On 5 November 2026, India defeated Japan 4–1 in the final of the 9th Hero Asian Hockey Championship at Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Mohali, winning the title for a record sixth time.
This was India’s third consecutive title in the tournament. India came from behind after Japan took an early lead and scored three goals in the fourth quarter to secure victory.
The victory marked a fitting farewell to midfielder Nilakanta Sharma, who played his last international match for India.
In the bronze medal match, Malaysia defeated South Korea 5–2. Hockey India announced a cash reward of ₹3 lakh for each player and ₹1.5 lakh for each support staff member.
The Indian men’s hockey team advanced to the final of the 9th Hero Asian Hockey Champions by defeating South Korea 8-1 on 4 November 2026 at the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Mohali.
India remained unbeaten throughout the tournament leading up to the title clash.
Japan secured its place in the final by defeating Malaysia 5-3 in a penalty shoot-out.
India is scheduled to face Japan in the championship match.
The Indian trio of Ravinder Singh, Saurabh Chaudhary and Amanpreet Singh clinched the men’s 50m pistol team gold at the ISSF World Championships on 3 November 2026.
The Indian team registered a combined score of 1659 points to secure the gold medal, finishing ahead of silver-medallist China with 1648 points and bronze-medallist Korea.
Ravinder Singh won the individual silver medal in the same event with a top score of 559 points, including 11 inner 10s for India.
Anton Aristarkhov of Russia won the gold medal in the individual 50m pistol event with a score of 561.
Italian driver Kimi Antonelli made history on 2 November 2026 by securing his maiden Formula One world championship at the Mexico City Grand Prix held at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
The 20-year-old champion secured the Formula One drivers’ title driving for the Mercedes team.
Max Verstappen of Red Bull won the Mexico City Grand Prix race, while Lewis Hamilton finished second driving for Ferrari.
Antonelli secured the world title by finishing in third place during the 71-lap race after starting from the fourth position on the grid.
Indian wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan created a new national record on 1 November 2026 by becoming India’s highest run-scorer in T20 Internationals in a single calendar year.
Kishan scored 61 runs off 32 balls in the fifth and final T20I against New Zealand at Seddon Park, Hamilton.
With this innings, he took his 2026 T20I tally to 1,220 runs in 37 innings, surpassing the previous Indian record of 1,164 runs set by Suryakumar Yadav in 2022.
Kishan also completed 2,000 runs in T20 Internationals, reaching the milestone in just 1,345 balls and becoming the third-fastest Indian batter to achieve it in terms of balls faced.
Abhishek Sharma holds the Indian record, reaching 2,000 T20I runs in 1,024 balls, followed by Suryakumar Yadav (1,164 balls).
Kishan achieved both milestones with his match-winning performance in the series finale.
India’s PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen won the women’s and men’s singles titles, respectively, at the Hylo Open 2026, held in Saarbrücken, Germany, on 1 November 2026.
PV Sindhu defeated Denmark’s Line Kjaersfeldt 21-12, 21-14 to become the first Indian woman to win the Hylo Open women’s singles title. It was her first title since the Japan Open in July.
Lakshya Sen defeated defending champion Jonatan Christie of Indonesia 21-17, 21-10 to win the men’s singles title for the second time.
Lakshya became the first Indian player to win two men’s singles titles at the Hylo Open.
The victories marked a memorable double-title triumph for India in international badminton.
On 30 October 2026, Manisha Bhanwala created history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Senior World Wrestling Championships. She won the gold in the women’s 59 kg category, defeating USA’s Abigail Elizabeth Nette by 8–6 in the final after making a remarkable comeback from a 0–6 deficit.
With this victory, Manisha ended India’s long wait for a women’s wrestling gold at the global championships.
India finished the competition with four medals: one gold, two silver and one bronze.
Kajal Dhochak and Neelam Sirohi won silver medals, while Tanu Sharma secured bronze in the 72 kg category.
Manisha’s historic victory marked a significant milestone in Indian women’s wrestling.
India’s Aditya won the gold medal at the World Under-19 Boxing Championships in Montenegro on 27 October 2026, defeating Russia’s Islam Magomedov 4–1 in the men’s 55 kg final. This was India’s first gold medal of the championship.
Harshika won bronze in the women’s 65 kg category.
Prachi Tokas secured bronze in the women’s over-80 kg category.
Megha Sheokand was scheduled to face Russia’s Ekaterina Frolova in the women’s 80 kg final later that day.
India concluded its campaign at the Fifth Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on 24 October 2026, winning a record 114 medals.
Medal tally: 30 gold, 35 silver and 49 bronze medals, surpassing India’s previous record of 108 medals at the 2023 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China.
Flag-bearers: Double gold medallists Nishad Kumar and Mona Agarwal led India’s contingent at the closing ceremony. Nishad won gold in the men’s high jump and long jump (T47), while Mona won gold in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 and 50m rifle three positions SH1 events, setting a Games record and a world record, respectively.
Key achievement: For the first time at these Games, para-athletics was not India’s leading source of gold medals, with para-badminton, archery and shooting contributing significantly to the final tally.
