SQUASH
Chotrani loses to World No. 13 in Cleveland quarterfinals
Veer Chotrani went right down to Mexican second seed Leonel Cardenas within the quarterfinals of the Squash within the Land 2026 in Cleveland (USA) on Friday.
That includes in his first PSA Silver-level quarterfinal, the Indian world No 52 raised his tempo within the second and third video games, as he ramped up his attacking play towards the world No 13.
Cardenas, nonetheless, proved too robust, as he went on to register a 11-3, 11-7, 11-8 victory.
-Workforce Sportstar
ATHLETICS
Mumbai Marathon to kick off with document variety of contributors
The twenty first version of the Tata Mumbai Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label Race, will likely be flagged off from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus early on Sunday morning, with an elite area set to compete alongside a document participation of over 69,000 runners.
The marquee full marathon would be the centrepiece of the occasion, with prime worldwide and Indian athletes vying for honours and a share of the full prize purse of USD 389,524. Promoted by Procam Worldwide, the race may even characteristic a revamped course, with the enduring Mumbai Coastal Street included for the primary time together with the Bandra-Worli Sea Hyperlink, providing runners sweeping views of the Arabian Sea.
Within the males’s worldwide elite race, Eritrea’s Merhawi Kesete (Private Finest 2:06:36), runner-up in Mumbai final yr, begins as one of many favourites. He’ll face stiff competitors from Uganda’s 2023 World Champion Victor Kiplangat (2:05:09), Ethiopia’s Bazezew Asmare (2:04:57), Tadu Abate Deme, Tesfaye Demeke and Kelkile Gezahegn in what guarantees to be a high-quality contest.
Indian curiosity within the males’s race will likely be led by Man Singh, the 2025 Mumbai Marathon runner-up and the third-fastest Indian marathoner ever, together with two-time champion Srinu Bugatha and Hyderabad Marathon winner Anish Thapa.
Within the girls’s worldwide elite area, Ethiopia’s Shure Demise, the quickest entrant with a Private Finest of two:20:59, headlines a powerful line-up that features Zinah Senbeta and Yeshi Chekole. Amongst Indian girls, Nirmaben Thakor will likely be aiming for a historic hat-trick of Mumbai Marathon titles, dealing with competitors from former champions Jyoti Gawate and Lalita Babbar.
The elite marathon will start at 7.00 AM, following the newbie and half-marathon races earlier within the morning, as Mumbai as soon as once more turns into a worldwide working hub for a day.
– Workforce Sportstar
‘Lacking’ Anju loses her title, Anjali now the 800m winner
Pretty Skilled College’s Anju, who had gained the ladies’s 800m within the eighty fifth all-India Inter-College Athletics Championships at Moodubidiri after which had run away from the venue, has been eliminated because the winner of the occasion.
The outcome has been revised, Anju’s title has been ‘scratched out’ (SCR) and Guru Nanak Dev College’s Anjali – who completed second in 2:09.50s – has been upgraded because the winner.
H.B. Radhakrishna, the supervisor of the all-India varsities meet, defined what transpired after Anju, who additionally didn’t flip up for the medal ceremony to gather her gold and the money prize of Rs. 15,000 that got here with it, went lacking.
“After the race, a grievance went to the jury of enchantment. The jury determined to offer a letter to the staff supervisor (of the LP College) that he ought to produce the actual athlete for the victory ceremony,” Radhakrishna advised Sportstar.
“The jury gave the supervisor 24 hours time for that. After 24 hours, the supervisor returned and he gave in writing that ‘she is just not right here, she is just not underneath my management additionally’. On the idea of that, the jury determined to improve the outcome and scratched out the winner.”
However shouldn’t or not it’s a disqualification?
“Sure, disqualification. However suppose you write it as disqualification, for Khelo India (College Video games), that title will come once more. In Khelo India, they name the most effective eight athletes so naturally she is going to come into the listing. And as soon as once more, there will likely be an issue in Khelo India,” defined Radhakrishna.
“So, for that goal, they wrote like that (as scratched).”
Now, has Anjali been given the 800m gold medal, certificates and the winner’s money prize of Rs 15,000?
“We haven’t executed that. We wrote to the AIU (Affiliation of Indian Universities) explaining the case and the jury of enchantment’s choice. The AIU will finalise and ship the certificates.
