Nikhil, Ashwini shine at Ahmedabad Marathon
Ahmedabad, Dec 1: Nikhil Singh and Ashvini Jadhav won the men and women open events at 9th Adani Ahmedabad Marathon that witnessed participation of 24,000 runners across categories. The half marathon (21 km) event was won by Dharmender and Farheen Firdouse respectively. The winners of the 10km open event were Rajan Yadav and Neeta Rani. The event had a prize pool of over ?40 lakh. The event is recognised by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and listed on the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) Global Marathon Event List. (PTI)
Chinappa makes strong start in Indian Tour 4 event in Chennai
Chennai, Dec 1: Experienced Joshna Chinappa began her campaign in the HCL Squash Indian Tour 4 event with a commanding 11-3, 11-7, 11-6 victory over compatriot Anika Dubey at the Indian Squash Academy in Chennai on Monday. The 39-year-old former world No. 10, who is part of the four-member Indian team for the upcoming SDAT World Cup in the southern metropolis, will meet the seventh-seeded Kiwi, Ella Jane Lash, next. Velavan Senthilkumar and Anahat Singh, the reigning men’s and women’s National champions respectively, and top seeds, start on Tuesday after receiving first-round byes. (IANS)
Indian Pickleball League: Lucknow, Hyderabad, Chennai win on day 1
New Delhi, Dec 1: Lucknow Leopards, Hyderabad Royals, and Chennai Super Warriors delivered statement victories on the opening day of the inaugural Indian Pickleball League here on Monday. India’s top-ranked star Aditya Ruhela defeated Vietnamese international Phuc Huynh 15-10 in a commanding season starter as Lucknow handed Bengaluru Blasters a 4-1 loss. The momentum carried into the second tie, where Hyderabad Royals secured a composed 4-2 win over Capital Warriors Gurgaon, taking all four early matches before Warriors clawed back with a spirited Grand Rally finish. Chennai Super Warriors then bounced back from a match down to sweep their tie against Mumbai Smashers 5-1 in the league, launched by The Times Group and sanctioned by the Indian Pickleball Association (IPA) under the Sports Ministry. (PTI)
Pietrangeli, one of Italy’s most accomplished tennis star, dies at 92
Rome, Dec 1: Nicola Pietrangeli, the Italian tennis champion of the 1950s and 1960s whose records were only recently broken by Jannik Sinner – but remains the winningest Davis Cup player of all time – has died. He was 92. The Italian Tennis and Padel Federation announced Pietrangeli’s passing on Monday, without providing a cause of death. The federation noted that Pietrangeli is the only Italian player who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Pietrangeli was the first Italian player to win a Grand Slam trophy, triumphing at the French Open in 1959. He defended that title a year later and his record of two Grand Slam singles titles among Italian players wasn’t broken until Sinner won his second straight Australian Open title in 2025 to increase his total to three. Sinner has now won four majors. (AP)
