Chandigarh, January 15

The Chandigarh women’s handball team won a bronze medal after 35 years in the 44th National Junior Women’s Handball Championship at Didwana, Rajasthan.

The Chandigarh women’s handball team topped their pool by defeating Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and hosts Rajasthan in all their matches.

In the quarterfinals, the Chandigarh team defeated Punjab (25-20), which won several gold medals in national competitions. In the semi-finals, the

team lost to Delhi by five goals and it had to settle for the bronze.

Team manager Varinder Kumar and coach Mahesh Hooda said the players of the team performed well throughout the tournament. Before participating in the national competition, finer points of the game were taught in a 20-day training camp organised by the Chandigarh Handball Association.

Chandigarh Handball Association President Ravinder Singh said players, coach and manager would be honoured by the association. The association also appreciated Manavpreet Singh Bawa, coach of the Sector 42 sports complex, as most of the players in the team were from his coaching centre.

Proud moment

The Chandigarh women’s handball team topped their pool by defeating Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and hosts Rajasthan in all their matches.