Asian Weightlifting C’ships in India postponed due to West Asia conflict
NEW DELHI, March 11: The Asian Weightlifting Championships, scheduled to be held in Ahmedabad in April, has been postponed to May due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia.The continental event, originally slated for April 1 to 10, has been pushed back by over a month and will now be held from May 12 to 17.The Asian Weightlifting Federation (AWF) said the rescheduling was done to ensure the “safe and smooth participation” of all delegations.“Due to the current situation affecting the Middle East and the Gulf region, the 2026 AWF Asian Senior Weightlifting Championships have been rescheduled,” the AWF said in a statement.“In order to ensure the safe and smooth participation of all delegations, the competition will now take place from 12 to 17 May 2026,” the statement added.The ongoing Middle East conflict that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran has led to the closure of airspace across parts of the Gulf region. (PTI)
Bhambri-Goransson pair reaches Indian Wells quarter-finals
INDIAN WELLS (USA), March 11: India’s top doubles player Yuki Bhambri and his partner Goran Goransson advanced to the quarterfinals of the men’s doubles event at the Indian Wells Masters after registering a straight-set win over the pair of Sander Arends and Jiri Lehecka.Bhambri and Goransson produced a solid performance to defeat Arends and Lehecka 6-4 6-4 in the pre-quarterfinal clash that lasted one hour and 14 minutes. They did not face any break point in the match and broke their rivals twice.The Indo-Swedish pair maintained control through most of the match, securing a crucial break in each set to seal the contest in straight sets.Bhambri and Goransson will take on Alexander Erler of Austria and Andrea Vavassori from Italy in the last-eight stage of the prestigious ATP Masters 1000 tournament.
Priyansh, Ambekar and Sahil advance in Boxing Futures Cup
BANGKOK, March 11: Priyansh Sehrawat, L Ambekar and Sahil Duhan registered convincing victories as the Indian youth boxing team continued their impressive run on the fourth day of the World Boxing Futures Cup here on Wednesday.In the morning session, Priyansh (70kg) began the day on a positive note for India, registering a dominant 5-0 unanimous decision victory over Latvia to advance in the tournament.The evening session saw two more convincing wins for the Indian team.Ambekar (50kg) secured a 5-0 unanimous decision victory over Tajikistan, while Sahil (60kg) also recorded a commanding 5-0 win against Tajikistan, continuing his strong run in the competition.Meanwhile, Aman Siwach (65kg) suffered a setback after going down to his opponent from Ukraine by Referee Stopped Contest (RSC) in the second round.The World Boxing Futures Cup, being held in Bangkok from March 8 to 15, features promising boxers from across the world competing in the Youth Olympic weight categories, offering valuable international exposure for the athletes. (PTI)
Ayush Shetty, Tanvi Sharma, Unnati Hooda lose in Swiss Open
BASEL, March 11: Indian shuttlers endured a disappointing day at the Swiss Open as several players, including Ayush Shetty and Tanvi Sharma, bowed out in the opening round of the Super 300 tournament here on Wednesday.In men’s singles, Ayush Shetty, the US Open champion, lost 18-21, 19-21 to Canada’s Brian Yang, while Chinese Taipei’s Chiu Pin-Chian outclassed Unnati Hooda 21-14, 21-14 in the women’s singles.Top seed Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia had earlier brushed aside India’s Tanvi Sharma 21-11, 21-10 in a one-sided contest that lasted just 30 minutes.India also suffered a setback after HS Prannoy, the 2023 World Championships bronze medallist, gave a walkover to Japan’s Koki Watanabe.Mixed Doubles pair of Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde also suffered a 19-21, 14-21 loss to fifth seeds Ruttanapak Oupthong and Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat of Thailand.Meanwhile late on Tuesday, world No. 4 men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the round of 16 with a 21-19, 21-19 win over Singapore’s Eng Keat Wesley Koh and Junsuke Kubo.H Amsakarunan and M R Arjun also progressed with a 21-16, 24-22 win over Chinese Taipei’s Chen Zhi Ray and Lin Yu Chieh. (PTI)
