Historic performance by India at 10th World Junior Wushu C’ship
Tianjin City (China), March 30: The Indian Wushu team delivered a historic performance at the 10th World Junior Wushu Championship, bagging a haul of nine medals, including three gold. Apart from the three gold, Indian players clinched two silvers and four bronze medals. Indian athletes displayed high-level technique, confidence, and exceptional sportsmanship in their finals bouts. India particularly dominated in the Sanda (fighting) events with Thongam Upendro (Boys 45 kg), Nongmaithem Pamheiba (Junior Boys 52kg), and Loitongbam Victor (Youth Boys 52kg) winning the gold. Yuvraj clinched the 48 kg Youth silver, while Gautam Mankas (48 kg Junior) and Anu (48 kg Youth) bagged bronze medals. In the Taolu (artistic) events, Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu (Changquan Girls) won the bronze while Konthoujam Devikarani Devi fetched herself a silver and a bronze. (PTI)
Indian trap shooters aim to bounce back at Shotgun World Cup
Tangier (Morocco), March 30: Indian trap shooters will look to deliver a significantly improved performance compared to their skeet counterparts when the ISSF Shotgun World Cup resumes here on Tuesday, following a two-day pre-event training session. It was a subdued performance from the men’s and women’s skeet contingents at the inaugural Shotgun World Cup of the season, with none of the Indian shooters able to qualify for the finals despite the conditions being ideal for competition. However, the likes of Bhowneesh Mendiratta – who secured a Paris Olympic quota place but missed out on the quadrennial showpiece in the national trials – will be looking to begin the season on a high, with the Asian Games in Japan and the World Championships lined up later this year. In addition, Olympians Prithviraj Tondaiman and Kynan Chenai will aim to start the year strongly, while the women’s contingent, led by Rajeshwari Kumari, will also look to open the season on a high note. (PTI)
Sheetal Devi named ‘Para Archer of the Year’ by World Archery
Lausanne, March 30: India’s Sheetal Devi has been named ‘Para Archer of the Year 2025’ by World Archery, adding to her extraordinary achievements, which also include a historic world championship crown. The 19-year-old from Jammu & Kashmir became the first and only female armless archer to win gold at the World Para Archery Championships by claiming the top honours in the women’s compound individual event in Gwangju, South Korea last year. Born without arms, Sheetal skilfully uses her feet, legs, and shoulder to draw the bow and shoot. She also secured a complete set of medals at the World Championships, winning the women’s team silver and mixed team bronze. “India’s Sheetal Devi took the honour in the para archer of the year category after another breakthrough season that included a world title in Gwangju,” said World Archery. Beyond her World Championship gold, Sheetal also boasts of a Paris Paralympics bronze in the mixed team event, along with individual silvers from the 2022 Asian Para Games and the 2023 Asian Championships in Bangkok (PTI)
Mihika, Arjun in Indian pickleball squad for US Open
Mumbai, March 30: Mihika Yadav and Arjun Singh are among those selected to represent India in the US Open pickleball tournament to be held in Naples, Florida, from April 9-18. The other members of the squad include Purvansh Patel (open), Aditya Singh (open), Naga Moksha (girls U-18), Jeet Sood (U-16) and Yuvraj Singh (U-16). It also features Panth Thakkar and Atharva Sheth in the sub-junior category, and Suryaveer Singh Bhullar (men’s 50-plus doubles and mixed doubles). (PTI)
Advani sails into title round
Ludhiana, March 30: Celebrated cueist Pankaj Advani continued his dream run in his maiden pool national championships, powering into the men’s 9-ball pool title clash with an authoritative win in the semifinals, here on Monday. The PSPB pro hardly put a foot wrong in his 11-5 demolition of Karnataka’s Kushal Chandrashekar, who finished fifth in the previous edition three years ago. In the final on Tuesday, the 40-year-old Advani will take on Chandigarh’s Nitin Sharma, who edged out S Shrikrishna 11-10 in the other semifinal. (PTI)
