The FIR Racketlon World Tour landed in Mumbai for the first time on December 1st to 3rd, 2023, with the Bombay Gymkhana International Racketlon Open.
Racketlon is a sport – often referred to as the “iron-man of racket sports” – in which athletes compete in four sports, one after the other: table tennis, badminton, squash, and tennis.
Each sport is played to a maximum of 21 points, with the winner being the athlete with the most overall points across all four sports. It is a fast emerging sport that discovers the most gifted all-around racquet sports athlete by putting them through a unique test of technique, stamina, and mental power.
Men’s current World No.1 (Leon Griffiths from Great Britain) and the women’s current World No.1 (Anna-Klara Ahlmer from Sweden), as well as the current men’s world champion (Luke Griffiths from Great Britain) – in total there were 10 of the World’s top 15 players.
Bombay Gymkhana had organized the last All India Racketlon Tournament in April 2022 with over 70 participants, organized by the Vice-President Naheed Divecha who also plays the event in all 3 categories herself, and she attempted it again this year at the International event while also representing Bombay Gymkhana.
Bombay Gymkhana, a Club known for its sporting heritage and culture, has to its credit 2 members who are very accomplished ‘iron-men of racket sports’. Gourav Rakshit represented India at the 45+ Team event at the World Championships in Vienna in 2022. Nikhil Bhandare has played 2 international Racketlon tournaments in 2023 including the Thailand Open, where he won Gold in Men’s 45 Singles and the Doubles.
In a most successful weekend, with over 15 International players, most of them in the Top 10 World rankings, and 80 other Indians from all over the country, Bombay Gymkhana had all its members make a dent at the tournament – Antara Jaggi and Zane Pundole played some good rounds in their maiden tournament, Rehaan Engineer played a most thrilling Badminton singles against the World Champion Luke Griffiths in a game that went on and on and ended at 21-19. Faisal Siddiqui & Abhimanyu Shah both came third in the Mens Doubles 40+ and Mixed Doubles respectively, Nikhil Bhandare stood 4th in the Men’s Singles 45+, Gourav Rakshit came out on top as the Men’s Singles Champion in the 45+ category, and Naheed Divecha won the Womens doubles B with Johann Fernandes and was runner up in the Women’s Singles B and B Mixed Doubles with partner Adit Patel.
Bombay Gymkhana was very proud to be the country’s pioneer Club to host this International sporting challenge for its members.
By Vikrant Rambhia
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