“The identical occurred within the girls’s half marathon too. That outcome additionally has been upgraded, with the third-place finisher (Ganga of Ch. Chaudhary Charan College) being scratched out and the fourth-place finisher (Khushboo Patel) shifting to 3rd,” mentioned the meet supervisor.
To make sure the game is clear, it’s now the responsibility of the AIU to go all out and discover out why athletes go lacking from venues after successful medals.
– Stan Rayan
CRICKET
Girls’s Nationwide Match for the Blind 2026 will get off to commanding begin in Odisha
At Dharmasala Stadium, Jaraka (Jajpur), West Bengal registered a assured seven-wicket victory over Haryana, chasing the goal comfortably in an 18-over encounter.
In one other match on the identical venue, Telangana delivered a composed efficiency to defeat Uttar Pradesh by eight wickets, finishing the chase in simply 11.1 overs.
On the Paramount Sporting Membership, Bhubaneswar, Delhi dominated its fixture towards Jharkhand, securing a complete nine-wicket win. Within the second match on the venue, Karnataka displayed robust batting depth and disciplined bowling to beat Gujarat by 33 runs in a aggressive 20-over contest.
The Nimpur Cricket Floor, Cuttack, witnessed two commanding performances. Odisha produced one of the emphatic victories of the day, defeating Chandigarh by a large 174 runs, whereas Andhra Pradesh outplayed Bihar to safe a convincing 148-run win, underlining its all-round power.
At KT International College Floor, Khordha, Rajasthan delivered a dominant exhibiting towards Tamil Nadu, registering a 95-run victory in a full 20-over match. In one other fixture on the venue, Madhya Pradesh showcased medical execution to defeat Kerala by 103 runs in a 16-over contest.
– Workforce Sportstar
CYCLING
Olympic qualification factors on provide for Pune Grand Tour; India area largest-ever contingent
Indian cyclists will race for essential Olympic qualification factors when the nation hosts its first-ever UCI 2.2 multi-stage street race, the Bajaj Pune Grand Tour, beginning on Monday.
India will area its largest-ever contingent of 12 riders — break up into the Indian nationwide staff and the Indian growth staff — within the five-day occasion, which runs until January 23 and serves as a key stepping stone on the street to qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Video games.
The race opens with a 7.5km prologue at Goodluck Chowk which is able to decide early positions within the basic classification, earlier than shifting right into a demanding four-stage take a look at throughout Pune and the Western Ghats that mixes sprinting, climbing and tactical depth.
Stage 1 on January 20, the 87.2km Mulsi–Maval Miles, winds via Pune’s IT hub Hinjewadi, mixing flat dash sections with sharp city turns.
In Stage 2, the 105.3km Maratha Heritage Circuit is roofed on January 21, and is anticipated to be decisive, that includes steep ghat climbs round Purandar Fort, Sinhagad and Khadakwasla Lake.
The 134km Western Ghats Gateway stage on January 22 stretches from Purandar to Baramati throughout the Deccan plateau, testing velocity and race craft amid rolling terrain and crosswinds, earlier than the race concludes with the 95km Pune Pleasure Loop — a technical city circuit passing landmarks corresponding to Shaniwar Wada.
Terming it a defining second for Indian biking, the Indian Federation (CFI) secretary basic Maninder Pal Singh mentioned: “Securing a UCI 2.2 multi-stage race was not straightforward, and it displays years of constant work by the Biking Federation of India to construct credibility on the worldwide stage.”
“This occasion opens a direct pathway for our riders towards Olympic qualification and modifications how biking is considered by governments, sponsors, and stakeholders throughout the nation. Internet hosting a race of this scale in India offers our athletes the chance to compete, study, and progress into elite competitions,” he mentioned.
Nationwide chief coach Maxat Ayazabayev mentioned: “This can be very vital for India internet hosting increasingly such races for the event of our riders.”
“The Pune Grand Tour will give our riders worthwhile race expertise of a global customary on house roads. We’re hopeful of delivering robust outcomes,” he mentioned.
Indian nationwide staff coach Joginder Singh described the race as historic.
“The Pune Grand Tour is historic for Indian biking. Now we have now a global race in our personal yard, in our acquainted circumstances.”
“With a powerful mixture of younger and skilled riders within the Indian staff, this UCI 2.2 occasion generally is a actual turning level for the expansion {of professional} street biking in India,” he mentioned.
Among the many riders, Harshveer Sekhon mentioned racing at house was a supply of motivation.
“I don’t see racing at house as stress; I see it as motivation. Competing on house roads, in entrance of our personal individuals, offers me power.
