Radhamani, Sahil register wins for India in World Boxing Futures Cup
Bangkok, March 9: The Indian Youth boxing team endured a mixed day at the World Boxing Futures Cup as Radhamani Longjam and Sahil Duhan securing victories while Udham Singh bowed out of the tournament In the women’s 57kg category, Radhamani delivered a commanding performance to defeat her opponent from Uzbekistan, sealing the bout with a Referee Stopped Contest (RSC) in the third round. In the men’s division, Sahil (60kg) continued his impressive run in the tournament with a dominant 5-0 unanimous decision victory over Turkmenistan. Meanwhile, Udham (55kg) put up a close fight but went down 2-3 against Japan in a tightly contested bout. (PTI)
Bhambri and Goransson move to pre-quarters at Indian Wells
Indian Wells (USA), March 9: India’s top doubles player Yuki Bhambri and his Swedish partner Andre Goransson had an easy day in the office, winning in straight sets against David Pel and Fabrice Martin at the Indian Wells Masters here. The unseeded Indo-Swedish pair won 6-1, 6-3 as they broke the French-Dutch combo five times in the opening round of the the ATP 1000 event. Bhambri and Goransson served five aces to three of their opponents. Pel and Martin served six double faults in the 66-minute contest. They will next face giant-killing team of Sander Arends and Jiri Lehecka, who knocked out second seed British pair of Julian Cash and Llyod Glasspool. Ranked 23 in the world, Bhambri is the only Indian featuring in the first Master series event of the 2026 season. (PTI)
Verstappen takes on 24-hr ‘bucket list’ race at Nurburgring track
Nurburg (Germany), March 9: Arshdeep Kaur secured the top spot in the finals of 25m pistoFour-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen is taking on a “bucket list” challenge as he prepares to tackle his first 24-hour sportscar race at the historic Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit. Verstappen and his sportscar racing team said Monday that he plans to take on the storied endurance race in May, sharing a Red Bull -liveried Mercedes-AMG GT3 car with teammates Daniel Juncadella, Jules Gounon and Lucas Auer. “The Nurburgring Nordschleife is a special place. There’s no other track like it,” Verstappen said. “The 24h Nurburgring is a race that’s been on my bucket list for a long time, so I’m really thrilled we can make it happen now.” Running nearly 20.8 kilometres through wooded German hills, with more than 150 corners and barriers often close to the track, the Nordschleife layout at the Nurburgring is known for high-risk thrills. F1 hasn’t used it since 1976, when then-reigning champion Niki Lauda suffered severe burns in a crash. (AP)
India, New Zealand discuss expanding sports cooperation
Nurburg (Germany), March 9: Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday held discussions with a delegation from New Zealand, focussing on strengthening collaboration in high-performance sports through joint training camps, coaching exchanges and knowledge sharing in sports science, analytics and athlete performance systems. Mandaviya chaired the high level ministerial meeting with the sports delegation from New Zealand, and discussions between the two parties and also explored integrating New Zealand’s coach development framework into the curriculum of the National Institute of Sports (NIS), Patiala. 2026 marks 100 years of sporting ties between India and New Zealand, tracing back to the historic 1926 Indian Army hockey tour to the Trans-Tasman country, one of the earliest major sporting engagements between the two nations. The discussions focused on the India-New Zealand Centenary Sports Cooperation Programme 2026, a year-long initiative designed to commemorate the 100 years of sporting ties and expand collaboration in sports development, high-performance training, innovation and people-to-people engagement. (PTI)
