Badminton leaves championships with four medals

By: Thiago Neuenschwander
Hawks Athletics Communications

KITCHENER - The Hawks shined at the 2025 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Badminton Championships, which concluded this Saturday (Feb. 16) at the Conestoga Student Recreation Centre. After two days of competition, the team finished the tournament with four medals: two golds in men's singles and mixed doubles and one silver in women's doubles. Additionally, Humber claimed the men's overall championship and had both OCAA Athletes of the Year, Dhruv Raval (men) and Sherry Wu (women). Since 2010, Humber badminton has received 15 OCAA Player of the Year selections.

Men's Singles

After securing silver in his freshman year (2024), Timothy Lock was determined not to let gold slip away this time. He was crowned the category champion with a flawless run, winning six matches without dropping a game. In the final, he defeated Sahil Lokhande (George Brown) 21-7, 21-1. St. Lawrence's Maneet Lok Singh Bindra claimed the bronze by defeating Conestoga's Max Barnes in the third-place match.

Men's Doubles

The Hawks' men's doubles pair, Gokulkrishna Santhoshkumar and Sahal Ahmed reached the semifinals but finished without a medal. In the bronze medal match, they lost to Lambton's Milton Smith and Mirza Muhammed Shafeek Razaq, 21-16, 21-19.

Women's Doubles

In the women's doubles tournament, Shruti Joshi and Ayushi Vasava made it to the final. Still, they had to settle for silver after losing the decisive match to George Brown's Gaeun Kaylee Choi and Sarah Song, 13-21, 21-16, 21-19. Seneca's Xue Xing and Kiu Wing Lam took bronze.

Mixed Doubles

OCAA Athletes of the Year Sherry Wu and Dhruvkumar Raval were dominant in mixed doubles. The pair overwhelmed their opponents, winning all six matches without dropping a game. In the final, they defeated Jonathan Ma and Lheidelle Santos (Centennial) 24-22, 21-12. Fanshawe's Ty Nguyen and Nicole Kim claimed the bronze medal.

What's Next?

After their successful campaign, all eyes are now on the 2025 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Badminton National Championships, which will take place in Edmonton, Alberta, from February 27 to March 1. Gold and silver medalists in each OCAA category have secured their spots in the competition.