Indian Sports Wrap, March 23: Indian archers advance in first round of Asia Cup Stage-1 in Bangkok

ARCHERY

Indian archers advance in first round of Asia Cup Stage-1 in Bangkok

Sukhchain Singh and Devaang Gupta in recurve men and Chikitha Taniparthi, Raj Kaur, Tejal Salve and Swati Dudhwal in compound women advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of individual competitions on the opening day of the Asia Cup Stage-1 archery tournament in Bangkok on Monday.

Earlier, in the qualification round, Gupta and Chikitha emerged as the best Indians in their respective categories.

– Team Sportstar

ROWING

Inspire Institute of Sport launches women’s rowing programme in collaboration with Rowing Federation of India

Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), in collaboration with the Rowing Federation of India (RFI), officially launched its dedicated women’s rowing programme on Friday, bringing together 24 elite athletes who will train within a high-performance environment aimed at strengthening India’s prospects in international rowing.

The programme will operate out of the RWP-3 training facility in Bellary, part of the JSW Group ecosystem, marking a significant step in strengthening India’s women’s rowing pipeline ahead of major international competitions, including the Asian Games and the Olympic Games.

The ceremony was led by Manisha Malhotra, President, IIS, along with the Chief Guest, Balaji Maradapa, President, Rowing Federation of India.

Speaking about the initiative, Malhotra said, “This programme is a reflection of strong collaboration, with the Rowing Federation of India playing a key role in making it possible. For our women rowers, this facility brings much-needed stability, world-class support, and the right environment to train and grow. It’s an important step towards giving them the platform they deserve and building towards success at the Asian Games and beyond.”

Adding to this, Mardapa said, “This truly marks a new beginning for rowing in India. I would like to thank IIS for their efforts and this strong partnership with the Rowing Federation of India. The vision goes beyond the Asian Games, with structured international exposure like the six-week training stint in Melbourne already showing visible improvements in technique and performance. I have personally seen the progress on the water, and I firmly believe Indian women’s rowing is set to reach heights never seen before in our history.”

The programme began with a comprehensive sports science testing phase at IIS between 18–25 February, where 30 athletes underwent performance assessments. Based on the results, a final group of 24 athletes was selected for the next phase of structured training.

The initiative has already shown encouraging progress, with boats in the Women’s Coxless Pair and Women’s Coxless Four categories qualifying for the upcoming Asian Games. Key athletes include Diljot and Suman in the Coxless Pair, and Jigyasa, Tendenthoi, Aswathi and Gurbani in the Coxless Four, with Aleena and Bhagyasri serving as reserve athletes.

Training will take place at the RWP-3 facility in Bellary, which features a 2,300-metre stretch of water – closely aligned with the official 2,000-metre international racing distance – enabling athletes to train under competition-like conditions. The venue offers a controlled environment with no public boat traffic, allowing uninterrupted sessions aligned with coaches’ training schedules. The waterbody has been assessed and approved by experts from the Rowing Federation of India based on course length, water quality, weather conditions and geographical suitability.

The programme currently operates with 12 rowing boats across multiple classes, including single sculls, double sculls, quadruple sculls, coxless pair and coxless four boats, enabling training across different competitive formats.

– Team Sportstar

HOCKEY

Roundglass Hockey Academy clinches Bholath Hockey Cup 2026 title with dominant 5-1 win in the final

Roundglass Hockey Academy (RGHA) girls’ team delivered a spectacular performance to be crowned champion of the Bholath Hockey Cup 2026 (Women), comprehensively defeating GNDU Amritsar 5-1 in the final on Sunday at the Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar.

Led by captain Baljeet Kaur, the academy girls dictated the pace of the title clash from the opening whistle. RGHA secured a 1-0 lead in the first quarter and doubled its advantage just before halftime. A stunning three-goal blitz in the third quarter effectively sealed the championship, highlighting its attacking prowess and cohesive team play. GNDU Amritsar managed a late consolation goal in the final quarter, but Roundglass remained firmly in control to close out the 5-1 victory.

In the semifinal played on Saturday, it overcame a strong challenge from BSF Jalandhar, securing a convincing 3-1 win. The team established an early 2-0 lead in the first 15 minutes through two precise penalty corner conversions and sealed the match with a brilliant field goal in the 50th minute, demonstrating both tactical execution and defensive solidity.

-Team Sportstar

GOLF

Aditi finishes T-14 in Founders Cup

Aditi Ashok bounced back from her third-round disappointment with a 3-under 69 on the final day to finish tied 14th at the Fortinet Founders Cup here.

Hyo Joo Kim won the title, while Nelly Korda finished second.

In her final round, Aditi carded four birdies and one bogey to finish the week at 8-under par. Three of her birdies came on the front nine, with the other on the back nine, which also included her lone bogey.

She picked up shots on the fourth, sixth, ninth and 11th holes, while her only bogey came on the 15th.

The T-14 finish moved Aditi to the 20th position on the CME rankings, one better than last week.

– PTI

Published on Mar 23, 2026