The young Indian paddlers put up an impressive show at the 2026 WTT Star Youth Contender and Feeder events at Doha between January 23 and 25. The Indians delivered an impressive 10-medal haul, four gold, three silver, and three bronze medals, underlining the country’s growing strength in the global junior circuit.
The Under-15 girls’ category emerged as a major highlight, with Ahona Ray clinching gold, Ankolika Chakraborty securing silver, and Naisha Rewaskar adding bronze in a remarkable all-Indian podium sweep. Ankolika and Naisha further combined to win silver in Under-15 girls’ doubles, showcasing strong depth and cohesion in the age group.
India’s gold rush continued in the doubles and mixed events. Aakash Rajavelu and Rishaan Chattopadhyay captured the Under-15 boys’ doubles gold, while the duo of Divyanshi Bhowmick and P B Abhinand won the Under-19 mixed doubles gold.
Another top podium finish came through Ankolika and Aditya Das, who secured gold in the Under-15 mixed doubles, reflecting India’s dominance across categories.
In the singles events, Abhinand earned a fine silver in the Under-19 boys, Divyanshi claimed bronze in the Under-19 girls, and Aditya added bronze in the Under-15 boys, rounding off a highly successful campaign for the Indian contingent.
The strong medal tally in Doha once again underlined India’s rapidly strengthening youth development structure and the emergence of a confident new generation of paddlers ready to make their mark on the international stage.
