Indian sports wrap, March 31: Little Andaman Pro to kick off surfing season as Asian Games debut beckons
SURFING
Surfing season opener in April
The Surfing Federation of India on Tuesday announced the 2026 season opener, Little Andaman Pro – National Surf & SUP Championship, to be held from April 9 to 12.
The tournament will debut in a highly anticipated season just ahead of India’s first-ever campaign at the Asian Games in Japan later this year.
The four-day surfing extravaganza will see India’s top surfers and stand-up paddlers vying for the top honours at Butler Bay Beach in the Andaman Islands, bringing competitive surfing to one of the country’s most pristine and untapped coastal destinations for the very first time.
Presented by Andaman and Nicobar Tourism and organised by the Surfing Federation of India, the event will have surfers competing in the Senior Division across Surfing and Stand-Up Paddle (SUP) disciplines, with registrations already underway for the event.
India secured its first-ever Asian Games quota at the 2024 Asian Surfing Championships and built on that momentum at the 2025 edition in Mahabalipuram, ultimately securing the maximum allocated four slots—two each in the men’s and women’s categories.
“This is a landmark moment for Indian surfing. As we stare at India’s surfing debut at the Asian Games later this year, starting the national season at a world-class location like Little Andaman speaks loudly about our intent to take the sport deep into our coast-rich country. We are constantly working to give more competition time to our talented athletes across diverse conditions, which is critical for their growth at the international level,” said Arun Vasu, president of the Surfing Federation of India.
-Team Sportstar
SHOOTING
Bhowneesh, Kynan shoot well to be in contention for finals in ISSF World Cup
Indian trap shooters Bhowneesh Mendiratta and Kynan Chenai enjoyed an eventful opening day, shooting with precision and consistency to put themselves in contention for a place in the finals at the inaugural ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Tangier on Tuesday.
In a highly competitive field led by Nathan Hales of Great Britain — the Paris Olympics gold medallist and former world champion — both Bhowneesh and Kynan hit 72 targets to be in joint sixth place alongside seven others after three rounds of 25 shots each, totalling 75 clay targets.
The third Indian in the fray, Olympian Prithviraj Tondaiman, endured a disappointing outing, managing 65/75 to be placed joint 62nd in the field.
– PTI
MORE SPORTS
KITG 2026: Jharkhand’s Shiv Kumar Soren and Prithvi Oraon emerge fastest men and women athletes
Jharkhand sprinters Shiv Kumar Soren and Prithvi Oraon emerged as the fastest men and women athletes, respectively, in the inaugural edition of the Khelo India Tribal Games here on Tuesday.
For hosts Chhattisgarh, Siddharth Nagesh clinched a shot put gold and discus throw silver, while Tilak Barsel bagged the men’s 100m silver.
Shiv Kumar and Prithvi led their 100m races respectively from start to finish to capture the golden double for their state. Shiv Kumar clocked 10.58 seconds while Barsel finished the race in 10.87 seconds to clinch the silver medal. Odisha’s Atish Kindo (10.91 seconds) took the bronze medal.
In the women’s 100m final, 16-year-old Prithvi clocked her personal best of 12.73 seconds to clinch the gold. Nagaland’s Ruduolhounuo Belho (12.90 seconds) and Jharkhand’s Putul Bakshi (13.03 seconds) took home the silver and bronze medals respectively.
Host Chhattisgarh also reached the women’s football final after beating Arunachal Pradesh in a penalty shootout. Chhattisgarh will take on Jharkhand in the summit clash after the latter defeated Gujarat 9-0 in a dominant show.
On the track, the men’s 400m final witnessed a photo-finish. Odisha’s Nobal Kumar Kissan’s last-ditch dive (49.335 sec) at the finish line was not enough for him to beat eventual champion Santoshbhai Ganvit of Gujarat (49.332 sec). Manasi Kunkalka opened Goa’s gold medal account by winning the women’s shot put gold with a distance of 9.72m.
Karnataka continue to lead the medals tally with 19 gold, seven silver and seven bronze while Odisha are second with 13 gold, eight silver and 15 bronze medals.
– PTI
CUE SPORTS
Pankaj Advani clinches National 9-ball pool title on debut
Iconic Indian cueist Pankaj Advani delivered another superb performance to clinch his maiden National 9-ball pool title in Ludhiana on Tuesday.
The multiple-time world champion, representing the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB), outplayed Nitin Sharma of Chandigarh 11-6 in the race-to-11 final in front of an appreciative crowd.
“I can’t believe it, this is a very different title,” said Advani.
“It means so much to me to win a sport which is outside of my comfort zone! To be an underdog and eventually go on to lift the trophy is something I never imagined in my wildest dreams would happen,” he added.
– PTI
Published on Mar 31, 2026