26th US National Carrom Championship fields 130 players from across the continent

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The United States Carrom Association (USCA) and Bay Area Carrom Association (BACA) jointly conducted the XXVI US Nationals Carrom Championship from June 3rd – 5th at the Santa Clara Convention Center in California. The tournament saw unprecedented levels of participation with over 130 players on the roster from across the continent. LOUIS FERNANDES of Canada lifted the title for the third time in a row, prevailing over runner up PREETI JAKHOTIA of USA in a closely contested Finals that lasted for an hour and forty minutes. Louis also won the Doubles trophy along with fellow Canadian Moaz Shaikh, while Murali Balasubramanyam and Kalyan Matcha, both from Texas, finished as runners up. Panna Chowdhury of California scored the only slam of the tournament, on his way to clinching the title in the Challengers division.

The tournament featured several historical firsts. For the first time in US carrom history, a female player made it to the grand finale in a traditionally male dominated sport, proving the fact that carrom is truly gender agnostic. Preeti’s accomplishment is sure to inspire young girls everywhere to take an interest in carrom. Also for the first time in the US, Championship Sunday was broadcasted LIVE on Willow TV! Thousands of viewers from all over the world watched the key matches of the tournament from the comfort of their living room, for free! This is a great step towards realizing USCA’s goal of elevating carrom into the world of mainstream sports

The opening and closing ceremonies were attended by several dignitaries and special guests, including Consul General of India for San Francisco, Dr. T V Nagendra Prasad, Bollywood star Ashvini Bhave, Mayor of Santa Clara Ms. Lisa Gillmor, and Crossfit athlete & trainer Brad Medeiros. The three day affair was kicked off by an energetic drum performance by local Dhol band Baydhund.

The 3-time world champion Yogesh Pardeshi joined via live video and wished the participants a successful tournament.

The tournament was supported by generous sponsors such as Willow TV, Sling, New York Life, Sanjiv Gupta CPA, Compass Realty, Team Bedi with Keller Williams, and Gilbert Real Estate Group. The organizers thanked their partners ITV Gold, Parikh World Media, Bolly 92.3 FM, TV Asia, and Association of Indo Americans (AIA). Official photography for the event was provided pro bono by Creations by Sam. Overall, the tournament was a grand success, and was lauded by all participants and visitors alike.