Category: Sports

In a surprising upset at the Norway Chess Tournament in Stavanger, reigning world champion D Gukesh won his first classical game against World No.1 Magnus Carlsen. The 19-year-old Indian grandmaster flipped the tables in round six, achieving a comeback victory after being on the verge of losing.

Despite being in a difficult position for most of the match, Gukesh seized on a single misstep by Carlsen in a tense time scramble. After nearly four hours and 62 moves of furious play, Gukesh scored decisively, marking an iconic moment in his chess career. The win occurred after a previous loss to Carlsen in the tournament’s first round, making it much more significant.

Gukesh is currently third in the tournament rankings with 8.5 points, one point behind Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana. The outcome also intensified the competition as the event approached its final rounds.

Carlsen was visibly frustrated, slamming the table and leaving the event without speaking to the media. Gukesh, on the other hand, stayed calm and declined to speak after the match. His coach, Grzegorz Gajewski, stated that this breakthrough will increase Gukesh’s confidence for future games and motivate other Indian players.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty of India put up an outstanding performance in the quarter-finals of the Singapore Open Super 750 badminton competition on Saturday, defeating the world’s top pair. The dynamic combination, while not being at their best fitness, showed their resilience and fighting spirit against higher-ranked opponents, marking a strong return to the international stage.

Despite losing in the semi-finals to Malaysia’s world No. 3 team, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, 21-19, 10-21, 18-21, the Indian couple expressed satisfaction with their improvement.

Chirag remarked on the journey, adding that they never anticipated making the semi-finals given their recent struggles. The pair has had numerous setbacks since the Tokyo Olympics, including Satwik’s father’s tragic death from cardiac arrest in February and Chirag’s recurring back injury, which prompted him to withdraw from the All England Championships in March.

Their problems saw them fall from global number one to number 27 in the rankings, but they are desperate to reclaim their place. Satwik complimented Chirag’s dedication to treatment, recognising his partner’s tireless efforts.

Both players believe their greatest form is yet to come, and they hope to do better in future tournaments, including the upcoming Indonesia Open.

India’s medal total at the Asian Athletics Championships jumped, with the country’s competitors producing spectacular performances to win many gold medals, demonstrating their exceptional talent. Individual wins by Jyothi Yarraji and Avinash Sable set the tone, followed by India’s dominance in the women’s 4x400m relay.

Jisna Mathew, Rupal Chaudhary, Kunja Rajitha, and Subha Venkatesan won gold in 3:34.18 seconds, with Vietnam (3:34.77 seconds) taking silver and Sri Lanka (3:36.67 seconds) taking bronze.

India won its tenth gold medal in the women’s 4x400m relay, and the first since 2013. Overall, India won three golds, two silvers, and a bronze on the day, bringing their total medal count to 14. Meanwhile, China led the way with 21 medals, including 12 gold.

In the men’s 4x400m relay, the Indian team of Jay Kumar, Dharmveer Choudhary, Manu Thekkinalil Saji, and Vishal TK won silver in 3:03.67 seconds, trailing only Qatar (3:03.52 seconds). Earlier, Avinash Sable won the steeplechase gold in 8:20.92 seconds, becoming the first Indian male to do it in 36 years.

Shanti Pereira, Singapore’s sprint queen, won an admirable silver medal in the women’s 100m final at the Asian Athletics Championships on May 28. The tournament took place at Gumi Civic Stadium in South Korea. The 28-year-old finished 0.04 seconds behind China’s Liang Xiaojing, who won gold in 11.37 seconds. Tran Thi Nhi Yen of Vietnam won the bronze medal in 11.54 seconds.

Pereira entered the final after clocking a season-best 11.40 seconds in the heats, finishing second out of 21 sprinters. Liang recorded the fastest qualifying time at 11.22 seconds. Despite a poor start in the final, Pereira ended well and expressed satisfaction with her performance. She described the silver as a proud accomplishment and a sign of her continuous continental level.

Coach Luis Cunha stated that they had prepared adequately for the championship. While victory was just missed, he commended her form and race strategy. Singapore Athletics president Lien Choong Luen acknowledged the strong competition while praising Pereira’s steady international performance this season.

The Asian Championships remain an important platform for Pereira, who completed the 100m-200m double in 2023. Now she’s preparing for the 200m heats on May 30, where she hopes to shine again.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru made history in the Indian Premier League by being the first team to win all away matches throughout a season’s league stage. RCB defeated Lucknow Super Giants by six wickets in Lucknow, giving them a perfect seven-out-of-seven away record in IPL 2025.

This achievement surpasses the joint records set by the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Mumbai Indians, both of whom won seven of their eight away games in 2012. However, RCB stands alone with a spotless away record.

Bengaluru maintained their composure and consistency throughout the league season, even on new grounds. Their successes came against top teams at their own grounds, including a seven-wicket win over KKR in Kolkata and a dominant 50-run victory over CSK in Chennai.

With this latest victory, RCB rose to second place in the points chart, with 19 points from 14 games. They will now meet the Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1, which will take place in New Chandigarh.

RCB’s away campaign in the IPL 2025 has revealed not only their tactical skill, but also the squad’s tenacity under pressure – a trait that could define their playoff trip.

