Odisha Masters: Tharun, Kiran advance after first-round byes
Cuttack, Dec 9: A host of Indian shuttlers, including top seed Tharun Mannepalli and second seed Kiran George, advanced to the men’s singles second round after receiving byes at the USD 110,000 Odisha Masters Super 100 here on Tuesday. Besides Tharun and Kiran, fourth seed Priyanshu Rajawat, sixth seed Manraj Singh, seventh seed S. Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian, Varun Kapur, eighth seed Rithvik Sanjeevi Satish Kumar, Siddharth Gupta and Ginpaul Sonna were also handed first-round byes. Among those who took the court, Kavin Thangam Kavin rallied past Aryamann Tandon 21-18, 19-21, 21-16, while Tushar Suveer got the better of Alap Mishra 21-19, 8-21, 21-14 at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium. Saneeth Dayanand registered a straight-game win over Dhruv Negi 21-11, 21-13, and Arya Bhivpathaki edged out Shashwat Dalal 21-9, 22-21 in a close contest. In another match, Darshan Pujari beat USA’s Kevin Arokia Walter 21-9, 21-12. The second-round match-ups will see fourth seed Rajawat take on Saneeth Dayanand, while Govind Krishna will face Kavin. Orijit Chaliha is slated to meet Suveer, and seventh seed Sankar Muthusamy will play Pujari. (PTI)
Kush Maini commits to fourth season of Formula 2
Abu Dhabi, Dec 9: Indian racer Kush Maini will drive for ART Grand Prix in 2026, marking his fourth season in the FIA Formula 2 Championship. Maini had an underwhelming third F2 season, a feeder series to Formula 1, finishing 16th in the drivers’ standings for the DAMS squad with the sprint race win in Monaco being the highlight. “I am very happy to be joining such an historic team like ART Grand Prix. My first contacts with the engineers and mechanics have been very positive,” said Maini, who took part in the Formula 1 Young Driver Test here on Tuesday as one of the Alpine reserves. Maini drove the latest Alpine car that took part in the season finale on Sunday. The next F2 season would be one last attempt for the Bengaluru-based driver to make a strong case for a F1 race seat in 2027. (PTI)
LA Olympics push British Open to latest start since 19th century
St. Andrews (Scotland), Dec 9: The British Open is moving back two weeks in 2028 to avoid a conflict with the Los Angeles Olympics, giving golf’s oldest championship its latest start since 1893. The British Open will be played August 3-6 in 2028 at a links course still to be announced. The Olympics, which return to Los Angeles for the third time, will be held July 14-30. That’s right in the typical time frame of The Open. The most recent Olympic competition in Paris in 2024 was from July 26 through August 11, allowing the Open to keep its traditional spot on the calendar. The Open has been in July every year it has been played since 1936. The last time it finished later than July was in 1893 at Prestwick, the year Harry Vardon made his debut in the British Open. The other three majors in men’s golf are not affected, though the PGA Tour likely will have to make adjustments for the end of its FedEx Cup season. The tour currently is looking at a new model for 2027 and beyond. (AP)
Double Olympic and triple world champ to highlight Kolkata 25K run
Kolkata, Dec 9: The 10th Tata Steel World 25K Kolkata will witness over 23,000 runners from across the world with double Olympic and triple world champion Joshua Cheptegei headlining the event. Uganda’s Cheptegei and women’s defending champion Sutume Asefa Kebede will race to better world standings in the World Athletics Gold Label Road Race here on December 21. Even promoter Procam International has this time announced a USD 25,000 bonus for any athlete who shatters the world record of 1:11:08. The race carries a total prize purse of USD 142,214 with equal offering for the men’s and women’s winners. The top three winners stand to win USD 15000, USD 10000, and USD 7000, respectively. The runners will be further incentivised by an event record bonus of USD 5,000. Cheptegei (29), won three consecutive world titles in 10,000m, had four world records to his credit, including the 5K and 10K on roads. The Ugandan whose 5000 and 10000 world records still stands, revealed his interest in making a debut at 25K in Kolkata. (PTI)
Hundreds join Army-sponsored marathon near LoC in J-K
Mendhar/Jammu, Dec 9: Hundreds of enthusiastic youth on Tuesday took part in an Army-sponsored marathon near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, officials said. Commander of Bhimber Gali Brigade, Brigadier Rahul Kumar, flagged off the marathon. An Army official said the marathon was part of the second edition of Mendhar festival, which commenced on November 23 and is scheduled to end on December 11. The event witnessed participation of more than 1,500 runners from across the region, the official said (PTI)
