Sohini Kumari // Rohan Juneja // Raj Manchanda
She has represented the national team, becoming only the fourth Indian to be selected to play for India in more than one sport--after Shireen Khushroo Kiash (hockey, basketball & cricket), Somnath Chopra (atheletics & volleyball) and Iftikhan Ali Khan Pataudi (cricket & hockey).
She is the sister of 16 times national women champion Bhuvneshwari Kumari and Yogendra Singh, the only Indian International Squash Refree recognised by WSF.
Her aim is to beat the current national champion Mekhala Subedar.
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Achievements :
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- 1996: Represented India in British Junior Open, under 16/Winner of Asia Pacific under 16 championship in Malaysia/3rd place in the Grand Finals Asian junior boys under 16 championship at malaysia/Runner up in Singapore Open, under 16/Runner up in under 16, Hongkong Open Juniors/Winner in under 16, Poona Open/Most promising player in Poona Open/Winner of All India Interschool under 16 team championship/Winner in under 19, DDA Open.
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1995:
Selected to represent India in the Milo Dunlop & Perrier Asian
Juniors at Malaysia/Semifinalist in under 16 at the nationals/quaterfinalist
in under 19, nationals/Most promising players at the nationals/Winner
in under 16, CCI-Western India championship/Selected to represent
India in the Asian Under 16 Junior satellites at Singapore and
Malaysia.
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1994: Winner in under 14, Northern India championship/Runner up in under 14, DDA Open/Winner in under 14, Interschool team championship for maeckji cooper/Runner up in under 14, Interschool individual championship.
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1993: Winner in under 14, Interschool team championship/Runner up in under 14, CCI-Western India championship.
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Raj Manchanda nick named the ‘Old
Fox’ and ‘The Major’ is one of India’s most travelled squash
racquets player. A national champion for six years, he was also an office
bearer of the Federation, holding at one time the post of vice president.
A Brigadier in the Electrical & Mechanical Engineering Corps of
the Indian Army, Raj Manchanda received the Arjuna Award in 1979-80.
He is also the recipient of Best Services Sportsman, which he
received in 1980-81.
Born at Abohar of Ferozepur district in Punjab on 5 August 1945, Raj Manchanda distinguished himself both as a student and sportsman. He was awarded the President’s Gold Medal at the Rashtriya Indian Military College |
(RIMC) in Dehra Dun
and was Ist in order of merit for entrance to
the National Defence Academy. Four
years later, he passed out from the Indian Military Academy holding
another Gold Medal for being 1st in order of merit.
This was in 1965. Two
years later he hit the squash racquets scene in the country, first winning
the Services title and then ending up as runner-up in the nationals,
losing to Akhtar Ali, better known in tennis circles.
After that it has been one long success
story of eleven title wins in the Services Championships, six times
national champion between 1978 to 1983 (the first time at the age of 33),
four times national runners-up and victory at every regional championship
he took part in. Raj
Manchanda was the uncrowned king of the game as long as he was on the
scene. Between his first national championship and the second Raj
Manchanda had to take a break from the game.
There was the 3 yr Engg degree course, which kept him busy, then
the 1971 war, followed by M. Tech in Electronics.
He retuned to the squash court with a vengeance and soon was fit
enough to make the Indian team for the World Championships in England in
1976. India finished 7th.
The national title in 1978 gave him the
much-needed boost and he was an automatic choice for the Indian team for
the 1979 World Amateur Squash Championship in Australia.
Two years later, in the Asian Championships, he faced Jahangir
Khan, the man who was to dominate the World scene in the 80s.
Raj Manchanda lost to Khan but gave Hiddy Jahan, the world number
three, a big scare in a later tournament in Karachi.
Though India was never a power in squash
racquets, Raj Manchanda himself had a fairly good run in the various
international tournaments he represented the country. He was captain of the Indian team on a number of occasions
including the time when India won the silver medal in the 1981 Asian
Championships at Karachi. His
best individual performance was the fourth place in the Asian
championships in Jordan in 1984 where the team under his leadership won a
Bronze Medal.
Since 1981 when the National teams championship, the Interstate event, got under way, till 1992 when he last participated, he lead the services team to victory 9 times out of 11, many times against impossible odds as in 1988-89 when the country’s 3 best players were from an opposing team and the services team still won.