Hong Kong, May 29 (IANS) India’s talented high jumper Pooja improved the national and meet record on the second day of the 22nd Asian U20 Athletics Championships being held in Hong Kong, on Friday.On her way to winning the gold medal with a jump of 1.93m, Pooja improved the decade-old national record of 1.92m set by Sahana Kumari in 2012. Pooja’s performance on Friday was also better than the previous Asian U20 meet record of 1.90m set by Svetlana Radzivil of Uzbekistan in 2006.Race walker N…

New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) It was double delight for India on competition day four of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Rifle/Pistol leg in Munich, as Suruchi Inder Singh struck gold and Esha Singh silver in the women’s 10m air pistol, helping them rise to the top of the medal tally.Suruchi shot 242.1 to defend the gold she won last year at the Olympic Shooting range, while her senior teammate shot 241.2 to settle for silver. Korean Choo Gaeun won bronze.India now has …

Kitzbühel (Austria), May 29 (IANS) Yuvraj Sandhu, the sole Indian player in the field this week, got off to a difficult start at the Austrian Alpine Open as he carded 1-over 71 to be placed T-100. The leader at the end of the day was Yanhan Zhou of China with a card of 8-under 62.Sandhu began the day on the front nine with three consecutive bogeys. A double bogey on the fifth hole saw him drop five shots in the first five holes of the round. A string of three straight birdies to close the front…

Colombo, May 29 (IANS) Sri Lanka has recalled Vishmi Gunarathne, Shashini Gimhani, and Kawya Kavindi to their squad for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, while experienced left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera has been left out in a notable change from the group that toured Bangladesh in April-May.Inoka, who has played 91 T20Is, did not get a game in the T20Is against Bangladesh, which Sri Lanka won 3-0. But she bowled tidy spells in the series against the West Indies in March. Apart from her, Rashmik…

New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) The 22 Grand Slams champion Rafael Nadal has detailed the immense physical sacrifice behind one of tennis’s most decorated careers, confessing that he constantly feared it would be his last season as he battled a chronic foot condition.The retired Spanish icon, who was part of the game’s legendary ‘Big Three’ along with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, discussed his difficult sacrifices in the quest to reach the very pinnacle of his sport following the release o…

New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) Indian gymnast Pranati Nayak’s preparation for the 2026 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games is being fuelled by the constant support of the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, the Sports Authority of India (SAI), and Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). International exposure, foreign training, national coaching camps and other sustained support to her and the gymnastics team are being forwarded by the government.Tokyo 2020 Olympian Pranati is currently part of the …

Oslo, May 29 (IANS) Round 4 of Norway Chess delivered another exciting day of world-class chess in Oslo, featuring a decisive result in the highly anticipated encounter between World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen and reigning World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju.Playing with the black pieces, Carlsen gradually outplayed Gukesh in a complex game. The position remained balanced for much of the struggle before the Norwegian star seized his opportunity in the middlegame. Under increasing pressure and time trouble…

New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur has revealed the blunt dressing-room message from head coach Amol Muzumdar after the team’s third consecutive defeat at the Women’s World Cup 2025, admitting that the reality check played a key role in India’s remarkable turnaround en route to lifting the title. Harmanpreet recalled how the atmosphere in the dressing room changed following India’s defeat to England, which came after successive losses and left the team staring at an…

New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) Ace shuttler PV Sindhu hailed pistol shooter Esha Singh as an “absolute killer” after the 21-year-old clinched the gold at the ISSF World Cup in Munich with a world record score.An Olympian, three-time world championship medallist and double Asian Games medallist, Esha bossed the women’s 25m pistol final with a world record (and junior world record) score of 43, en route to gold at the year’s second ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol leg at the hallowed Olympic Shooting Ran…

New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) India batter Jemimah Rodrigues has revealed the emotional turmoil she went through during the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, admitting that the pressure of performing at a home tournament and being dropped from the playing XI for a crucial match left her broken inside. Speaking on JioStar’s ‘Unstoppable’ ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, Jemimah reflected on the difficult phase she endured even before the tournament began, as expectations and pressure s…