14 Indian boxers in final of Belt and Road Youth Boxing GalaFourteen Indian boxers qualified for the finals of their respective weight categories in the third Belt and Road International Youth Boxing Gala being held at Xinjiang, China.The event is an Under-17, Under-19, and Under-23 international competition.India has sent a 58-member contingent comprising 20 boys and as many girls in only the U17 category, accompanied by 12 coaches, five support staff and one referee and judge.Of these, 10 girls and four boys produced strong performances against their opponents from Kazakhstan, Iran, Korea, Uzbekistan, the Philippines, and China to assure India of multiple silver medals and a shot at the gold.Dhruv Kharb (46kg), Falak (48kg), Piyush (50kg), and Udham Singh Raghav (54kg) overcame tough opponents from China, Korea, and Iran to reach the finals.Aditya (52kg) and Ashish (54kg) fought hard against their opponents from Kazakhstan but bowed out after narrow decisions.Uday Singh, Devendra Chaudhary, Jaideep Singh Hanjra, and Loven Gulia suffered a similar fate.Among girls, Laxmi (46kg), Khushi (46kg), Radhamani (60kg), Chandrika (54kg), Jyoti (75kg), and Anushka (+80kg) secured wins against boxers from China and the Philippines, while Chahat (60kg), Himanshi (66kg), Harnoor (66kg), and Anshika (+80kg) triumphed in all-India clashes.Bhakti (50kg) and Shivani (75kg) lost to their opponents from China.-PTIFISU World University Squash to be held in Mumbai next yearPlayers from more than 20 countries will participate in the FISU World University Championship Squash scheduled in Mumbai next year from August 3-9.The tournament, to be held at the Somaiya Vidyavihar University, will be organised in collaboration with the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) and held under the aegis of the International University Sports Federation (FISU). FISU is the international governing body responsible for events such as the World University Games and the World University Championships.“Somaiya Vidyavihar University (svu) has actively contributed to India’s presence at FISU tournaments by sponsoring athletes and delegations through AIU-led initiatives,” SVU, which has organised the All India Inter-University Squash Championship for the last three years, said in a statement.“In 2024, four out of six players who represented India were SVU students at the FISU World University Championship Squash in Johannesburg, securing bronze medals in both individual and team categories,” it added.Samir Somaiya, SVU chancellor said, “It will give our students the opportunity to witness world-class competition, volunteer at a global event, and be inspired to push their own limits.”-PTIExperienced Amandeep edges out Ananya to win 12th leg of WPGTAmandeep Drall pipped young Ananya Garg for her second victory of the 2025 season, claiming the 12th leg of the Women’s Indian Open after carding one-under 71 on the final day.Amandeep, who played at the Hills Open in Sweden and then rushed to India in time for the event in Hosur, held her nerves in the tense closing stages for an aggregate of two-under 214 for three days.Ananya, who was the Rookie of the Year on the Hero WPG Tour in 2024, played superbly and even held a one-shot lead with two holes to go.However, Ananya bogeyed the 17th and then dropped a double bogey on the tricky Par-3 closing 18th. In contrast Amandeep bogeyed the 17th and stayed calm.When Amandeep and Ananya walked to the 18th tee, they were tied at 2-under. Ananya double bogeyed and Amandeep, using all her experience, ensured a safe par.It was Amandeep’s second title of the season, and she became the third player to win more than once this year. Vani Kapoor (four times) and Sneha Singh (twice) have been the other multiple winners.- PTIAhlawat recovers to 1-under after fog delay at Crans MontanaVeer Ahlawat made good use of the fog-enforced suspension of play to improve his position from 2-over to 1-under in the opening round of the Omega European Masters at Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Course in Crans Montana on the DP World Tour. The Indian was lying tied 51st.Shubhankar Sharma, who could not start on the opening day, began his campaign and was 1-over through 15 and will need a strong second round to end his streak of missed cuts.- PTIYoung rider Vaasvi Khaitan drags EFI to court over selection criteria for Youth Asian GamesA fresh dispute has erupted in the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) with rival factions submitting separate long lists to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for the upcoming Youth Asian Games, and rider Vaasvi Khaitan approaching the Delhi High Court seeking directions for fair selection.Fearing that she may miss out on making the Indian squad for the Youth Asian Games in the “absence of a clear selection criteria”, Vaasvi approached the court on Thursday. The court heard the matter on Friday and set September 1 (Monday) as the next hearing date.However, the last date for submitting the final list to IOA is August 31. The third edition of the Youth Asian Games is set to be held in Bahrain from October 22-31.The faction led by Acting EFI President Colonel Jagat Singh sent the long list of eight riders to the IOA and it does not have Vaasvi’s name. The selected riders are: Avik Bhatia, Jaiveer Verma, M Krishna Sahiti, A Harshiyt, Bhuwan, Jaiveer Nagra, Shub Choudhary and Ranbir Dhillon.Interestingly, Secretary General Colonel Jaiveer Singh also sent a long list of 19 athletes, including Vaasvi, to the IOA on July 29.- PTI12 overseas stars including Brady Ellison, Mike Schloesser to compete in Archery Premier LeagueOlympics medal winning recurve archers Brady Ellison, Mete Gazoz and Alejandra Valencia and world’s top ranked compound archers Mike Schloesser, Mathias Fullerton, Andrea Becerra and Ella Gibson will be part of a star-studded international lineup for the inaugural Archery Premier League (APL) to be held at the Yamuna Sports Complex in Delhi from October 2 to 12.Altogether 12 foreigners will be seen in action in the opening edition.“The line-up of athletes for the first season of the APL will provide a competitive product and help in the growth of the sport,” said Archery Association of India (AAI) president Arjun Munda.- Y.B. SarangiMen’s ITF tournament: Mukund beats Thailand’s Pawit in quarterfinalsDavis Cupper S Mukund beat Pawit Somlaksup of Thailand 6-3, 6-0 in the quarterfinals of the $15,000 ITF men’s tennis tournament in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, on Friday.-Kamesh SrinivasanDiksha enters semifinal of India Junior International Grand Prix BadmintonUnseeded Diksha Sudhakar upset ninth seed Pimchanok Sutthiviriyakul of Thailand 21-11, 19-21, 21-08 to enter the girls’ semifinals at the Late Sushant Chipalkatti India Junior International Grand Prix badminton tournament on Friday.In the other upset of the day, Japan’s Yurika Nagafuchi defeated higher-ranked Vennala Kalagotla 21-15, 22-20 to make the last four. Japanese Yuzonon Watanabe and Indian Dianka Waldia were the other players to enter the semifinal.In the boys’ section, Suryaksh Rawat was the lone Indian to make the last four stage. He was joined by Japanese Kazuma Kawano and Hyuga Takano and Chinese Taipei’s Chung Hsian Yih.- PTI
