History made as 10-year-old Indian Atiqa wins UAE race from pole
Dubai, Sep 14: Indian racing’s 10-year-old prodigy Atiqa Mir on Sunday created history by becoming the first woman in UAE karting to win a race in the Minimax category. In a competitive field of 14 drivers including seasoned European race winners, Atiqa was the lone female but that was hardly a factor as she completed a commanding victory from pole position in the prestigious DAMC Championship opener at the Dubai Kartdrome. In the finals, Atiqa kept it clean and within track limits to cross the chequered flag before anyone else. The win makes her the first ever female to take a pole and a final win in the MiniMax category, marking a perfect start to her Middle Eastern Karting leg. Recognising her rare talent, Formula 1 had signed her for its F1 Academy DYD program earlier this year, another first for an Indian driver. (PTI)
Abhay Singh loses to World No. 9 Youssef Ibrahim in Egyptian Open
New Delhi, Sep 14: Multiple-time national champion Abhay Singh went down fighting against world No. 9 Youssef Ibrahim in the round of 32 at the Egyptian Open, a USD 366,000 PSA World Tour Diamond event in Giza. World No. 38 Abhay, who had stunned French world No. 17 Gregoire Marche in the opening round, lost a hard-fought contest 4-11, 10-12, 11-5, 7-11 to the Egyptian in 40 minutes on Saturday night. (PTI)
Siddhanth, Divija crowned as U-13 winners in National Ranking TT
New Delhi, Sep 14: Karnataka’s M Siddhanth defeated West Bengal’s Gem Mahalanabish 3-1, while Bengal’s Divija Paul blanked statemate Debanshi Chakraborty 3-0 to clinch the gold medals in the Under-13 boys and girls sections on the final day of the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships here on Sunday. Siddhanth’s game awareness held him in good stead, while Divija’s winning form continued as she wrapped up the final without any fuss. In the Under-11 boys’ final, Bengal’s Rajdeep Biswas dropped a game before overcoming Punjab’s Satvik Sharma 3-1, while Karnataka’s Sakshya Santosh was in complete control, easing past Bengal’s Dayita Roy 3-0 to lift the girls’ title, to wrap up the second gold for her state. (PTI)
Verstappen makes Nürburgring debut in endurance racing
Nürburg (Germany), Sep 14: Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen made his debut at the Nürburgring Endurance Series by finishing seventh in a field of 19 starters. Verstappen used a gap in the F1 calendar after winning the Italian Grand Prix last weekend to dabble in endurance sportscar racing by completing the four-hour race in a Porsche Cayman GT4. Verstappen said the Nürburgring Nordschleife topped the list of tracks he wanted to race on because of its length, layout and history. The 27-year-old Dutch driver’s presence stoked excitement in the race with fans surrounding his paddock and security ensuring there were no unauthorized visitors. Privacy screens also shielded the view from neighboring pit stops. The next F1 race is in Azerbaijan next weekend. (PTI)
FIDE Grand Swiss: Indian GM Vaishali back in joint lead
Samarkand (Uzbekistan), Sep 14: Indian Grandmaster R Vaishali beat former world champion Mariya Muzychuk of Ukraine and jumped into joint lead after the end of the 10th and penultimate round in the women’s section of FIDE Grand Swiss here on Sunday. In the open section, the Indian challenge for a berth in the Candidates almost evaporated as Arjun Erigaisi played out a draw with Yu Yangyi of China and Nihal Sarin also could only hold Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan. (PTI)