India’s Sandeep and Haney won gold medals with world record performances in the men’s 400m T64 and men’s javelin throw F37/38 events respectively at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya on Friday (October 23, 2026).

Sandeep clocked 52.28 seconds, a world record, to win the 400m T64 final at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium. He finished 0.85 seconds ahead of Saudi Arabia’s Nour Alsana (53.13, season’s best). Indian compatriot Ajay Kumar took bronze in 53.61, a Games Record, while China’s Huang Ruihua was fourth with a personal best of 54.39.

In the javelin throw F37/38 final at the same venue, Haney produced a world record throw of 60.49m for gold, scoring 1116 Raza points. Iran’s Hormoz Seidikazpounji took silver with a personal best of 50.68m (1009 points), while China’s Yu Chengjie claimed bronze with an Asian record 53.66m (943 points).

India have thus reached 100 medals in total in this edition of the sporting extravaganza.

In the javelin event, the F37 and F38 classes compete together and are ranked on Raza points, which is why Seidikazpounji’s shorter throw was placed above Yu’s.

Sandeep and Alsana are categorised under T44 in men’s 400m and Kumar is under T64. T44 and T64 are both lower-limb classifications and are often run together.

Earlier, India’s Nimisha Chakkungalparambil and Parmod Bijarnia claimed the silver medals in their respective women’s long jump T47 and men’s 1500m T46 competitions.

Nimisha claimed the silver medal with a best effort of 5.37m. Sri Lanka’s Dhananjana Wickramasinghe took the gold with a Games Record leap of 5.52m, 15cm ahead of the Indian.

China’s Chen Jin completed the podium with 5.17m.

In men’s 1500m, Parmod claimed the silver medal after clocking 4:09.65 at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium.

Sri Lanka’s Puwakpitikande P. Wahumpurage won the gold with a Games Record time of 4:03.25, finishing 6.40 seconds ahead of the Indian. Parmod, however, stayed clear of the rest of the field to secure a podium finish.

Philippines’ King James Reyes took the bronze with a personal best of 4:13.81, 10.56 seconds behind the winner.

The T47 classification is designated for athletes with a unilateral upper-limb impairment (affecting one arm), such as a below-elbow or wrist amputation, limb deficiency, or impaired muscle power/passive range of motion in an arm. The T46 classification is for standing athletes with upper-limb impairments, such as a single-arm above or below-elbow amputation or a similar severe functional impairment affecting the shoulder or elbow.

India’s Praveen Sharma ended in fourth place in men’s discus throw F11 final with a best effort of 30.64, as Iran swept the competition by winning the gold, silver and bronze medals, while Amisha Rawat also finished fourth in women’s shot put F46 final with a best effort of 11.16.

India’s Sandeep clocked a world record 52.28 seconds to win the gold medal in the men’s 400m T64 final, while compatriot Ajay Kumar finished with the bronze at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya on Friday (October 23, 2026).

Sandeep, who had a reaction time of 0.264, finished 0.85 seconds clear of Saudi Arabia’s Nour Alsana, who took silver in 53.13, a season’s best. Ajay Kumar was third in 53.61, a Games Record, which was 1.33 seconds behind his compatriot at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium.

Sandeep and Alsana are categorised under T44 and Kumar is under T64. T44 and T64 are both lower-limb classifications and are often run together.

Earlier, India’s Nimisha Chakkungalparambil and Parmod Bijarnia claimed the silver medals in their respective women’s long jump T47 and men’s 1500m T46 competitions.

Nimisha claimed the silver medal with a best effort of 5.37m. Sri Lanka’s Dhananjana Wickramasinghe took the gold with a Games Record leap of 5.52m, 15cm ahead of the Indian.

China’s Chen Jin completed the podium with 5.17m.

In men’s 1500m, Parmod claimed the silver medal after clocking 4:09.65 at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium.

