan. We talked with her later when she was told about the news. Even though we are competitors on the field, we all are friends off the court and we all are with her in this tough hour,” shared Deepshikha.

Meanwhile, In the men’s singles final, Chandigarh’s Abhishek Saini claimed the title with a 19-21, 21-16, 21-17 win over Manraj of Haryana while the pair of Akshit Mahajan and Hardik pocketed the men’s doubles title with a 21-19, 21-15 win over the pair of Eshaan Duggal and Kshitiz Tyagi in the final. The pair of Deepshikha Singh and Kavya Gandhi made their way to the women’s doubles title with a 21-18, 21-19 win over the pair of Lalita and Shivani. In the mixed doubles final, the pair of Kevin and Ishita scored a 21-17, 12-21, 21-13 win over the pair of Akshit Mahajan and Mahima to grab the title. Former Asian champion and Arjuna awardee Dinesh Khanna gave away the prizes to the winners.