Bareilly: The Uttar Pradesh women’s table tennis team was felicitated at the SRMS Engineering College campus following its historic bronze-medal-winning performance at the National Table Tennis Championship. The honour ceremony was held during the 13th Shri Ram Murti Memorial First UP State Ranking Table Tennis Tournament at the indoor stadium of the institution.
For the first time in the history of the National Table Tennis Championship, the Uttar Pradesh women’s team secured a medal, marking a significant milestone for the state. To celebrate the achievement, each of the five team members received a cash reward of ₹6,000. In addition, players Aarti Chaudhary and Avni Tripathi, who won a bronze medal in the Women’s Doubles event, were awarded a special cash prize of ₹15,000 each. Team coaches Parag Agrawal and Saurabh Poddar were also honoured with cash awards in recognition of their contribution.
The awards were presented by Aditya Murti, Secretary of the SRMS Trust, along with Uttar Pradesh Table Tennis Association (UPTTA) Secretary Arun Banerjee and Nirmoy Mitra.
A separate felicitation ceremony for the medal-winning players was also organised by the Uttar Pradesh Table Tennis Association at the SRMS CET auditorium. During the event, the Bareilly Table Tennis Association honoured each player and coach with an additional cash reward of ₹5,000.
Addressing the gathering, Aditya Murti congratulated the players on their landmark achievement and described the bronze medal as an inspiration for aspiring women athletes across the state. He encouraged the team members to continue striving for excellence and aim for gold medals in future national competitions, bringing greater glory to Uttar Pradesh, their cities, and their families.
District Table Tennis Association Bareilly Secretary Dr. Deependra Kamthan also congratulated the team, highlighting the significance of the achievement. He noted that this was the first time Uttar Pradesh had won a medal at the National Championship, making it a proud moment for the entire table tennis community in the state.
Dr. Kamthan pointed out that before the National Championship, UPTTA had entrusted SRMS with the responsibility of hosting the state team’s preparatory camp. The training camp was conducted at the SRMS Indoor Stadium, where the women’s team underwent intensive preparation before heading to the national event.
“The team created history by winning a bronze medal after training here. This was the first training camp held at the SRMS Indoor Stadium, and the first time the women’s team returned with a national medal. We believe SRMS has certainly brought a positive luck factor,” he said.
The players honoured during the ceremony included Aarti Chaudhary, Avni Tripathi, Disha, Ambika Gupta, and Elona Mishra. Along with the individual rewards, the special recognition for the Women’s Doubles bronze medal further highlighted the outstanding performance of Aarti and Avni at the national level.
Several senior officials and dignitaries attended the event, including UPTTA Treasurer Rajesh Singh, Joint Secretary Sarvesh Kumar, Associate Vice President Yogendra Gautam, Technical Committee Chairman N.K. Lahiri, Dr. Nitin Saxena, and Shankar Pal.
The felicitation ceremony celebrated not only a historic achievement for Uttar Pradesh women’s table tennis but also underscored the growing support and infrastructure being provided to emerging athletes in the state, paving the way for greater success in future national and international competitions.
Reported by Akhilesh Chandra Saxena from Bareilly.
