India's Mahesh Pratap steals the limelight, winning the first-ever Paradarts title at the Selangor Open Darts Championships

Selangor Open achieves history by being the first state to offer para athletes a chance to compete in a local-international tournament featuring top players from South-East Asia.

There were plenty of cheers for all when para athletes took part for the first time at the Selangor Open Darts Championships during the second day of competition at the Quayside Mall in Teluk Panglima Garang, Selangor, on Friday ( April 24).

With cheers and claps from fans and other participating players at the venue, India's Mahesh Pratap stole the limelight with some ace shots and beat the other challengers to the title. Mahesh was at his top game in the final and defeated Malaysian Gan Eew Hock for the gold medal.

Another Indian para dart player, Rohit Gupta, also had a good outing as he finished joint third with Malaysian Ong Chin Kok.

"This is indeed a day not to forget. The day ended successfully, and the darters enjoyed themselves. This is an achievement not only for darts but also for the state,"  said Selangor Darts Association president C. Pathmanathan.

"The entries for the junior category were also very encouraging. The association is very happy to see many youngsters getting interested in darts as they are the future of the game."

It was also the first time that a state open has offered a chance for the junior players to take part in a full-fledged state tournament featuring top local and international players.

In the junior side, Nur Muhammad Mohd Sazrin stole the limelight after winning the title when he edged Jithendran for the gold medal. Presilant Siva Kumar and Daneswarman Muthiah took the joint-third spot.

The other title at stake in the tournament on Saturday was the Mixed Doubles title. The team of Go Oden The Destroyers won the title, beating Dojo Dejoy in the final. IRC A and NW Gaming finished in the joint-third position.

For the record, the Selangor Open is also an international Bronze tournament in the World Darts Federation calendar. More than 200 players took part in the tournament this year.