WEIGHTLIFTING

2024 Asian Youth Weightlifting Championships: India finishes with 33 medals

The Indian team finished the 2024 Asian Youth (Boys & Girls) Weightlifting Championships at Doha on a high by winning a silver medal in the +87 kg weight category.

Maibam Martina Devi bagged one bronze and two silver medals on the concluding day in the +87 kg weight category.

Jyoshna Sabar, who created a new Asian Youth record with a lift of 135 kg in the 40 kg weight category, was adjudicated the Best Lifter in the Youth Girls section with 1000 robi points.

 The Junior Women and Youth Girls Indian team bagged the third-place team trophy during this event.

 Overall, 33 valuable medals were won by the Indian Youth and Junior team during the event, with seven gold, 17 silver and nine bronze medals.

-Team Sportstar

TENNIS

Vaishnavi sets up semifinal clash against Zeel Desai

Vaishnavi Adkar handled the challenge with competence in the climax to beat Maaya Rajeshwaran 6-1, 7-6(5) in the quarterfinals of the USD 15,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament at the Ace Academy courts in Palodiya on Thursday.

Vaishnavi recovered from being down 2-4 in the second set to 5-4, after having raced away with the first. She did miss two match points on her serve. Eventually, Vaishnavi led 5-2 in the tie-break only to find Maaya square it.

Vaishnavi closed out the match without any further drama, to set up a semifinal against second seed Zeel Desai. Zeel endured a long battle to oust Jizel Fernandes of Britain in three sets.

The other semifinal will be between Ekaterina Yashina and Elena Jamshidi.

-Kamesh Srinivasan

AITA National series junior tennis tournament: Prachi beats third seed Pal Upadhyay

Prachi Malik beat third seed Pal Upadhyay 7-5, 6-0 in the under-18 girls quarterfinals of the AITA National series junior tennis tournament at the CLTA Complex on Thursday.

The results (quarterfinals):

Under-18 boys: Neev Kothari bt Sreenivas Kurapati 6-3 (retired); TAvish Pahwa bt Swaraj Dhamdhere 7-6(1), 6-1; Akshat Dhull bt Omkar Shinde 3-6, 6-4, 6-3; Armaan Walia bt Parth Deonrukhakar 6-1, 6-0.

Under-18 girls: Devanshee Prabhudesai bt KA Aadirai 6-4, 6-1; Shatakshika Sahayak bt Reet Arora 3-6, 6-0, 6-0; Prachi Malik bt Pal Upadhyay 7-5, 6-0; Jaya Kapoor bt Anandita Upadhyay 6-4, 6-3.

-Kamesh Srinivasan

BASKETBALL

Harish Sharma Memorial Basketball Championship to be played on December 28, 29

The Harish Sharma Memorial Basketball Championship, celebrating the contribution of the late general secretary of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), will be hosted in a 3×3 format, featuring dozens of men and women teams, will be staged at the KD Jadhav Hall of the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here on December 28 and 29.

The two-day event will also have 3-point shooting, free throw and dunk competitions to make it a lively affair for everyone.

The basketball festival would be telecast ‘live’ by Doordarshan and streamed on the social media. The world body FIBA will also telecast the event in collaboration with the organisers.

CRICKET

India to participate in Physical Disabled Champions Trophy cricket

India will participate in the Physical Disabled Champions Trophy cricket tournament to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from January 12 to 21 next year, the DCCI said on Thursday.

Besides India, the other participating teams in the tournament are England, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

“India’s participation in the Champions Trophy 2025 is a proud moment for the entire nation,” Disabled Cricket Council of India (DCCI) general secretary Ravi Chauhan said in a statement.

“This prestigious tournament in Colombo not only offers a platform for our players to showcase their talent but also highlights the importance of inclusivity in sports,” he added.

– PTI

EQUESTRIAN

ARC riders shine in team events at the National Equestrian Championship

Inaara Mehta Luthria, Freya Thakkar and Hayden Hussain from ARC clinched the gold at the National Equestrian Championships (NEC), in various team event categories held in Delhi.

Competing in the Dressage Team, Sub Junior category, Inaara delivered an outstanding performance, scoring an impressive 78.63%, while riding on Secks Richtige, followed by her team mates Ananya on Knock Out scoring 73.35%, Subh on Furstentanz scoring 74.20% and Pranav on Fame of Viberty KG scoring 68.78%, making an average score of the team 226.18% and winning the gold. The average score of the team who finished 2nd was 210.24% and the 3rd was 206.26%. 

In Show Jumping Team (1m), while riding on Cuba, Hayden got four penalties in 1st round, and managed to clear the 2nd round and won the gold. Freya got eliminated in the 1st round, but managed to clear the 2nd round with no penalties,making a perfect spot in the table top. 

After the win Inaara (13) said, “I’m proud of how far I’ve come in my riding career. This win is a reward to my hard work and year-long preparation. I hope to keep ascending from here. ARC provides a great place for my practice and preparation without which I would simply not be able to reach where I did as it is my base and home to my horses. It has world class facilities which have thoroughly aided me through my journey.” 

In Show Jumping Team (1m), while riding on Cuba, Hayden got four penalties in 1st round, and managed to clear the 2nd round and won the gold.
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Adding to it she said, “I would like to thank my supportive parents who travelled with me and have been there through every step of my journey and my coaches, Hriday Cheddha and Bobin Tschering.”

Hayden (14) said, “Winning the team gold at NEC was an incredible and exhilarating experience, and I couldn’t have achieved it without the unwavering support of so many people. The Amateur Riders’ Club has played a pivotal role in my journey, and I am proud to continue training with them. A special thanks to Bob Sir for his constant guidance and dedication to my growth as a rider.”

Continuing to it, she said “I am also deeply grateful to Imtiaz Sir. His expertise and encouragement, along with the support of his team, made all the difference. When my original horse, Winston, was declared unable to compete, Imtiaz Sir helped me find Cuba, and together we overcame the challenge. I extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to my success, especially my amazing team.”

– Team Sportstar