Asian U-20 Athletics C’ships qualification event in Karnataka
New Delhi, April 19: Athletes aiming to earn a ticket to next month’s Asian U-20 Championships in Hong Kong will have to achieve the AFI qualification standards during the three-day age group competition in Tumkur, Karnataka, from April 24 to 26. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) announced the selection criteria for the upcoming Asian meet on Sunday. The country’s top athletes are expected to compete in the three-day 24th National Junior Athletics Federation Competition in Tumkur. The Asian U-20 Athletics Championships will be held in Hong Kong from May 28 to 31. (PTI)
Ben Shelton beats Flavio Cobolli to win clay-court Munich Open
Munich, April 19: Ben Shelton bounced back from disappointment last year by defeating Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 7-5 to win the Munich Open on Sunday. Shelton lost the final to Alexander Zverev in 2025 and was determined not to let it happen again at the ATP 500 event. The 23-year-old from Atlanta hit four aces and saved every break point he faced (six), while converting three of his own to beat the 16th-ranked Cobolli in 1½ hours. It’s the sixth-ranked American’s fifth career title and second on clay. (PTI)
Rybakina beats Muchova to win the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
Stuttgart (Germany), April 19: Elena Rybakina defeated Karolina Muchova 7-5, 6-1 on Sunday to win the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix for the second time. It’s the first time the 26-year-old 2024 champion won a repeat title after claiming 12 in different tournaments previously. The No. 2-ranked Rybakina converted four of her eight break-point opportunities to beat Muchova in 1 hour, 18 minutes. Muchova was playing in her second final of the year after winning in Qatar. She was going for her third career title. (AP)
Suraj Chand storms into final of HCL Squash PSA Challenger Tour
Chennai, April 19: India’s Suraj Kumar Chand outplayed Hong Kong’s Wailok To to enter the men’s final of the HCL Squash PSA Challenger Tour here on Sunday. Second seed Chand won 11-8, 11-7, 11-6 in the men’s semifinals played at the Indian Squash Academy here. Chand, ranked 134th in the world, will meet South Korean eighth seed Jeongmin Ryu in what will be the Indian’s fifth PSA Tour final. (PTI)
Geeta Phogat, Saweety Boora join Fit India Sundays on Cycle
New Delhi, April 19: Olympian Geeta Phogat joined 1000 women at Delhi’s Major Dhyanchand National Stadium as part of a special edition of the weekly Fit India Sundays on Cycle initiative that was started by Sports Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya. Held simultaneously across the country, the special edition saw participation at more than 2000 locations, making it one of the largest coordinated grassroots fitness movements under the Fit India campaign. From metropolitan cities to smaller towns, women came together in large numbers to take part in cycling rallies and fitness activities, reinforcing the importance of physical well-being and collective engagement. The flagship event, which was held in Delhi, saw the coming together of sporting powerhouses like wrestler Phogat, boxer Saweety Boora, judoka and MTV Roadies finalist Priya Sharma, Fit India Icon Milind Soman, Fit India Champion and actress Ragini Dwivedi, Fit India Champion Ankita Konwar as special guests. The Delhi event also witnessed enthusiastic participation from students of leading girls’ colleges of the city, My Bharat volunteers, representatives from the Cycle Federation of India, and Yogasana Bharat, Rope Skipping team, among others. The initiative, which is aimed to encourage women to adopt cycling as a simple, sustainable, and effective fitness activity, also promotes the larger message of an active and healthy lifestyle. After an hour of fun fitness activities, the women pedalled around the iconic India Gate. (PTI)
Humanoid robot in China breaks human WR for half-marathon
Beijing, April 19: A Humanoid robot made by a Chinese company on Sunday broke the human world record with a timing of 50 minutes 26 seconds in a race alongside amateur runners here on Sunday. ‘Flash,’ the Humanoid robot made by China’s Shenzhen Honor’ Smart Technology Development Co, Ltd, claimed victory at the 2026 Beijing E-Town half-marathon in autonomous navigation, beating the human world record of 57:20, official media here reported. The men’s half-marathon world record was created by Uganda’s star distance runner Jacob Kiplimo at the Lisbon Half Marathon in Portugal last month. Over 100 teams from China, Germany, France and Brazil took part in the race along with human runners. In terms of competition rules, robots and human runners followed the same route of 21-kms but separate lanes to ensure safety, and the robot’s cutoff time was set at three hours and 40 minutes, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The newly added format this year includes two ways of participation – remote control and autonomous navigation. For teams in remote control, their finishing times need to be multiplied by a coefficient of 1.2. About 40 per cent of the teams adopted autonomous navigation to achieve better results. (PTI)
Kadur, Ramaswamy win APRC Round 2 and INRC opener
Chennai, April 19: Karna Kadur of Bengaluru, along with co-driver Kumar Ramaswamy from Coimbatore of Arka Motorsports, overcame a turbo failure to win the 49th South India Rally at the Madras International Circuit on Sunday. The event was organized by the Madras Motor Sports Club. His main competitor, Gaurav Gill, retired due to a mechanical issue. Kadur, 37, dominated the weekend with blistering speed, matching the intense heat as he surged through the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship powered by Vamcy Merla and the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship. His performance once again highlighted his undeniable talent. Hyderabad’s Jeet Jhabkah and co-driver Musa Sherif from Kasargod finished second in the APRC, while the Spanish team of Edgar Vigo Lopez and Fatima Ameneiro Teijeiro rounded out the top three. (IANS)
