The Yukon Badminton Association (YBA) hosted the 2025 Badminton Championships at the Takhini Elementary gymnasium in Whitehorse on April 25-26, where about 25 athletes competed in singles, doubles and mixed doubles in the second-to-last tournament of the season.
Athletes competed in round-robin matches over two days of games, aiming for the semi-finals and finals playoffs. Yukon badminton players organized into pools of five to six players, which the association said provided each participant with three to five matches before players were potentially knocked out the tournament.
Angus Harden claimed first place in the men's singles, defeating Sajay John who finished in second with scores of 21-9 and 22-20 at the Whitehorse venue. Alain Dallaire from the YBA wrote to the News saying Lao Morales secured third place, narrowly beating Skyler Liang, a woman who competed in the men's category due to low registration in women singles matches, with scores of 16-14 and 15-12.
Despite narrowly missing out third place in the men’s singles, Liang finished in first place during the women’s singles by defeating all the registered athletes. Tashvi Bhatia and Chela Casimilla competed for second and third spots in the finals, with Bhatia taking second place in the finals against Casimilla.
Loa Morales and Anju Gayangos teamed up in mixed doubles and rattled their way to first place by defeating Angus Harden and Reeba Roy-Mannor with scores of 21-15 and 21-18, and one loss of 12-21, leaving Harden and Roy-Mannor behind in second.
Khoi Tran and Tashvi Bhatia came third in the mixed doubles following Harden and Roy-Mannor by having knocked Marc Francious Fibre and Sophia Demesa off the podium with a score of 15-9 and 15-6.
Dallaire told the News that the badminton season will conclude with the Youth Badminton Championships at Porter Creek High School on May 23 and 24. Competitors will vie for first second and third across four categories: youth 19, youth 17, youth 15 and youth 13.
Dallaire said the association is encouraging Yukoners to register and compete in May 23 and 24 games. The YBA runs several drop-in sessions at Takhini and also at Golden Horn Elementary School in Whitehorse, according to the association’s website.
The association had previously put together a team for the 2024 Arctic Winter Games, with Team Yukon’s best result being bronze in the badminton doubles in the U9 girls’ division. The association often holds a number of competitions throughout the calendar season, including the April 25-26 and May 23 and 24 events to wrap up the season.
Contact Jake Howarth at jake.howarth@yukon-news.com