Sri Lanka’s Puwakpitikande P. Wahumpurage won the gold with a Games Record time of 4:03.25, finishing 6.40 seconds ahead of the Indian. Parmod, however, stayed clear of the rest of the field to secure a podium finish.

Philippines’ King James Reyes took the bronze with a personal best of 4:13.81, 10.56 seconds behind the winner.

The T47 classification is designated for athletes with a unilateral upper-limb impairment (affecting one arm), such as a below-elbow or wrist amputation, limb deficiency, or impaired muscle power/passive range of motion in an arm. The T46 classification is for standing athletes with upper-limb impairments, such as a single-arm above or below-elbow amputation or a similar severe functional impairment affecting the shoulder or elbow.

India’s Praveen Sharma ended in fourth place in men’s discus throw F11 final with a best effort of 30.64, as Iran swept the competition by winning the gold, silver and bronze medals, while Amisha Rawat also finished fourth in women’s shot put F46 final with a best effort of 11.16.

Wrestler Sujeet Kalkal thanks foreign coach Shako Bentinidis for encouraging him to adopt an attacking approach and employing the ‘dhobi pachhad’ (arm throw) technique, which made key contributions in his Asian Games gold medal win on debut.

Kalkal, who carried forward iconic wrestlers Yogeshwar Dutt and Bajrang Punia’s legacy to win the freestyle 65kg title, acknowledged Bentinidis’ role.

“Since my attack is good, Shako asked me to attack from the first bout,” said Kalkal, who was named India’s male athlete of the Games, during an interaction facilitated by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) on Wednesday.

“I competed in Russia where I won, but Shako was not happy. He said, ‘You don’t attack much.’ I worked on that. In the Asian Games, I attacked in every bout and scored as well.”

Kalkal also added ‘dhobi pachhad’ to his attacking repertoire. “For (mastering) one technique, you need to practise it a lot so that you can show it in a competition. I thank Shako because he taught me this. I was interested, but couldn’t do it. He corrected me and made me practise it.”

The 23-year-old, who made a sensational comeback from 2-9 to beat Tajikistan’s Abdulmazhid Kudiev 10-9 in the Asiad final, said he needed to make the best use of his strong ground wrestling.

The resilient Kalkal, who was stranded at the Dubai airport with fellow wrestler Deepak Punia due to flooding and could not report for the Paris Olympics qualifier in Bishkek in April 2024, has taken the setback in his stride while focusing on 2028 Los Angeles.

Living in the present, Kalkal, who has claimed four international gold medals this year, wants to shine at this month’s World championships in Astana. “This competition is tougher than the Olympics (because of the quality and volume of athletes),” said Kalkal.  

A grounded athlete with strong values, Kalkal has a different way of celebrating festivals. “My father (Dayanand) says, ‘If you win a gold medal, then automatically we celebrate Diwali and Holi.’ I know there is a competition (Worlds) around Diwali. If I win a gold medal for India, then that will be Diwali for me,” said Kalkal.

Tennis world number one Jannik Sinner will not compete again in 2026 ​after opting to continue his recovery from a knee ‌injury that has sidelined him since his ​triumphant Wimbledon campaign in July, the ⁠Italian said on Tuesday (October 6, 2026).

Sinner has not played since beating Alexander Zverev in the All England Club final on ‌July 12, with the 25-year-old missing the North American hardcourt swing, the US ‌Open as well as the ongoing slate ‌of ⁠tournaments in Asia.

He will now miss the ⁠European indoor hardcourt swing as well as the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin, where he won the title in the ​last two years.

“Me, ‌together with the doctors, have decided that I need a course of treatment for my knee which means the 2026 season is officially ‌over,” Sinner said in a video posted ​on X.

“The last couple of years, especially the ending in Turin, gave me ⁠so many beautiful feelings and emotions which this year is going to be way different.

“But at the ‌moment, I also need to think about my long-term career. So I’ll do everything possible to get back 100%.”

Sinner’s team said in a statement that he would follow a course of treatment for inflammation in his knee.

