Nikhat, Lovlina win titles at Boxing Nationals; Hussamuddin caps comeback with gold
For women's hockey goalkeeping stalwart Savita Punia, the Padma Shri is more than a national honour -- it is a quiet acknowledgement of years marked by sacrifice, resilience, and unwavering belief, both her own and that of a family that stood by her when the odds were firmly stacked against her.
The last year proved to be a period of reflection for Nikhat Zareen, one that taught her to temper expectations while also strengthening her resolve to fulfil her dream of becoming an Olympic champion.
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The country also mounted bids on some high-profile continental and global events, including the 2031 World Athletics Championships with Ahmedabad as the proposed venue.
Besides Toor, who is also two-time Asian Championships gold medallist, the team also has promising shot-putter Samardeep Singh Gill.
Indian weightlifting once again revolved around the enduring brilliance of Mirabai Chanu, whose World Championships silver was the single biggest achievement for the sport in a year marked by doping concerns and senior-level stagnation.
The change at the helm comes in the wake of an underwhelming couple of years for Indian men's boxing.
Former Youth World Championships gold medallist Poonam Poonia produced a fearless display to hand defending 54kg champion Sakshi Chaudhary a shock defeat, causing the first major upset of the National Boxing Championships in Greater Noida on Thursday.
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With 48kg not part of the Olympic programme, the choices were limited.
'I'm still here, still able to play against somebody who is 14 years younger to me and give tough competition, I should be able to find happiness in it.'
Ethiopians' domination in the Mumbai Marathon continued as Tadu Abate Deme and Yeshi Kalayu Chekole won the men's and women's elite race titles respectively.
'My aim is to stay on the World Tour year by year. I am not thinking about the 2028 Olympics'
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India's top men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, seeded third, also progressed without taking the court after receiving a walkover from USA's Chen Zhi Yi and Presley Smith.
Sen, who had broken the three-year jinx of first-round exits in the tournament when he defeated Singapore's Jia Heng Jason Teh on Wednesday, succumbed in the pre-quarterfinals against Hong Kong-China's Lee Cheuk Yiu 22-22, 15-21 in 53 minutes.
'There are a lot of questions in your mind where you are answerable to it, like you yourself are answerable to it. It helped me to get back much more stronger and better.'
Country's top sports administrators on Tuesday expressed deep sorrow at the death of former IOA president Suresh Kalmadi, calling it a huge loss to the Olympic movement in India.
P V Sindhu, returning from a long injury lay-off, defeated Chinese-Taipei's Sung Shuo Yun in the opening round at the Malaysia Open.
Indian veteran squash player Joshna Chinappa heaped praises on teen sensation Anahat Singh, saying that she has "all the makings of a top player" and said she would be genuinely happy to see her get her hands on an Olympic medal as the sport makes its debut at the grandest event of them all during the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
Lots to look forward to in Indian sports as packed 2026 calender awaits
Gulia topped the qualification with 582-24x. She was joined at the top by Bhaker, who also shot 582, finishing second on inner-10 count with 19x.
Suresh Kalmadi brought several top-class events to India including the 2003 Afro Asian Games, the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games, the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
It's been well over two decades but missing an Olympic medal after coming reasonably close to it rankles Mohammed Riaz to this date even though some of his regret has eased after seeing the national team claim podium finishes in the mega-event's last two editions.
India came up with a spirited performance to beat two-time champions Egypt 3-0 and make their maiden appearance in the Squash World Cup final, in Chennai on Saturday.
India scripted history, clinching its maiden Squash World Cup title to become the first Asian country to achieve the feat after overwhelming Hong Kong 3-0 in the summit clash in Chennai on Sunday.
Dharmendra passed into the ages on November 24 and his last rites were held on November 25.
Antim was representing Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB).
2014 Asian Games medallist hammer thrower Manju Bala banned for 5 years for doping
From a side that promised much after a fourth-place finish in the Tokyo Olympics, the Indian women's team has collapsed into a seemingly direction-less outfit.
Vinesh Phogat announced her return to wrestling after an 18-month hiatus to chase her Olympic dream.
The Wrestling Federation of India unveiled a new selection policy that makes attendance at national camps mandatory to be eligible for national selection, bars wrestlers from training independently and mandates Olympic Games quota-winning athletes to appear in a final one-bout selection trial.
'She will work remote mostly, sometime online and sometime on the field. Starting December she is going to work with us till World Cup and Asian Games.'
The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has confirmed that cricket will be included in the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
They weren't up for a windfall even after the trophy but life was certain to get a lot better as some sponsors and state governments stepped up to lift them financially.
He joins ahead of a demanding 2026 season packed with major events, including the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. One of the first things on his agenda will be "tackling" the selection policy.
Star Indian shuttlers Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty showed nerves of steel to stun Olympic silver medallists Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang in their opening Group B match at the BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China, on Wednesday.
In addition, Kumar has been disqualified from all competitive results obtained on and subsequent to February 27, 2025, the date his first positive sample was collected, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.
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