“That is my first expertise of a stage race of this scale in India. Our preparation has been robust, and we’re trying ahead to performing properly,” he mentioned.
Surya Thathu, racing in his house state of Maharashtra, mentioned, “Races just like the Pune Grand Tour had been one thing we as soon as watched solely on tv, and to compete in a multi-stage race of this scale in India, particularly in my house state of Maharashtra, is extremely particular.”
“Racing in Europe is difficult, as riders need to handle all of the logistics on their very own. Nevertheless, Pune Grand Tour feels completely different — right here each side of our preparation has been properly taken care of. Extra races like this may give younger riders actual alternatives, simply as common racing does in international locations like Belgium.”
One other rider Vishvajeet Singh mentioned: “Once we arrived in Pune and inspected the routes, the standard of roads and total organisation actually stood out.
“The extent of assist supplied to the groups, autos, logistics and infrastructure, is similar to what we see in main worldwide excursions. Experiencing that in India is particular, and it motivates us to offer our greatest,” he mentioned.
From the event staff, Manav Sarda mentioned, having each the races is an enormous alternative for youthful riders.
Akshar Tyagi mentioned the coaching camp with the senior riders helped them “right small however vital elements of our racing.”
-PTI
MORE SPORTS
SAI’s mega recruitment drive, invitations functions for 323 assistant coaches in 26 disciplines
In a bid to strengthen athlete assist, the Sports activities Authority of India (SAI) has initiated nationwide recruitment of assistant coaches throughout 26 disciplines for its Centres of Excellence (COE) and different coaching services with capturing, athletics, swimming and wrestling set to be among the many largest beneficiaries.
SAI has invited functions for 323 vacancies for assistant coaches, 33 per cent of them reserved for girls, to be posted at its varied Regional Centres, Nationwide Centres of Excellence and Coaching Centres unfold throughout India.
“The recruitment methodology is structured right into a two-stage course of: a Laptop based mostly on-line written take a look at, referred to as Laptop Primarily based Take a look at (CBT) and a Teaching Skill Take a look at (CAT),” the physique said in its newest notification.
“The ultimate composite weightage within the recruitment methodology shall be 60 per cent for the Teaching Skill Take a look at and 40 per cent for the Laptop based mostly on-line written take a look at,” it added.
“The candidates showing within the written examination shall be shortlisted for the Teaching Skill Take a look at (CAT) within the ratio of 1:3 i.e. the variety of candidates to be shortlisted for the teaching capacity take a look at will likely be thrice the variety of vacancies in every sport and in every class.”
Athletics and capturing have 28 vacancies every, whereas in swimming, 26 slots will likely be stuffed. Twenty two coaches will likely be recruited for wrestling.
In boxing, 19 assistant coaches could be employed and all main disciplines, together with weightlifting, archery badminton, and desk tennis could be lined through the recruitment drive.
The net assessments will likely be held in Delhi, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Bhopal, Gandhinagar, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, Guwahati and Imphal.
“The variety of centres may be diminished or elevated, relying upon the variety of candidates,” SAI said.
Open to aspirants who’re a minimum of 30 years of age, the minimal qualification for making use of is a diploma or equal in teaching from SAI NS-NIS, Patiala or from another recognised Indian/international college.
“Participation in Olympics/Paralympics/Asian Video games/World Championship with Certificates Course in Teaching or being a Dronacharya Awardee would additionally make an individual eligible to seem for the take a look at,” the SAI notification mentioned.
-PTI
GOLF
Chhattisgarh Open Golf Championship to tee-off 2026 PGTI season
The Skilled Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and Chhattisgarh Sports activities Minister Arun Sao on Saturday collectively introduced the staging of the second version of the Chhattisgarh Open Golf Championship subsequent month.
The event will likely be PGTI’s season-opener for 2026 and it’s scheduled to be performed between February 3–6 on the pristine Fairway Golf & Lake Resort in Naya Raipur.
The prize purse for the occasion, which stood at Rs 1 crore within the inaugural version final yr, has been raised to Rs 1.5 crore for the second version this yr.
India’s main professionals in addition to quite a few professionals from abroad are anticipated to take part within the occasion. The event will start with the Professional-Am occasion on February 1.
The event can have a area of 126 professionals and will likely be performed within the stroke-play format consisting of 4 rounds of 18 holes every. The highest 50 gamers and ties will make the reduce after two rounds.
-PTI
Printed on Jan 17, 2026