Subject: Local Pickleball Athlete Cole Lester Teams up with Split Age Partner Manju Sekhri to Win Gold at Association of Pickleball Athletes (APA) Final Championships

Date of Event: Friday, November 28 – Sunday, December 1, 2024

Location: Cambridge, Ontario

Peterborough’s 20-year-old pickleball athlete Cole Lester and his Split Age Mixed Doubles partner Manju Sekhri from Milton, Ontario, won gold at the final championships of the Association of Pickleball Athletes (APA) held at the Four Fathers Brewing Co. in Cambridge, Ontario, last weekend. In the Split Age Mixed Doubles event, one pickleball athlete must be over the age of 50 years and the other athlete must be under the age of 50 years.

The APA Ontario Circuit hosted 6 tournaments across the province during the year with qualifiers competing in this final 2024 event. The tournament showcased the immense talent of Canada’s top PRO and amateur players of all skill levels.

Competing in the Split Age Mixed Doubles Skill 4.0 and Above Division, Lester and Sekhri won all their games in their pool, defeating 15 teams in a round robin format to move to the medal rounds. Receiving a bye in the quarter finals, Lester and Sekhri defeated Hannah Stegen (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia) and Joe DiBattista (Brights Cove, ON) 15 – 9 in the semi finals to move on to the final championship game. Finals were a best of three games to 15 to determine the gold medal winners. Lester and Sekhri defeated Marilyn Joostema and Chad Tremblett from Kitchener, 11- 6, 11- 6 to win gold.

Medalists received gold rings for their efforts.
“Split Age Mixed Doubles are really fun events and allow young players like me to compete with older experience athletes,” says Cole Lester. “I really enjoyed partnering with Manju. She and I played well together. She motivated me, remained positive during challenging games and we had fun which made me more relaxed and confident. In return, I think I offered speed, agility, and power with some shots to our games. It was a good partnership.

This tournament was an exciting experience and I’m looking forward to playing more Split Age Mixed Doubles divisions in tournaments in the future.”

“Once again, our young pickleball athletes like Cole Lester are competing and winning medals at a high skill level bringing recognition to our city,” says Shelley Moloney, President, Peterborough Pickleball Association. “Split-age doubles teams create unique and memorable combinations of athletes on the court, such as older and younger athletes, a father and son, mother and daughter, or a player and their coach. The PPA is thrilled that Cole teamed up with Manju, an exceptional and experienced female pickleball player, to win gold at this prestigious event.”
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