SQUASH

India wins all three titles in Asian Squash Doubles Championships

In a remarkable achievement, India swept all the three titles—men’s, women’s and mixed events—in the second Asian Squash Doubles Championships after beating its respective rivals in the finals on Thursday.

The top-seeded men’s pair of Abhay Singh and Velavan Senthilkumar lost the first set but made a comeback to beat their Pakistani opponents Noor Zaman and Nasir Iqbal 2-1 (9-11, 11-5, 11-5) in the summit clash that lasted 88 minutes.

The Indian duo had reached the final after beating Hong Kong pair of Chi Him Wong and Ming Hong Tang in the semifinals.

In the women’s doubles final, second seeds Joshna Chinappa and Anahat Singh also rallied from a set down to win 2-1 (8-11, 11-9, 11-10) against Malaysia’s Ainaa Amani and Xin Ying Yee in a 35-minute final.

Joshna and Anahat had made it to the summit clash after beating Hong Kong’s Po Yui Kirstie Wong and Yee Lam Toby Tse.

The top-seeded mixed doubles pair of Abhay and Anahat made it a clean sweep of titles for India as they beat Malaysia’s Rachel Arnold and Ameeshenraj Chandaran 2-0 (11-9, 11-7) in the 28-minute summit showdown.

In the process, Abhay and Anahat bagged their second title of the championships.

They had made it to the last-two stage after beating another local pair of Ainaa Amani and Syafiq Kamal in the semifinals.

-PTI

BADMINTON

BAI names 19-member team for Badminton Asian Junior Championships in July

The fast-rising Tanvi Sharma was on Thursday named in India’s 19-member squad for the Badminton Asian Junior Championships (team and individual) to be held in Solo, Indonesia from July 18 to 27.

Tanvi won a gold in the Badminton Asia women’s team championship. Junior world No. 1 men’s doubles pair of Bhargava Ram Arigela and Viswa Tej Gibburu will also be critical to India’s chances in the event.

The team competitions are scheduled from July 18–22 while the individual events will be held from July 23–27.

The team event will be played in a relay format, with the first side to reach 110 points declared the winner. It will begin with a group stage, followed by knockout rounds, with the top two teams from each group advancing.

The full squad will report to a national preparatory camp at National Centre of Excellence in Guwahati from July 4 to 15. The NCE Guwahati will also host the BWF Junior World Championships later this year.

“India’s junior circuit is producing world-class talent, and this camp is where raw potential will be sharpened into medal-winning form,” Badminton Association of India General Secretary, Sanjay Mishra, said.

Tanvi, currently ranked World No. 2 in the BWF junior rankings, will anchor India’s women’s singles challenge. Rounak Chouhan is ranked 12th in the boys’ singles.

Vennala Kalagotla will feature in both singles and doubles, while in the men’s doubles, Bhargava and Viswa Tej will aim to extend their dominance as the top-ranked junior pair globally.

-PTI

HOCKEY

Hockey India Masters Cup (Women): Odisha and Punjab to face off in final

Odisha and Punjab reached the final of the inaugural Hockey India Masters Cup (Women) after registering impressive wins in their respective semifinal contests at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Chennai.

In the first semifinal, Odisha beat Tamil Nadu 4-1, owing to captain Lucela Ekka’s two brilliant field goals (4’, 25’). She was supported by Sarita Roshan Minz (9’) and Asima Sanjay Minz (30’), who also found the back of the net to seal a convincing win. Tamil Nadu’s lone goal came from Saumya (34’), who converted a penalty corner in the third quarter.

The second semifinal saw Punjab come from behind twice to secure a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Haryana.

Odisha will take on Punjab in the final on Friday (2 PM IST), while Tamil Nadu will face off against Haryana in the bronze medal match before the summit clash (6 AM IST).

-Team Sportstar

BOXING

Lovlina, Nikhat headline Elite Women’s Boxing tournament from Friday

Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain and two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen will be among a host of top Indian pugilists to vie for top honours at the Elite Women’s Boxing Tournament, beginning in Hyderabad on Friday.

Former world youth champion Ankushita Boro will be another big name taking part in the tournament, to be held at the Saroornagar Indoor Stadium till July 1.

FILE PHOTO: Two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen.
| Photo Credit:
GETTY IMAGES

Organised by the Telangana state body under the aegis of the Boxing Federation of India and the Sports Authority of Telangana, the tournament will feature boxers from 15 units.

Railways, Haryana, All India Police, Services, Punjab, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Sikkim, Combined SAI National Centre of Excellence team and TOPS Core and Development squad will also take part in the tournament, besides host Telangana.

Other notable names in the fray include World Championships bronze medallist Manisha Moun, Olympian Preeti, world youth champion Arundhati Chaudhary, and more than 100 other contenders.

The boxers will compete across 10 weight categories. Gold and silver medallists in each category will get the opportunity to join the elite national camp in Patiala.

The championships will be conducted as per the World Boxing Technical & Competitions Rules, wherein each bout will consist of three rounds of three minutes each, with a minute’s rest in between.

The 10-point-must system shall be followed for scoring, while the review system will not be used.

-PTI

GOLF

IGU gets Sports Ministry backing for Indian Golf Premier League

The Sports Ministry has given the Indian Golf Union (IGU) the go-ahead to organise the inaugural edition of the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL) in January next year.

“I can say with utmost pleasure that the Sports Ministry has given us the nod to organise the first-ever Indian Golf Premier League, which aims at popularising the sport in Bharat,” IGU Director Major General (Retd) Bibhuti Bhushan said in a press release.

“The IGPL will be organised in January 2026. Through IGPL we will scout and nurture world-class golf talent who will proudly represent Bharat on the global stage,” he added.

IGPL will be a city-based franchise league which will have both amateurs and professionals playing in a team format.

– PTI

EQUESTRIAN

Rider Agarwalla announces retirement of horse Sir Caramello

Indian equestrian Anush Agarwalla on Thursday announced the retirement of his long-time horse Sir Caramello with whom he competed at the Paris Olympics.

The 25-year-old Agarwalla had become the first rider from India to compete in the Dressage event at the Olympic Games.

FILE PHOTO: Anush AGARWALLA of India riding SIR CARAMELLO OLD during the 2022 ECCO FEI World Equestrian Games.
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images

They had finished ninth in Group E in Paris, missing out on making the medal round. Agarwalla had won a gold medal in the team event and a bronze medal in the individual event in dressage at the 2022 Asian Games.

“Thank you, Sir Caramello, for being more than just a horse for me – my partner, my strength and most importantly, my friend,” Agarwalla wrote on social media in an emotional post.

– PTI