The sporting community in the Maldives was buzzing once again as the seventh edition of the Carrom World Cup took place earlier this week at the Barceló Nasandhura Malé Hotel. India topped the gold medal tally with a clean sweep, while Sri Lanka successfully defended their second-place position with a silver and a bronze.
Despite these achievements, the Sri Lankan contingent saw a slight dip in performance compared to the previous edition, where they secured two silvers and two bronzes. This year’s glamorous event featured over 170 competitors from 17 top-tier carrom-playing nations.
The Sri Lankan men’s team delivered a spirited and polished performance throughout the competition, even against the star-studded Indian lineup. Following commanding displays by both sides, India and Sri Lanka advanced to the final, setting the stage for another thrilling showdown between the two regional powerhouses.
In the doubles match of the team championship, the Sri Lankan pair showcased remarkable resilience, earning praise worldwide. After India claimed the first set, Sri Lanka’s Shaheed Hilmy and Anas Ahmed fought back impressively to win the second and keep their hopes alive. However, India demonstrated exceptional precision and applied immense pressure in the decisive third set, ultimately taking the match. India then went on to win the remaining games against Sri Lanka, successfully defending the team gold medal.
In the women’s competition, Sri Lanka suffered a shocking early defeat to the host nation, Maldives, during the group stage, which ultimately blocked their path to the final. This led to a challenging semi-final encounter against India. Although India proceeded to the final, one of the tournament’s standout moments came when Sri Lanka’s Tashmila Kavindi stunned India’s No. 1 player, L. Keerthika, in the team singles match. Keerthika would go on to win the women’s singles gold.
Despite failing to defend their silver medal, the Sri Lankan women delivered a spirited performance that pushed the Indians and provided a much-needed psychological boost. Riding that momentum, they comfortably secured the bronze by defeating the United States team, which included the women’s doubles bronze medallists. Meanwhile, the Maldives women’s team capitalised on their upset victory over Sri Lanka and went on to win the silver medal—the highest international achievement in Maldivian carrom history.
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In the women’s singles event, Sri Lanka’s national champion, Tashmila Kavindi, cruised into the semifinals in impressive fashion. However, she later fell to strong Indian opposition and finished fourth, narrowly missing out on a podium finish. India’s top-ranked Tamil Nadu player, L. Keerthana, clinched the singles title to become the new world champion. Former Commonwealth Champion Kajal Kumari secured silver, while M. Khazima finished third, followed by Tashmila.
In the men’s singles event, Indian players dominated the podium with a complete sweep. Prashant More and K. Srinivas advanced to the final after defeating fellow Indians Abhijit Tripankar and Sandeep Dive. In a tense, high-stakes final, More sealed the title in the third and final set, winning 25–18 after the players were tied 1–1 at the halfway mark. Sri Lanka’s Shaheed Hilmy and Kaveen Nimneth reached the quarter-finals, while Anas Ahamed progressed to the pre-quarter stage but fell short of a semi-final berth.
In the doubles events, India claimed both the titles and runners-up positions. Indian-origin players representing the USA and Singapore—Preeti Jakhotia and Tajesvi Duduka in the women’s division, and Lenus Paul and Ramanpreet Singh Pahwa in the men’s division—secured the bronze medals.
With these results, Sri Lanka successfully defended their second place on the medal table. Sri Lanka last won the Carrom World Championship in 2016 in Birmingham, England, defeating long-time rivals India in the final.
Full list of results
Over-all medal table
Team Gold Sliver Bronze Total
India 06 04 02 12
Sri Lanka 00 01 01 02
Maldives 00 01 00 01
USA 00 00 01 01
Singapore 00 00 01 01
Bangladesh 00 00 01 01
Women’s Events – Singles Championship
Gold – L Keerthana (India)
Silver – Kajal Kumari (India)
Bronze – M Khazima (India)
4 th place – Tashmila Kavindi (Sri Lanka)
Doubles Championship
Gold – L Keerthana and Kajal Kumari (India)
Silver – M Khazima and V Mithra (India)
Bronze – Preeti Jakhotia and Tajesvi Duduka (USA)
4th place – Aishath Fainaz and Aishath Nahufa (Maldives)
Team Championship
Gold – L Keerthana, Kajal Kumari, M Khazima and V Mithra (India)
Silver – Aishath Nahufa, Aminath Vidhaadh, Fathmath Rayana, Aishath Fainaaz and Aminath Wisham (Maldives)
Bronze – Joseph Roshita (Captain), Tharushi Himahansi, Tashmila Kavindi, Nipuni Dilrukshi and Shaini Imaya (Sri Lanka)
4th place – Preeti Jakhotia, Vaidehi, Swaroopa and Tajesvi Duduka (USA)
Mens Events – Singles Championship
Gold – Prashant More (India)
Silver – K Srinivas (India)
Bronze – Abhjit Tripankar (India)
4 th place – Sandeep Dive (India)
Doubles Championship
Gold – K Srinivas & Abhijit Tripankar (India)
Silver – Prashant More Sandeep Dive (India)
Bronze – Lenus Paul & Ramanpreet Singh Pahwa (Singapore)
4th place – Hafizur Rahman & Haemat Molla (Bangladesh)
Team Championship
Gold – K Srinivas, Prashant More, Sandeep Dive and Abhijit Tripankar (India)
Silver – Shaheed Hilmy, Nishantha Fernando, Anas Ahamed, Kaveen Nimneth and Suraj Maduwantha (Sri Lanka)
Bronze – Hafizur Rahman. Anis Ahammed, Basu Das, Haemat Molla (Bangladesh)
4th place – Ibrahim Hujaan Ali, Ismail Azmeen, Hassan Nazim, Khatim Khaleel, and Mohamed Muntasiru (Maldives)
