Goa Judo Association Hosts State Judo Championships 2025-26; Jaya Dojo Dominates Day 1

Written by Intern Swara Bodke || Team Allycaral

Peddem, Mapusa: The State Judo Championships 2025-26, organised by the Goa Judo Association, began on a high note at the Peddem Sports Complex, drawing enthusiastic participation from judokas across the state.
The championship, affiliated to the Judo Federation of India and held under the aegis of the Sports Authority of Goa, is being conducted at the Badminton Hall, Peddem Sports Complex, Mapusa, on March 2 and 3, 2026. Competitions are being held across Sub-Junior, Cadet, Junior (Boys & Girls) and Senior (Men & Women) categories.
The event was graced by Chief Guest Assistant Governor Rtn Ramesh Tiwari. Also present were President Girish Pednekar and Guest of Honour Ms Agnes Dias, Incharge of Peddem Sports Complex, DSYA. Vice President Vignesh Bhakta and the General Secretary of the Goa Judo Association extended their support to the participating athletes.
Sub-Junior Boys
Day 1 witnessed intense action in the Sub-Junior Boys categories.
In the U-10 (Below 30 kgs) category, Rudra Vivekanand Tambi of Martial Arts Academy clinched gold, followed by Vihaan Nitesh (Martial Arts Academy). Kavish Desai and Chirag Shidlani of Jaya Dojo secured bronze medals.

In the U-12 and U-15 divisions, Jaya Dojo dominated multiple weight categories. Gold medallists included Deepak Gaonkar, Varenyam Mandrekar, Tanish Sapte, Naksh Shidlani, Ihit Patil, Ayan Katgi and Aryan Singh, among others. RCC Ponda, RCC Mapusa and Janata High School also secured podium finishes.
Overall Sub-Junior Boys Championship:
🏆 Winners – Jaya Dojo
🥈 Runners-Up – RCC Ponda
Sub-Junior Girls
In the Sub-Junior Girls categories, strong performances were delivered by judokas from Jaya Dojo, Janata High School Mapusa, RCC Panaji, RN Judo Club and Warrior Academy.
Gold medallists included Sandhya Chavan (Janata HS), Palak Maurya (Jaya Dojo), Tanusha Manurkar (Jaya Dojo), Swasthi Yadav (Jaya Dojo), Shraddha Patil (Jaya Dojo), Samiksha Nandihalli (Jaya Dojo), Janvi Takke (Janata HS), Rina Parsekar (Janata HS) and Sneha Madar (Jaya Dojo).
Overall Sub-Junior Girls Championship:
🏆 Winners – Jaya Dojo
🥈 Runners-Up – Janata HS Mapusa
Cadet Boys
The Cadet Boys division saw impressive performances from Shri Bhumika Judo Sangh and RCC Ponda.
Gold medallists included Pawn Patel (RCC Ponda), Rudresh Agrahari (RCC Ponda) and Pruthviraj Herekar (Shri Bhumika Judo Sangh).
Overall Cadet Boys Championship:
🏆 Winners – Shri Bhumika Judo Sangh
🥈 Runners-Up – RCC Ponda
Cadet Girls
In the Cadet Girls category, RCC Ponda emerged as a dominant force, securing multiple gold medals.
Gold winners included Bhakti Palekar (RCC Ponda), Bhumika Chavan (RCC Ponda), Vanshika Kanolkar (RCC Ponda), Ima Patil (Jaya Dojo) and Hafsah Shaikh (Shri Bhumika Judo Sangh).
Overall Cadet Girls Championship:
🏆 Winners – RCC Ponda
🥈 Runners-Up – Shri Bhumika Judo Sangh
The championships highlighted the growing strength of grassroots judo in Goa, with clubs from across the state participating in large numbers. With Junior and Senior categories scheduled next, the tournament promises more exciting bouts and competitive action in the coming days.