2016 GRAND CANYON STATE GAMES - BADMINTON EVENT

June 11, 2016, Mesa...

The 24th annual Grand Canyon State Games Badminton Event took place at the Arizona Badminton Center. Twenty-nine participants competed in 5 events, Open Women and Men Singles, Women and Men Doubles, and Mixed Doubles. Director Guy Chadwick has been the commissioner for this badminton event since its inception in 1993. The 2016 Badminton Power Player Award went to a very deserving Roger Goetl, who competed in the Men's Doubles after undergoing heart surgery earlier this year, and always volunteers and brings snacks and supplies for all the players to share at every tournament. Congratulations Roger (see photo to left)!

Vaishnavi Koka took the Women's Singles Gold and Women's Doubles Gold with Rena Han, and the Mixed Doubles Silver with her father, Naren. Sherry Yu won the Women's Singles Silver and Women's Doubles Bronze with Carrie Davis. Gabrielle Nakada and Riley Chaisson won the Bronze in Women's Singles. Kathy Furtmann and Theo Hashimoto won the Women's Doubles Silver. Theo also won the Mixed Doubles Gold with Senthil Kannappan. Gabrielle Nakada and Alice Wong won the Women's Doubles Bronze.

Harsha Gandi earned a Gold in the Men's Singles and teamed with Senthil Kannappan to win the Silver in Men's Doubles. Tejas Ashani and Naren Koka took the Men's Doubles Gold. Chacko Kuruvilla won the Silver in Men's Singles, with Bronze medals going to Dean Glazeski and Stephen Li. The Bronze in Men's Doubles went to Doug Towne and Cacko Kuruvilla and the team of Stephen Li and Wen Wei Liu. The Mixed Doubles Bronze winners were Mike Hilliard and Carrie Davis and Francis Hartojo and Kathy Furtmann.