TORONTO - The 2022 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Badminton Championships concluded Saturday at the Epic Sports Badminton Club in Toronto with all OCAA gold medalists going undefeated in the three-day competition.

Yuge Zeng (China) of George Brown has returned to the top of the OCAA men's singles podium, as Kunal Sokar (India) of Seneca conceded the second set of the gold medal game. Zeng won the first set 21-18. Zeng last won the provincial championship in 2018, and was runner-up the following year. George Brown's Sarthak Arora (India) took home the bronze medal in straight sets over Sehaj Bhardwaj (India) of Seneca.

There were a pair of inter-school battles in the women's singles medal matches. In an all-Seneca meeting, Tessa Liu (Taiwan) won the gold medal defeating teammate Dapasha Joshi (India) 21-19, 21-12. In an all-Fanshawe battle for the bronze medal, Zoya Virk (India) defeated teammate Morgan Grant (Thamesville, Ont.) 21-6, 21-14.

Akara Chooprawad (Toronto, Ont.) and Anthony Tso (Markham, Ont.) of Seneca topped the podium in men's doubles, defeating Fanshawe's San Dang (London, Ont.) and Arpitraj Sinha (Markham, Ont.) 21-11, 21-16. Humber's Harry Cotaras (Toronto, Ont.) and Nishant Batra (India) outlasted St. Lawrence's Afsar Chowdhury (Kingston, Ont.) and Brandon Watkins (Finch, Ont.) 19-21, 21-12, 21-10 in the bronze medal game. For Cotaras, it is a second career OCAA bronze to go along with a mixed doubles medal won in 2019.

Humber's Victoria Duong (Kitchener, Ont.) and Praanjal Taneja (India) won the women's doubles gold medal with a 21-14, 21-10 win over Seneca's Salina He (Toronto, Ont.) and Katie Liu (Richmond, B.C.). Duong is now a four-time OCAA medalist and two-time gold medalist, while Liu is a three-time silver medalist. Fanshawe's Kaitlyn Murray (Thessalon, Ont.) and Pitchayapuk Prasarn (Thailand) took the bronze medal with a 21-7, 21-8 win over George Brown's Patricia Gazmen (Scarborough, Ont.) and Sienna Tyler (United Kingdom).

In mixed doubles, Airi Moromisato (Peru) and Sirapob Kongubon (Thailand) of Humber defeated Boreal's Frederic Houle (Elliot Lake, Ont.) and Michelle Kozlowskyj (Sudbury, Ont.) 21-14, 21-6 for the gold medal. Kozlowskyj wins her third OCAA medal to go along with a pair of women's doubles bronzes. George Brown's Fiona Kwan (Toronto, Ont.) and Ariel Dela Rosa (Scarborough, Ont.) were awarded the bronze medal with a 21-14, 21-8 victory over Mohemed Ashik (India) and Lalaine Siy (Toronto, Ont.) of Fanshawe.

Finalists in all five OCAA gold medal matches will advance to the 2022 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Badminton National Championships in Edmonton later this month. Gold medalists will represent OCAA Team No. 1 while silver medalists will form OCAA Team No. 2 at nationals.

The OCAA Badminton Championships featured student-athletes from College Boreal (Sudbury); Cambrian College (Sudbury); Centennial College (Scarborough); Conestoga College (Kitchener); Fanshawe College (London); George Brown College (Toronto); Humber College (Etobicoke); St. Lawrence College (Kingston); and Seneca College (North York).

Championship Website (including schedule): www.ocaa.com/badm

- OCAA -

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