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Two Pune shuttlers die in car crash

Sportsmen die after their vehicle rammed into a tree near Wakad; another’s condition critical.

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The badminton fraternity mourned the loss of two state level players who lost their lives in a road accident in Balewadi, Pune, around 12.30am on Sunday. Saurabh Paralikar, 23, and Siddhant Ghorpade, 21, died on the spot while their friend Devavrat Bhalerao, also a state level player, is critical.

The Indica in which the three players were travelling lost control and rammed into a tree in front of Balewadi stadium in the early hours of Sunday. “They were heading to Wakad from Chandani Chowk. Siddhant was behind the wheel and he suddenly lost control,” said sub-inspector DP Pachange from the Chaturshrungi police station.

“Such was the impact of the crash that the car was mangled and the trio was trapped inside the vehicle. We had to remove the roof of the car to rescue them. That took nearly an hour. By then, Siddhant and Saurabh had died,” he said. Devavrat is being treated at the Aditya Birla hospital for multiple fractures on his left hand and leg. Hospital spokesperson Rekha Dubey said he has also suffered injuries on his chest.

Later on Sunday, Saurabh and Siddhant were cremated at the Vaikunth crematorium. “They were budding players and had the potential to represent the country,” said Uday Sane, a Poona District Metropolitan Badminton Association (PDMBA) official.
“They had represented the state and were the most hardworking players I have seen. I know them since the time they played in the mini (under-10) age group,” said PDMBA vice-president and international referee Girish Natu. “I am sure they would have made their presence felt at the international level.”

Saurabh represented the state at the nationals and even donned PDMBA colours. He won the West Zone inter-university championship in 2008 and 2009 as Pune University captain.

“When I joined the Tata Padukone Badminton Academy, Saurabh was my senior. He was a fun-loving person. He always helped the juniors and gave them tips before tournaments,” said Sudhanshu Medsikar, an international player from Pune. “I was more attached to him as I learnt a lot from him. Later he quit badminton, but he would come for practise whenever I needed a partner. He was a true sportsperson.”

He was also a semi-finalist in mixed doubles and a quarter finalist in the singles and doubles in the state championship last year. Saurabh was also the runner up in the 2007 junior nationals.

Siddhant shifted from his hometown Kolhapur to Pune in 2009 to pursue engineering and play badminton. He representated the state in the open category at the nationals.

Devavrat represented Maharashtra at the doubles nationals and won the junior state selection tournament in Satara in 2008. He represented the Flammboyant Flamingo’s at Maharashtra Badminton League last year.
 

 

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