Manika Pal and Bhawana hail from remote villages in Himachal Pradesh. But, there's more in common than just that between the two. Both of them picked up handball in school over a decade ago.

Himachal Pradesh won the gold medal in the women's handball final, while Services Sports Control Board bagged the gold medal in the men's handball final at the 38th National Games 2025 in Uttarakhand.

Lucknow will host the wheelchair world handball championship next year after India was awarded the prestigious event during the International Handball Federation (IHF) meeting in Oslo, Norway.