Gulveer Singh won gold in the men’s 10,000m and Servin Sebastian took bronze in the 20km race walk, kicking off India’s campaign at the 27th Asian Athletics Championships. Gulveer finished in 28:38.63, beating out Japan’s Mebuki Suzuki and Bahrain’s Albert Kibichi Rop.

The 26-year-old, who already holds the national record, kept a steady pace and pushed ahead in the closing 200 metres to win his first Asian title. Despite the hot temperature, he executed his racing strategy successfully and expressed satisfaction with the results.

Sebastian had earlier begun India’s medal count in the race walk, clocking 1:21:13.60. Despite falling short of his personal best, he showed grit by staying with the lead pack. Wang Zhaozhao of China and Kento Yoshikawa of Japan finished first and second, respectively. All three podium finishers surpassed the previous championship record. Sawan Barwal finished fourth in the men’s 10,000m race, just missing out on a medal.

At the end of day one, India was second in the medal standings, trailing China but ahead of Japan.

Casper Ruud opened his French Open campaign with a powerful performance, defeating Albert Ramos-Vinolas in straight sets. The two-time Roland Garros finalist extended his perfect record in tournament openers to 8-0 with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory. Ruud advanced to the second round, where he will face Nuno Borges of Portugal, after winning 34 games.

This match marked Ramos-Vinolas’ final participation at the clay-court major, since the Spanish veteran intends to retire this season. Ruud highlighted their common history and his early problems against Ramos, stating that each game was fought hard, despite the straight-set victory. He reflected on his progress since their first encounters and expressed enthusiasm for returning to Roland Garros.

Although he was unable to attend Rafael Nadal’s goodbye ceremony in person, Ruud watched from a distance as a plaque honouring the 14-time French Open winner was installed on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Ruud, who lost to Nadal in the 2022 final, referred to the event as exceptional and the court as Nadal’s zone.

Ruud, who has won the most clay-court matches since 2020, is a serious contender this year and might face defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.

Under the clear skies of the French Riviera, Kush Maini wrote a new chapter in motorsport history by winning the Formula 2 Sprint Race on Monaco’s challenging streets. Starting from pole position, Maini exhibited excellent talent and calm, leading for the entire 30 laps and securing his first F2 victory of the season. This victory is especially significant because it is the first time an Indian driver has won a race at Monaco, one of the most prestigious venues in the racing world.

Maini, who is a reserve driver for the BWT Alpine F1 Team, qualified ninth for the Feature Race, putting him on pole for the Sprint Race due to the reverse grid format. He handled the pressure with incredible maturity from the start, driving elegantly to lead DAMS Lucas Oil to a lights-to-flag victory. Following the race, Maini expressed his pride and gratitude, calling the victory a dream come true.

Indian business magnate Anand Mahindra praised Maini’s historic performance on social media. The victory also gave Maini a much-needed confidence boost after a difficult start to the 2025 season. Looking ahead, Maini hopes to maintain this momentum into the forthcoming Feature Race and the following Grand Prix at Barcelona.

Pawan Bartwal, an Indian boxer, maintained his great run at the 4th Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament by reaching the men’s 55kg quarterfinals. On Sunday, he defeated Cambodia’s Sao Rangsey 5-0, his second consecutive win at the event. Bartwal, from Syupuri village in Uttarakhand, demonstrated great ring control and tactical awareness from the start.

He started slowly, avoiding early threats and timing his attacks precisely. A strong hit to the face in the first round established the tone for the rest of the fight. The 26-year-old constantly cornered his opponent and performed a superb bob-and-weave in the second round to land another clean shot. His strong resistance and smart aggression resulted in a unanimous judgment in his favour.

Bartwal, who has been in the Indian Army since 2017, has been boxing since 2010 and has won a silver medal in the National Championships. He has now advanced to the quarterfinals with strong momentum. In another outstanding performance, National Games bronze medallist Sanju MS qualified for the women’s 60kg quarterfinals by defeating Japan’s Sarii Kokufu 5-0. Bartwal had previously defeated Thailand’s Thanarat Saengphet 4-1 in the first round.

The UAE pulled off a stunning shock by defeating Bangladesh in the second T20I of their three-match series, tying the score at 1-1. The historic match was played on Monday, May 19, at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, with the UAE successfully chasing down a challenging total of 205 runs. It was the highest-ever successful run chase by an Associate Nation against an ICC Full Member, making it an unforgettable milestone for UAE cricket.

The dramatic chase was won in the final over, when the hosts needed 29 runs from the last 12 balls. Despite losing two wickets in the last stages, skipper Muhammad Waseem delivered a captain’s knock, and Dhruv Parashar hit a critical six under pressure. The final moment occurred when Haider Ali completed a risky second run off the final delivery, sealing victory with one ball remaining.

Bangladesh earlier posted a good total of 205/5, with noteworthy efforts from Tanzid Hasan (59 off 33 balls) and Litton Das (40 off 32 deliveries). However, the absence of Mustafizur Rahman, who is now playing for the Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2025, harmed their bowling attack. The UAE’s resilient middle-order capitalised on this, leading their squad to a memorable victory.