A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Friday
Jaspreet Kaur and Jhandu Kumar, two Indian para powerlifters, have overcome significant personal challenges, including polio and poverty, to qualify for the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
Indian weightlifter Nirupama Devi faced a disappointing exit from the Commonwealth Games women's 63kg event after failing all three clean and jerk attempts, resulting in a Did Not Finish. Despite a strong snatch performance, her inability to complete the clean and jerk round ended her medal hopes.
Divyanshi bags U15 TT bronze, U19 boys' team settles for silver
Arjun Singh and Aditya Singh won India's first gold medal at the US Open Pickleball Championship, defeating top seeds Ryder Brown and Soli Messiri in the U-18 boys' doubles category.
Teenaged high jump star Pooja Singh shattered the national senior record en route winning the gold medal to lead a strong Indian show on the second day of the Asian U20 Athletics Championships here on Friday.
Congress MP Deepender Hooda has urged the central government to consider Haryana as the host or co-host for the 2030 Commonwealth Games, citing the state's significant contribution to India's medal tally in major competitions.
Indian shooters Manu Bhaker and Samrat Rana won a silver medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the ISSF World Cup in Munich. The duo scored 483.6 in the final, finishing behind China's Qianxun Yao and Kai Hu.
Ayush Shetty's impressive run at the World Championships ended in the pre-quarterfinals against Alwi Farhan, concluding India's men's singles challenge. Meanwhile, the women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand advanced to the quarterfinals with a dominant win, continuing their strong comeback after Treesa's injury.
Ankur Bhattacharjee and Yashaswini Ghorpade secured the men's and women's singles titles, respectively, at the 22nd Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships, contributing to India's near-total dominance with all but one gold medal.
Haryana emerged victorious in the 13th Senior National Rugby Sevens Championship, defeating Maharashtra in a closely contested final. West Bengal secured the bronze medal, while Rajasthan's Rajan Rawat was the tournament's top scorer.
World champion boxer Jaismine Lamboria clinched a gold medal in the women's 57kg category at the Commonwealth Games, overcoming a severe illness that included high fever, concussion, and hospitalisation just weeks before the event. Her victory marks a remarkable comeback, improving on her previous bronze medal, and highlights her resilience despite disrupted training and mental challenges.
Indian boxer Preeti Pawar advances to the final of the Asian Boxing Championships, while Nikhat Zareen and Lovlina Borgohain are eliminated in the semi-finals.
Indian compound archers achieved remarkable success at the Asia Cup-World Ranking Tournament Stage 1, securing gold in the mixed team event, silver in the women's team event, and a clean sweep in the men's individual category.
The tennis ace said the close defeat in the men's doubles bronze medal match will haunt him for a long time to come.
Arunachal Pradesh's Nedi Ngi won gold in the women's 5000m at the Khelo India Tribal Games, while Maharashtra dominated the men's event. Karnataka leads the medal tally.
Lovlina, Arundhati lead as India claim nine gold medals in BOXAM Elite 2026
India is sending a 125-member contingent to the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, with established stars like Neeraj Chopra, Mirabai Chanu, and Lovlina Borgohain, alongside rising talents such as Aryan Nehra and Gurindervir Singh, expected to lead the nation's medal charge across 13 disciplines.
Indian badminton prodigy Tanvi Sharma, 17, secured her first BWF World Tour title by defeating Vietnam's Thuy Linh Nguyen in straight games at the Taipei Open Super 300, becoming the youngest champion in the tournament's history.
India's junior shooters continued their impressive performance at the ISSF Junior World Cup in Cairo, securing four more medals, including three silver and one bronze, bringing their medal tally to third place.
The World Archery Youth Championships 2025 is the 19th edition of the biennial meet that has been held since 1991. A total of 570 top youth archers from 63 countries around the world are vying for medals in Winnipeg, as per Olympics.com.
Rudrankksh Patil of Maharashtra won the gold medal in the men's 10m air rifle event at the Kumar Surendra Singh Memorial Shooting Championship, overcoming a challenge from Haryana's Rohit Kanyan.
