Double crown for Kiran Makode in Maharashtra Veterans Badminton

NAGPUR: Experienced city shuttler Kiran Makode created a history of sorts when he won the double crown in the Maharashtra Veterans State Badminton Championship which concluded at Bombay Gymkhana in Mumbai on Sunday.
Another veteran city player Sharad Mahajan maintained his giant-killing run to emerge champion in the 60 plus men's singles category.
Besides Makode and Mahajan, another former city player Madhavi Kashikar Hedaoo, who has now settled in Malaysia, won the 40 plus women's doubles with her Mumbai partner Leena Dhapre.
In an exciting summit clash, Madhavi Kashikar Hedaoo and Leena Dhapre stunned top seeds Deanne Rodrigues and Nisha Springett of Mumbai 23-21, 8-21, 21-19 in 56 minutes.
Southpaw Makode emerged as the star of the final day as he swept away both the singles and doubles titles in the 45 plus age group.
In the 45 plus men's singles final, unseeded Kiran Makode defeated Mumbai's Yogesh Padukone, who had upset top seed Ashutosh Pednekar enroute final, in straight games 21-16, 21-14.
After a gap of just half an hour, Makode was back on the court again for the doubles final alongwith his partner Ashutosh Pednekar of Mumbai. The new pair of Makode and Pednekar thumped Yogesh Padukone and Vilas Kuvale (Mumbai) 21-12, 21-12 to complete a grand double.
This is the third time Makode, an employee of LIC, has bagged the double crown. Last year he couldn't participate in the state championship due to calf injury.
Being unseeded this year, Makode had to face stiff resistance. However, he was in sublime form throughout the tournament and brushed aside the challenges of Mahesh Satve (21-18, 21-18), Zakriya Sheikh (21-4, 21-13), Santosh Kshatriya (21-8, 21-3) and Ajay Salvi (21-12, 19-21, 21-14) enroute to finals.
Unseeded Sharad Mahajan shocked top seed Vivek Patil 26-24, 21-12 in the 60 plus men's singles final in 35 minutes to reign supreme.
Now all the three shuttlers -- Makode, Mahajan and Madhavi -- will represent Maharashtra in the Veteran Nationals to be held at Mapusa, Goa in the last week of January, 2019.