“The decision ‌has been made to have the treatment now to give ​Jannik the necessary time to recover before beginning preparations for 2027,” it added.

Sinner’s ⁠absence could open the door for Zverev to finish ⁠the year at the top of the world rankings. The German world number two ‌has cut the gap to Sinner after winning the French Open and US Open titles.

With the Badminton World Championships around the corner and the draws now sealed, all eyes are on Ayush Shetty, who has been handed the toughest opening match among all Indian singles players.

Ayush, on his tournament debut, will face World No. 1 Shi Yu Qi. The odds are not in favour of the 21-year-old, having lost all three meetings to date, including the most recent one in the final of the Asian Championships.

“As soon as I got Shi (in the draw), I told myself that I was ready to face anyone. As I’m unseeded, I was prepared to play even the World No. 1. It’s just another match, though I’m aware that it’ll be a really tough battle,” Ayush said in an online interaction.

Despite the daunting task at hand, Ayush cut a confident figure when asked about the rematch, stating that he has analysed all their meetings and is ready for the ‘special’ clash.

“Shi is a really tough opponent to play against. I remember my match against him in the Asian Championships final; he was really prepared. But I think I’ve gotten better and we’ll be better prepared this time. I really have to work hard while playing against him. I’ll have to be tactically better this time,” he said.

“It gives me confidence that I have done well in the Thomas Cup and Asian Championships, but the World Championships is definitely higher-ranked for me and my team. It’s a good challenge, and I’m ready.”

This is the second straight edition in which an Indian will face Shi in the opening round, after Lakshya Sen went down 17-21, 19-21 to the Chinese player last year.

Lakshya, however, avenged that loss when the two met again in the first round at the All England earlier this year.

Shi, who will be defending his title, has been far from his best in recent weeks, and that gives a now fully fit Ayush a chance to cause an early upset.

“I had some pain (elbow injury) earlier, but now it’s all good. I’ll be at 100% during the Worlds,” he stated.

Ashish Yadav won a silver in the men’s javelin throw event to open India’s medal account on the third day of the World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, USA.

Yadav’s third-round throw of 74.09m fetched him the silver medal, while T. Dharanidharan, the other Indian in the fray in the men’s javelin throw finals, finished sixth with 72.35m.

The 19-year-old Yadav became the second Indian, after two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra, to win a silver in the event.

Chopra had won gold and set the still-standing world junior record of 86.48m in the 2016 edition in Poland.

The gold medal went to South Africa’s Jan-Hendrik Heymans, who sent his spear to 80.50m, the season’s U20 world lead, in his sixth and final attempt.

Tennis fans of recent vintage never tire of talking about the ‘Big Three’ of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

It’s understandable too, for they collectively won 66 Majors in a 20-year-span, triggered constant improvements in each other’s games and elevated the quality to levels unseen.

When Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner started dominating the Tour — they have won 11 of the last 13 Slams — supporters were no doubt enthralled, but there was a longing for a third power-centre to break the duo’s omnipresence.

Sunday’s final at Wimbledon, where Jannik Sinner brought down the German wall in Alexander Zverev 6-7(7), 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-4, may be the first sign of such a triumvirate developing in this era.

“Big, big respect to Sascha [Zverev], because he’s doing something amazing,” Sinner said after winning his second straight Wimbledon and fifth Major.

“His game is growing, and what’s good is that you have someone who is pushing you to the limit. We hope that Carlos [Alcaraz] comes back [from his wrist injury], because tennis needs him. Having Novak [Djokovic] around, and with all the young players coming up, it’s really nice.”

Zverev, 29, did not play like a man who had lost nine straight times to Sinner. The French Open win last month had done wonders to his confidence, and he came out all guns blazing, hitting monstrous serves and big ground-strokes to stay with the World No. 1 for the first two sets.

“We’ve had glimpses of him trying to play that way in previous head-to-head matchups,” Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill said.