After making history as the first Indian male judoka to win a Commonwealth Games gold, Harsh Singh is now focused on securing a medal at the upcoming Asian Games.
Indian weightlifter Valluri Ajaya Babu secured a silver medal in the men's 79kg category at the Commonwealth Games, setting a new Games record in snatch and narrowly missing gold to Malaysia's Erry Hidayat Muhammad. This marks India's sixth weightlifting medal at the current Games, showcasing Babu's remarkable performance and potential.
India's Commonwealth Games medallists, fresh from a triumphant campaign in Glasgow, received a rousing welcome in New Delhi but quickly shifted their focus to the upcoming Asian Games, expressing determination to secure more medals.
India's compound archers, led by Rajat Chauhan and Chikitha Taniparthi, dominated the Asia Cup World Ranking Tournament, while the recurve team faced disappointment.
Teenage quadruple amputee archer Payal Nag defeated world number one Sheetal Devi to win gold at the World Archery Para Series in Bangkok, leading India to a dominant performance with seven gold medals.
The Indian men's hockey team's failure to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup has highlighted significant issues, including a lack of intent in player transition and questionable selection decisions, according to former players and experts.
Indian badminton prodigy Tanvi Sharma, 17, secured her first BWF World Tour title by winning the women's singles at the Taipei Open Super 300. She defeated Vietnam's Thuy Linh Nguyen in straight games, showcasing her potential as a rising star in the sport.
Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has assured continued government support to trap shooter Neeru Dhanda and pistol ace Esha Singh, who recently achieved historic gold medals at ISSF World Cups. Mandaviya highlighted shooting as a priority sport for India, with significant investment in athlete development programs like TOPS and Khelo India, aiming for future Olympic and Commonwealth Games success.
The 18-year-old Sairam and the 32-year-old Willson Sing, both from Manipur, train at the Army Sports Institute (ASI) in Pune.
Neeru Dhanda finished seventh in the women's trap final at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup, continuing India's medal drought in the competition. Despite a strong comeback in qualification, she was eliminated early in the final. Australia's Penny Smith won gold, setting a world record.
India is relying heavily on its boxing, weightlifting, and athletics contingents to maintain its two-decade streak of top-five finishes at the Commonwealth Games, which opens in Glasgow.
India's judokas scripted history at the Commonwealth Games on Friday as Asmita Dey and Harsh Singh clinched the country's first-ever gold medals in the sport, while Yamini Mourya added a silver to cap the nation's best-ever judo campaign.
Boxer Sarita Devi finally received her Asian Games bronze medal which she had refused at the victory ceremony in Incheon under controversial circumstances with the Indian Olympic Association Secretary General Rajeev Mehta presenting it to her in New Delhi.
Indian badminton stars Lakshya Sen, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, and Ayush Shetty are preparing for the BWF World Championships in New Delhi. Sen, a former bronze medallist, aims for a deep run despite an inconsistent year, while the doubles pair focuses on adapting to court conditions. Rising star Ayush Shetty faces a tough opening challenge against world No. 1 Shi Yuqi, with all players expressing excitement about playing in front of a home crowd and noting improved venue conditions.
All India junior ranking medallists Tanvi Patri and Abhinav Garg will spearhead the Indian contingent at the Badminton Asia Junior (U-19) championships in Yatsushiro, Japan, from June 26 to July 5. The Badminton Association of India (BAI) is confident of a strong performance and multiple medals from the squad, which includes direct selections and players chosen through trials.
Jaspal Rana, the acclaimed Indian shooter and high-performance coach, has passed away at 49. Known for mentoring Olympic medallists like Manu Bhaker and other young talents, Rana's contributions significantly shaped Indian shooting. He was a Dronacharya Award recipient.
The Indian women's hockey team lost 1-2 to the United States via the golden goal in the bronze medal play-off match and returned empty-handed from the first leg of the Four-Nation Tournament, in Auckland, on Monday.
Odisha women's rugby team dominated the 13th Senior National Rugby 7s Championship, defeating defending champions Bihar 27-0 to claim the title. Nirmalya Rout's impressive performance led Odisha to their third national title in six years.
