PAT Chawla is a national champion for the seventh time.
The 52-year-old Winnipeg native won the 50-plus women's singles title in the 2008 Canadian Masters Open Badminton Championships last weekend in Calgary for her seventh Masters title.
Pat Chawla’s name takes up a lot of real estate on national badminton trophies. It’s now on the 50-plus trophy two times.
Chawla defeated Geraldine McLean of B.C. 21-16, 21-14, to win her second national title in the 50-plus age category. Anil Kaul of Winnipeg, who competed in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, and Erik Nilsson of B.C. won the 40-plus men's doubles title beating Bryan Blanshard and Mike Levasseur of Ontario 21-18, 21-9.
"I'm definitely a fierce competitor, I do not like losing, but it's the whole thing. It's the competition and it's an international tournament so you're seeing friends year after year from all over," said Chawla, whose husband is Manitoba Badminton provincial coach Archie Chawla. They met through badminton.
Pat previously won Masters singles titles in 1996, '99, 2001 (two categories), 2003 and 2006.
"(Masters) starts at 35 and there are five-year intervals between divisions. There are people playing in the 80s age group. It is the whole 'sports for life' idea where people are playing and they keep competing," Pat said. "Some of the people who are playing, I was playing with when I was in my 20s. You build long friendships. You stay active in sport but there's another component to it."
She said it is more challenging to compete year after year, especially if she has an injury, but said it is always worth it.
"I just enjoy the sport so much, so it's not just about winning."
Pat and Archie's son Sean, 24, competes in badminton while daughter Tara, 21, is on a squash scholarship at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
"Our whole family is really a racquet family so I have to keep up with these people," Pat said.
ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca
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