Bengal rally hold UP, Mizoram beat TN 6-0 in hockey national c’ship
Panchkula, March 7: JTrailing by three goals at the start of last quarter, Bengal staged a remarkable comeback to hold Uttar Pradesh to a 3-3 draw, while Mizoram crushed Tamil Nadu 6-0 in the Senior Women’s National Hockey Championship here on Friday. In the day’s first match, Bengal and Uttar Pradesh shared the points after their stalemate in the Division ‘A’ game. Sakshi Shukla (24’) scored the opening goal for Uttar Pradesh before Hina Bano (32’) and Anjali Mahto (51’) joined her teammate and struck once each. On the other side, Rohita Minz (48’) opened the scoring for Bengal at the start of the fourth quarter, giving her side a chance to fight back into the match. Selestina Horo (52’) and Anisha Dungdung (56’) then struck twice in the final moments to ensure an entertaining draw. In the next match, Mizoram defeated Tamil Nadu 6-0 in their Division ‘A’ contest. Devika Sen (8’, 27’) scored a brace for Mizoram, while Dimple (1’), Lalthantluangi (2’), Deepika (26’) and Antim (45’) struck one each to help their team to a convincing win. (PTI)
PSPB’s Ishpreet scripts history in quarters of CCI Snooker Classic
Mumbai, March 7: PSPB’s Ishpreet Singh Chadha scripted history of sorts by making a maximum 147-break during his 5-0 victory over Railways’ Dilip Kumar in a best-of-nine-frame quarter-final match at the CCI Snooker Classic 2025 here on Friday. It was Mumbai-based Ishpreet’s maiden maximum in an open tournament and is the third Indian after the legendary Geet Sethi (Gujarat) and Aditya Mehta (Mumbai) to construct 147 breaks. On an adjacent table, current Asian and national champion in snooker Pankaj Advani also showed his class, defeating Malkeet Singh of Railways 5-1. (PTI)
Shetty enters semifinals of Orleans Masters badminton
Orleans (France), March 7: Unheralded Indian shuttler Ayush Shetty continued his dream run at the Orleans Masters as he advanced to the men’s singles semifinals of the BWF Super 300 tournament with a hard-fought win over higher ranked Rasmus Gemke of Denmark here on Friday. Shetty, who has a world ranking of 48, stunned Gemke 21-16, 21-23, 21-17 in the quarterfinals. Shetty had earlier shocked Hong Kong’s world number 38 Jason Gunawan 21-17, 21-17 victory in 50 minutes to secure his place in the quarterfinals. Shetty, the lone surviving Indian in the tournament, will next face the winner of the other quarterfinal between Chinese Taipei’s Chia Hao Lee and second seed Chun-Yi Lin. (PTI)
Praveen, Navdeep, Dharambir to lead Indian challenge at Para meet
New Delhi, March 7: India’s top para-athletes, including Praveen Kumar, Navdeep Singh and Dharambir will be at the forefront of the country’s campaign at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix scheduled here from March 11 to 13. The three-day event will feature over 90 competitions and witness participation from elite para-athletes representing 20 countries. Leading India’s charge will be Paris Paralympics gold medallists, Praveen (High Jump, T64), Navdeep (Javelin, F41), and Dharambir (Club Throw, F51). They will be joined by some of India’s finest para-athletes, including Ravi Rangoli, who clinched gold at the recently concluded National Para Athletics Championships and finished fifth at the Paris Paralympics. The World Para Athletics Grand Prix New Delhi 2025 will feature a total of 250 para-athletes, with approximately 145 Indian and 105 international competitors, making it one of the largest para-athletics events in the country. The upcoming Grand Prix in New Delhi will serve as a crucial platform for Indian athletes to continue their dominance on the global stage and prepare for future international championships. (PTI)