“In Miami [where Sinner won 6-3, 7-6(4)], he served really well and was unloading on every single forehand. He had a couple of chances in that match. We knew he was capable of doing it. We just didn’t know for how long he could.” Though Zverev’s level dropped slightly in the third and fourth, he ran up a break-point at 3-3 in the third — saved by a brave Sinner drop shot — and severely tested the Italian when the latter was serving for the championship at 5-4 in the fourth.

At 30-30, it required Sinner to come up with a remarkable backhand cross-court lift, almost parallel to the net, to turn an excruciating rally his way.

“This year has been a progress,” stated Zverev, who is now the new World No. 2. “I haven’t beaten, but I’ve pushed them to the limits. Alcaraz in Australia, Jannik may be here. Even though it was four sets, it was very close, and could have gone five as well.

“I’ve always been the third guy in a way. So if I get closer to them, be in the mix to win the big tournaments, it would be great”.

In recent times, the most prominent Italian understudy to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has been Lorenzo Musetti.

He has made the quarterfinals or better at all four Slams, been in the ATP top-10 for a good part of the last 14 months, and even climbed up to a career-high ranking of No. 5 ahead of the Australian Open earlier this year.

Over the past few months, however, Flavio Cobolli has usurped that understudy spot. Ranked outside the top-20 at the start of the season, the 24-year-old broke into the top-10 on the back of a stirring run to the recent French Open final.

On Monday, with a straight-sets victory over fifth seed Alex de Minaur, he made his second straight Wimbledon quarterfinal. He will meet British wild card Arthur Fery, who ended Grigor Dimitrov’s stay by clinching a nerve-wracking five-setter.

“I played one of my best matches ever, especially on this surface, which is always tough,” said Cobolli. “I found a way to a high level for the whole match and it was really impressive,” added the World No. 10.

Encouragingly, the wholesome performance came after quite a few back-to-the-wall efforts. Cobolli recovered from a first set bagel (6-0) to scrape through in five sets against the big-serving Karen Khachanov in the previous round; of the 12 sets he has won, six have been tense tie-breaks.

What should also hold him in good stead is his powerful game. Cobolli belongs to the group of players who literally bludgeon the ball, with Joao Fonseca, Jakub Mensik and Tomas Machac the other prominent members. When combined with a capable serve, it can prove devastating.

Movement and foot dexterity are allies too. After all, Cobolli spent five years at the famed football academy of AS Roma before switching full-time to the racquet sport. Recently in Paris, he did an entire lap of Court Philippe-Chatrier while juggling a tennis ball.

After the win against de Minaur, much to the delight of the Court No. 1 audience, he even re-created Cristiano Ronaldo’s famed mid-air twirl celebration.

The skills are there. The crowd has been charmed. Will silverware follow?

World Cup winning former India head coach Rahul Dravid said the grammar of T20 batting has undergone a complete metamorphosis of late and bowlers have some serious “catching up to do.”

Dravid, who guided India to its second T20 World Cup triumph in 2024 in the Caribbean, is marvelled at how the young guns like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ayush Mhatre, Priyansh Arya along with world’s No. 1 ranked T20 batter Abhishek Sharma have entirely changed the approach in the Powerplay overs.

“In a sense, to see the quality of batting that has happened over the last two or three years, I think the bowlers in that format of the game will slowly have to do some catching up,” Dravid told PTI in an exclusive interview from Dublin, where he was unveiled as the owner of European T20 Premier League (ETPL)’s Dublin franchise.

The former India skipper and one of India’s most respected coaches raved about how batters are now hitting boundaries to parts of the ground which earlier seemed out of bounds.

“I think batsmanship and the ability to hit sixes and to access different parts of the ground has certainly improved leaps and bounds.

“Bowlers will have to keep working on their skills and keep developing. I am sure, some of them will be able to still stand out and hold their own,” said Dravid, who has coached IPL teams like Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals.

However, he had no hesitation in admitting modern batters have adapted to the requirements of the T20 game better than the bowlers. However, Dravid was confident of a change.

