Indian Sports Wrap, April 18: Takhellambam Inunganbi wins bronze, India’s first medal at Asian Judo Championships in 13 years

JUDO

Takhellambam Inunganbi wins bronze, India’s first medal at Asian Championships in 13 years

Takhellambam Inunganbi won a bronze medal in the women’s -70kg division at the 2026 Asian Judo Championships in Ordos City, China on Friday.

The bronze for the 27-year-old judoka ended India’s 13-year wait for a podium finish at the continental event.

She defeated Lkhagvadulam Sarantsetseg of Mongolia by ippon in the bronze match to secure the bronze.

Angom Anita Chanu was the latest Indian to medal at the Asian Championships, having also won bronze in the -52kg women’s category at the 2013 edition in Bangkok, Thailand.

Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Tulika Maan will be in action in the women’s +78kg division on the final day of competition.

– Team Sportstar

SQUASH

Chotrani heads to world No. 19 Masotti in the Hamburg thriller

Indian Veer Chotrani fell to French fourth seed Baptiste Masotti in a five-match thriller in the men’s quarter-finals of the Hamburg Open, a PSA Bronze level event.

World No. 47 Chotrani recovered twice to take the match to the wire before the French world No. 19 took the decider for a 12-10, 9-11, 14-12, 9-11, 11-6 win in 69 minutes.

Other Indians – fifth seed Abhay Singh, seventh seed Ramit Tandon and former women’s world number 10 Joshna Chinappa – exited the competition on Thursday evening.

– PTI

HCL Squash PSA Challenger Tour: Suraj Chand, lone Indian in the semi-finals

Suraj Kumar Chand was the only Indian to advance to the semi-finals of the HCL Squash PSA Challenger Tour at the Indian Squash Academy in Chennai.

Men’s second seed Chand will meet Hong Kong’s Wailok To in the last four leg after getting past compatriot Om Semwal in successive matches in the quarter-finals.

– Team Sportstar

GOLF

Aditi Ashok is shooting in LA

An eagle spotted Indian golfer Aditi Ashok nearing the end of the day at the JM Eagle LA Championship on the LPGA Tour.

Aditi carded 72 after a first round 70 and at 2-under for 36 holes.

She bogeyed the 10th and 15th, but took one shot at the 16th. A bogey on the 18th was followed by a birdie on the first. The seesaw continued as she made the second bogey before landing an eagle on the seventh.

Sei Young Kim shot her second consecutive 7-under 65 at El Caballero to take a one-stroke lead in the final event before the first women’s major of the season.

First-round leader Chizzy Iwai of Japan finished in second place with Ina Yoon of South Korea. Iwai followed her opening 63 with a 68, making three birdies in a four-hole stretch on the back nine late in the afternoon.

Yoon had a 64. She played her first nine holes (the back nine at El Caballero) in 7-under 29 and added a birdie on the par-5 seventh.

– PTI

Pranavi’s only Indian is in the Joburg Ladies Open

Pranavi Urs was the only Indian to make it as she advanced to the weekend rounds on the cutline of the Joburg Ladies Open.

Pranavi, who carded 3-under 70 on the opening day of the Par-73 Randpark Golf Club, added 1-over 74.

Pranavi flirted with danger when she posted 1-under 36, but then had four bogeys against just two birdies. She even bogeyed her last hole, the ninth, but narrowly survived. She was tied for 52nd.

Two of the other four Indians in the field this week, Tvesa Malik (72-73) and Diksha Dagar (72-73), missed the cut by one. Avani Prashanth (75-74) and Hitaashee Bakshi (77-74) missed by a bigger margin.

France’s Celine Herbin and American Brianna Navarrosa shared the lead after two laps. The second round ended early on Saturday as play was interrupted earlier due to darkness. Fifteen players had to come in the morning to resume their round.

The pair had completed their second round on 11 under par over 36 holes on a rainy day at Randpark Golf Club on Friday.

Herbin, 43, took full advantage of the dry morning conditions by firing a 67 (-6) to set the early target. The Frenchwoman, two-time winner of the Ladies European Tour (LET), got off to a good start by birding five of her first seven holes in South Africa.

A string of pars followed before Herbin birdied the par-5 14th and 18th after hitting the green in two. Herbin is chasing a third LET victory.

Navarrosa, meanwhile, faced a more testing, wet afternoon with early birdies at the 12th and 18th before the horn sounded due to the threat of thunder and lightning in the area.

Returning for the restart after a 45-minute suspension, the 23-year-old proved rain was no hindrance as she scored three straight birdies on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th to take the solo lead.

In solo third place at 10 under par is France’s Camille Chevalier, who equaled the week’s round of 66 (-7). Chevalier, a one-time winner of the Hero Women’s Indian Open at the LET, did not drop a single shot at Randpark Golf Club on Friday.

– PTI

MOTOR SPORTS

Brilliant Karna Kadur takes advantage

The Bengaluru-Coimbatore combination of Karna Kadur and co-driver Kumar Ramaswamy (Arka Motorsports) came up with a drive to remember as he opened a 22-second lead over the legendary Gaurav Gill (Srikanth GM) of Delhi to top the 49th Madras South India Rally at the end of the first stage at the Madras International Circuit in Chennai.

With four more special stages on Sunday and a significant lead, Kadur is within striking distance of the title.

The three-day event that concludes tomorrow also doubles as the second round of the FIA ​​Asia-Pacific Rally Championship powered by Vamcy Merla and the first round of the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship.

– Team Sportstar

ATHLETICS

TCS World 10K Bengaluru: Abhishek Pal and Sanjivani Jadhav lead record-breaking 35,000+ participants

The 18th edition of the TCS World 10K Bengaluru will welcome a record number of over 35,000 participants across field and virtual races on Sunday, April 26, 2026.

With a total prize fund of US$210,000, the World Athletics Gold Label Race will feature a fast-paced elite field including Uganda’s Harbert Kibet and defending champion Sarah Chelangat, alongside defending champion and event record holder Abhishek Pal of India and Sanjivani Jadhav.

– Team Sportstar

BADMINTON

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has announced a nationwide mascot design competition for the upcoming 2026 BWF World Championships, inviting fans, artists and creators to play a role in shaping the identity of one of badminton’s most prestigious global events.

The competition is open to participants of all ages and runs from April 18 to May 10, with the winner receiving Rs. 25,000 along with VIP tickets for the semi-finals or finals.

– PTI

TABLE TENNIS

Syndrela completes rare double at Nationals

Syndrela Das capped a remarkable run by beating Divyanshi Bhowmick 4-1 in the U-19 singles final, bringing down the curtain on the girls’ team events in the first leg of the National Junior and Youth Table Tennis Championships in Dehradun.

With this victory, Syndrela completed a rare double, having already secured the under-17 singles title at the same championships. The promising rower from West Bengal continues her impressive rise, adding to her earlier silver at the Senior National Championships in Indore.

– PTI

INDIAN FOOTBALL

Bengaluru wins again

Bengaluru FC defeated FC Goa 1-0 to secure the third Reliance Foundation Development League title, maintaining its position as the most successful team in the competition.

Haobam Ricky Meetei scored the only goal in the match.

– Team Sportstar

Published on April 18, 2026