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 Asian Judo Championships 2026 in Ordos City, China, on Friday.

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

She beat Mongolia’s Lkhagvadulam Sarantsetseg by ippon in the bronze medal match to secure the bronze.

Angom Anita Chanu was the last Indian to clinch a medal at the AsianChampionships, having also won a bronze in the women’s -52kg category at the 2013 edition held in Bangkok, Thailand.

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

– Team Sportstar

SQUASH

Chotrani goes down to world No 19 Masotti in Hamburg thriller

India’s Veer Chotrani went down to French fourth seed Baptiste Masotti in a five-game thriller in the men’s quarterfinals of the Hamburg Open, a PSA Bronze-level event.

Chotrani, ranked world No 47, recovered twice to take the contest down to the wire before the French world No 19 clinched the decider for a 12-10, 9-11, 14-12, 9-11, 11-6 victory in 69 minutes.

Other Indians — fifth seed Abhay Singh, seventh seed Ramit Tandon, and former women’s world No. 10 Joshna Chinappa — bowed out of the competition on Thursday night.

– PTI

GOLF

Pranavi lone Indian to make cut in Joburg Ladies Open

Pranavi Urs was the sole Indian to make the cut as she scraped through into the weekend rounds on the cutline at the Joburg Ladies Open.

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

Pranavi flirted with danger as she turned in 1-under 36, but then had four bogeys against just two birdies. She even bogeyed her closing hole, the ninth, but managed to survive by a whisker. She was tied 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 USA’s Brianna Navarrosa shared the lead after two rounds. The second round finished early on Saturday as play was suspended earlier due to darkness. Fifteen players had to come in the morning to resume their round.

The pair had completed their second rounds on Friday at 11-under par through 36 holes on a rain-ridden day at Randpark Golf Club.

Herbin, 43, made the most of dry morning conditions firing a 67 (-6) to set the early target. The Frenchwoman, a two-time winner on the Ladies European Tour (LET), got off to a hot start birdying 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 had to deal with a more testing, wet afternoon carding 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 following a 45-minute suspension, the 23-year-old proved rain was no hinderance as she carded three birdies in a row at the 2nd, 3rd and 4th to move into the solo lead.

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

– PTI

Published on Apr 18, 2026