“I think if you look at it in terms of balance, probably a lot more batsmen are able to cope with the requirements of the modern T20 game than, say, some of the bowlers have been able to at this point of time. That may change in two or three years,” he added.

The scenario is, however, a bit different in Test matches where bowlers have had the upper hand in consistently producing result-oriented games.

“I mean, if you look at Test cricket today, nearly every Test match produces a result. So, I think bowlers are probably holding the sway in some of the Test matches that we are seeing.”

“You know, two-day matches, three-day matches. So, bowlers have started holding the sway in Test cricket.”

“So, it will be interesting to see over the next couple of years if bowlers are able to pull this back a little bit in T20s,” Dravid said.

But is it possible for bowlers to pull things back if the pitches are as flat as they have been in recent times? Dravid agreed that some help is needed for the bowlers.

“They may need a little bit of support, and I think the way is probably to have a little more challenging wickets to ensure that there is something in it for the bowlers, whether it is the tracks that turn or whether it is a little bit more pace and bounce that gives the bowlers a little bit more of a chance.”

“Because I don’t think we can increase the size of the boundaries and already there is no space to go and increase the size of the boundaries,” Dravid put forth his take.

Asked if two bouncers per over could be a logical solution, Dravid didn’t want to get into specifics.

“I mean, I think anything that might make it a little bit more…give the bowlers a little bit more of a chance. But I still think that in the next couple of years we may see bowlers bounce back a little bit and start getting a little bit more of a swing.”

“There is always this balance, and there are times when the bat holds the sway as we are seeing at the moment in white ball cricket and maybe in red ball cricket we are seeing the ball hold the sway a little bit.”

But Dravid also doesn’t want the game to be too skewed in favour of either batters or bowlers.

“I think at some stage we don’t want the balance to be too skewed either way, either on the side of the batsmen or the side of the bowlers,” he said.

It’s no secret that India’s men’s 4x100m relay team has long trailed the country’s more accomplished 4x400m squad at the continental and global level.

Though the team has qualified for major events such as the Asian Games (it didn’t compete in the 2018 and 2022 edition), Asian championships and World Relays qualification meets, it has consistently struggled with baton exchanges, lane infringement, consistency and depth.

The latest setbacks have only reinforced those concerns. At the Asian athletics championships in May 2025, the Indian quartet was disqualified because of an exchange-zone violation. Ironically, just a month earlier, almost the same core group — Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur, Manikanta Hoblidhar and Amlan Borgohain — had clocked a National record of 38.69 seconds at the Indian Open relay competition in Chandigarh.

The errors persisted at the World Relays in Gaborone, Botswana, earlier this month. During the heats, Ragul Kumar, running the third leg, fell while attempting to pass the baton to Gurindervir, resulting in another disqualification. Harsh Santosh Raut and the more experienced Animesh had handled the opening two legs.

Greater exposure

Despite the disappointing run, national head coach James Hillier, who oversees the men’s 4x100m programme, remains optimistic. While taking responsibility for the poor results, he believes greater exposure, refinements and tweaks in training can help the team improve.

“It was a very high-pressure situation [at the World relays]. The team hadn’t even travelled overseas much, let alone compete at the World Relays. The standard was so high, so it was inevitable they would feel the pressure,” said Hillier, pointing to the team’s inexperience as a major factor.

He also felt the injury to Tamilarasu at the World Relays disrupted the combination. “That created an issue because once he got injured in the mixed relay, we had no choice other than to bring in Harsh, who had never run a relay before, and putting Ragul on the third leg was risky,” he explained.

Looking ahead to the Asian Games, Hillier, who is also the Athletics Director of the Reliance Foundation, said the Indian squad would compete in relay meets in Saudi Arabia and Taiwan to gain exposure before the Games.

“I’m very optimistic. We’ll get all our guys fit and try to put the best possible team together for the Games,” said the 48-year-old Briton.