Anjali Semwal, Suraj Chand reach semis of JSW squash tournament
Thane, Nov 28: Top seed Anjali Semwal will meet Sanya Vats while second seed Shameena Riaz will take on Nirupama Dubey in the women’s semifinals of the 11th Sunil Verma Memorial squash tournament here on Saturday. The men’s last-four stage of the PSA Challenger event will pit sixth seed Suraj Kumar Chand against French second seed Maceo Levy, while Egyptian top seed Yassin Elshafei will lock horns with Malaysian third seed Addeen Idrakie. In the quarterfinals on Friday, Anjali Semwal beat Aahana Singh 3-0, while Suraj Chand was the lone Indian in the men’s field to make it to the last-four. (PTI)
Former HPD Nieva appointed Indian women’s boxing team coach
New Delhi, Nov 28: Former high-performance director of Indian boxing Santiago Nieva has returned to the national setup as the head coach of the women’s team. The Argentine-born Swede, who worked extensively with India’s men’s squad from 2017 to 2022, oversaw several landmark achievements during his previous tenure, including India’s highest-ever participation at the Tokyo Olympics and two historic medals at the 2019 Men’s World Championships. “Super excited to come back to India. I had five wonderful years here in my previous stint. I am very much looking forward to this next chapter, and hopefully, we can create something big together,” Nieva said. Nieva brings over two decades of elite international coaching experience, having held some of the most influential high-performance roles in world boxing. Following his earlier stint with India, he most recently served as National Head Coach and Technical Lead of Boxing Australia’s High Performance Unit. (PTI)
Cycling: Pune Grand Tour from Jan 19-23, hosts India to field 2 teams
New Delhi, Nov 28: The inaugural edition of the Pune Grand Tour, the country’s first-ever Union Cycliste Internationale 2.2 category Road Race, will be held from January 19 to 23. Hosts India will field two teams for which the Cycling Federation of India (CFI) will hold the National Championship cum selection trials from December 2 to 6 at Sambalpur, Odisha. The shortlisted athletes will further be evaluated through a National Road Race in Pune on December 28. The presence of two Indian teams – ‘India A’ and ‘India B’, will provide a broader platform for emerging and seasoned cyclists alike to demonstrate their prowess on a national and international stage. The Bajaj Pune Grand Tour is India’s flagship event aimed to earn Pune and India’s permanent window in Union Cycliste Internationale’s (UCI) global calendar. The inaugural edition will attract elite international cyclists, promising fierce competition and world-class sporting action. The Tour will feature four-stages 437-km challenging routes that will wind through the scenic landscapes of Pune district, making it one of the most awaited cycling competitions in the country. (PTI)
Delhi Half Marathon raises Rs 4.12 crore for charity
New Delhi, Nov 28: Delhi Half Marathon (DHM) organisers have managed to raise Rs 4.12 crore for 16 social causes following the event’s 20th edition last month. “With the support of Philanthropy Partner Lakshyaa, over Rs 4.12 crore was raised for various social causes by NGOs, fundraisers, corporates and runners,” said the DHM organisers in a statement. Over two decades, DHM has raised more than Rs 88 crore for charity, the statement claimed. Kenyan long-distance runners Alex Matata and Lilian Kasait Rengeruk stamped their authority on the streets of India’s capital, storming to victory in the men’s and women’s elite races held on October 12. (PTI)
KIUG: World champion archer Aditi bags gold; Nataraj rules pool
New Delhi, Nov 28: World champion archer Aditi Gopichand Swami, representing Shivaji University, continued her unbeaten run to claim gold in compound women’s individual event on day five of the Khelo India University Games here on Friday. In the pool, Olympian Srihari Nataraj and Bhavya Sachdeva helped Jain University of Bengaluru stamp their authority, ending the swimming campaign with 27 gold medals, after bagging seven gold medals out of nine events on the final day of swimming action. Jain University sits atop the medal standings with 45 medals (27 gold, 9 silver and 9 bronze). Lovely Professional University is second with 22 gold and Guru Nanak Dev University third with 21 gold medals. The 19-year-old Aditi, who had won gold in all the Khelo India Youth Games she had entered, made an impressive KIUG debut by securing gold in the women’s compound individual event. In the individual final, Aditi defeated Taniparthi Chikitha of Lovely Professional University 147-143 to top the podium. Nataraj was the star of the final day at the SMS Swimming pool, winning the 100m freestyle gold with a time of 52.30s and 50m backstroke (26.53s), before joining his teammates in the 400m medley mixed relay to finish the Games with nine gold and two silver medals. The fifth edition of KIUG 2025 is being held across seven cities in Rajasthan. A whopping 4448 athletes from 222 universities are competing in 23 medal disciplines. (PTI)
Atiqa seals highest qualifying spot by female racer in COTFA series
Al Ain (UAE), Nov 28: Indian racing sensation Atiqa Mir outpaced a battery of world class male drivers to qualify fourth in the COTFA international karting series, the highest finish for a female in the championship’s history. With the series supported by Formula 1 Academy, it was the perfect stage for Atiqa to showcase her rare talent and the 11-year-old did that with an unprecedented fourth place in qualifying of the mini category before finishing in the same position in the final on Day 1. The Formula 1 Academy and Akcel GP backed driver missed the podium spot by just 0.07 seconds, a testament to the highly competitive nature of the grid. In the final on Day 2, Atiqa came up with another impressive effort in qualifying, setting the fifth fastest time. She was in podium contention for majority of the race. A daring overtake on the last lap put her in fourth place and with a podium at stake, Atiqa understandably pushed herself to the limit, leading to a loss of three places. She still managed to finish a creditable seventh out of 28 drivers. The season finale of the Champions of the Future Academy (COTFA) series will take place in Al Forsan next week. (PTI)
