Shillong, Sept 18: Meghalaya’s shuttlers gave it their all but none could progress past the semifinals on the penultimate day of the North East Zone Inter-State Badminton Championship 2026 at the JN Indoor Stadium here today.
The four-day regional event is being organised by the Meghalaya State Badminton Association with support of the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs under the aegis of the Badminton Association of India.
Reaching the semifinals, however, means that each of the Meghalaya shuttlers will go home with a bronze medal, a fitting reward for the hard work that they have put in over the past months in training for this event as well as with an eye on next year’s 39th National Games, which Meghalaya will host.
Elsarica Umdor was the first of the Meghalayans involved in semifinal action and she bowed out to Assam’s Avikaa Borgohain, who won 15-7, 15-10, in the women’s singles.
Later, in the U-19 girls’ singles, Netania T Tariang had a tough fight against Assam’s Noimikha Saikia, who won two quick games 15-3, 15-8.
Netania was also in the U-19 mixed doubles semifinal with her teammate Gavin Kharbuki. They lost their last-four fixture to Vanlalpekhlua and Lalrinhlui Hmar of Mizoram 15-10, 15-10.
The last local pair in the semis was that of Gitchiak Bregim A Sangma and Sonnal Joshi who started well against M Hemam and P Konjengbam but the Manipur duo prevailed 15-10, 15-6.
The championship has witnessed the best of the North East’s shuttlers, both those established at the senior level as well as those coming up through the ranks of the U-19s. Though they are out of the running, Meghalaya’s shuttlers will definitely be in the gallery tomorrow to learn as much as they can from watching the finalists of the different categories.
Meghalaya’s Director General of Police, Idashisha Nongrang IPS, has kindly consented to be the chief guest at the closing ceremony tomorrow.
