Riya Vinherkar and Myra Oak were the two finalists in the MSSA under-16 girls' badminton inter-school summit clash and are two players from Mumbai who hold much promise with their game.
Vinherkar was the victor 21-19, 21-9 and it was a superlative performance from her that sealed the deal in her favour.
She has been associated with badminton since she started playing at under-10 tournaments although it was her inclination to stay fit that got her initiated into the sport.
"I joined the sport just for fitness almost 7-8 years back and then I took it as a career. After a year's time, I went for an under-10 tournament and I reached the final and I felt I can pursue this as a career. Recently, I took part at the State-level tournament in Ahmednagar and my last Nationals was at Lucknow. In the individual category I lost in the pre-quarterfinals."
Vinherkar is rising up the ladder surely and steadily and stated she's in the top-30 when it came to the National under-15 rankings.
The Bombay Scottish student aspires to make her mark at the state and national level.
"My main focus is to clinch the state-level title and ultimately the National championship of course,'' she added.
"I'm taking lots of efforts and I hope it happens really soon,'' Vinherkar said.
The 14-year-old credits her family immensely for her badminton prowess and making life easier for her.
" My family has been really supportive and my mother left her career to support me. My dad is in the ICICI Bank and is a zonal head. My mother is a housewife and constantly supports me. It is difficult but I manage. Usually I train from 3-7. I have my dinner and I then study and my parents have my back,'' she revealed.
Her school Bombay Scottish is also doing the same and she is grateful to them as well.
Vinherkar's aggressive game is inspired by badminton legend Carolina Marin.
"I look upto her for inspiration as far as my aggressive play is concerned,'' she added.
On the other hand, the runner-up Myra Oak was all positive despite her loss to Vinherkar and exuded optimism for the future.
"I was happy with the way I played and satisfied with myself in terms of performance. There were a lot of errors but I'm satisfied despite that."
Talking about her journey with regard to badminton, Oak stated it was accidental.
"I started playing for fitness. My mom wanted to send me off to do something worthwhile and then I nurtured an interest for the sport. My coach saw something in me and I went through with it. I started playing at the age of nine."
Oak's first coach was Miranda Herbert.
"The journey has been stressful and a there is a lot of hard work involved. I play State-level tournaments and I'm trying for Nationals,'' she added.
The 14-year-old is a first time finalist here and felt she had a fair bit of learning.
"The biggest thing I learnt was to never give up and keep fighting. I'm a homeschooling child, so I take private tuitions and keep books along with me and study whenever possible,'' Oak revealed.
For Oak, competing at the Nationals is what she is aiming for next year.