Japan’s Emperor Naruhito officially declared the fifth edition of the Asian Para Games open on 18 October 2026 at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Aichi-Nagoya.
The continental multi-sport event features participation from all 45 Asian nations under the official motto ‘Imagine One Heart’ and runs until 24 October 2026.
The Indian contingent comprises 281 members, including 168 athletes (112 men and 56 women), competing across 11 disciplines. Para-badminton star Pramod Bhagat and para-athlete Simran Sharma served as India’s flag-bearers.
The Indian delegation’s ceremonial attire featured deep blue blazers adorned with golden motifs inspired by the Indus Valley Civilisation, including the Priest-King sculpture, Dancing Girl figurine and ancient seals.
India finished the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi–Nagoya with a strong tally of 85 medals (21 Gold, 27 Silver, 37 Bronze), securing4th place overall. Top performers included historic wins in archery, golf, shooting, boxing, and team sports like cricket and hockey.
🏅 India’s Performance – Asian Games 2026
Total Medals: 85 (21 Gold, 27 Silver, 37 Bronze)
Rank: 4th place overall (behind China, Japan, South Korea; ahead of Uzbekistan & Iran)
Best-ever campaigns: Second only to Hangzhou 2023 (106 medals).
Sports with maximum impact: Athletics (24 medals), Archery (9 medals, 5 Gold), Shooting, Boxing, Hockey, Cricket.
🌟 Top Performer Players & Teams
Archery
Kumkum Mohod – First Indian woman to win individual recurve gold; also secured LA 2028 Olympic quota.
Indian Archery Teams – Swept compound team titles (men, women, mixed).
Golf
Pranavi Urs – First-ever Indian woman to win golf gold; also silver in team event with Aditi Ashok & Diksha Dagar.
Shooting
Neeru Dhanda – Historic women’s trap gold (first in 48 years) + mixed trap gold with Kynan Chenai.
Suruchi Singh & Kamaljeet – Gold in 10m air pistol mixed team with Asian record.
Boxing
Lovlina Borgohain – Won her maiden Asian Games gold in 75kg category.
India delivered a strong performance at the Asian Games 2026, reaching 5th place with 16 gold medals and more than 75 medals overall as of 2 October 2026.
Key Highlights
Women’s Hockey: India defeated China 1–0 to win its first Asian Games gold since 1982, ending a 44-year wait and securing direct qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
Boxing: India won three gold medals through Lovlina Borgohain (75kg), Parveen Hooda (65kg), and Ankush Panghal (80kg), along with three bronze medals.
Wrestling:Sujeet Kalkal won gold in the men’s 65kg freestyle category after a comeback victory.
Recurve Archery: India’s women’s team of Ankita Bhakat, Kumkum Mohod and Kirti Sharma defeated South Korea to win India’s first-ever Asian Games gold in recurve archery.
British-Indian chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan, an 11-year-old schoolgirl from London, has been recognised by Guinness World Records as the youngest chess player to achieve the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title.
Achievement: Youngest player ever to earn the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title.
Event: 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Age: 11 years.
Guinness World Records: This is Bodhana’s third world record.
Earlier records: Youngest chess Woman International Master and youngest female player to defeat a Grandmaster in a chess tournament.
Chess journey: She began playing chess at 5 years and 8 months, inspired by her fascination with the knight chess piece.
Early success: She started winning competitions by the age of six.
Bodhana’s response: She called the recognition a great honour and a motivation to continue improving.
Guinness World Records: Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday praised her journey as an inspiring example of childhood curiosity and passion leading to extraordinary achievements.
On 29 September 2026, India had a landmark day at the Asian Games in Aichi–Nagoya, winning its first athletics gold (women’s 4x400m relay) and its first individual gold in shooting (Neeru Dhanda in women’s trap). India’s overall tally rose to 53 medals (6 Gold, 21 Silver, 26 Bronze), placing the country 10th in the standings.
🥇 Key Gold Medal Wins
Neeru Dhanda (Shooting – Women’s Trap Individual)
First Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games gold in trap shooting.
Scored 28/30 hits, beating China’s Sun Yunong.
Women’s 4x400m Relay Team (Athletics)
India’s first athletics gold at the 2026 Games.
Team members: Names not fully reported yet, but performance marked a breakthrough.
🥈 Silver Medal
Women’s Trap Team (Shooting)
Neeru Dhanda, Aashima Ahlawat, Manisha Keer.
Scored 328 points, finishing behind China (346).
🥉 Bronze Medals
Athletics
Gulveer Singh – Men’s 5000m (his third medal of the Games).
On 28 September 2026, India delivered its strongest day yet at the Asian Games in Nagoya, winning8 medals (4 Silver, 4 Bronze), with athletics contributing 7 podium finishes. The overall tally rose to 45 medals (4 Gold, 20 Silver, 21 Bronze), placing India at 12th position in the standings.
🏅 India’s Medal Wins on 28 Sept 2026
Athletics (Track & Field)
Murali Sreeshankar – Silver in Men’s Long Jump (8.07m).
Gulveer Singh – Silver in Men’s 1500m (3:36.72, his 2nd medal after 10,000m silver).
Yashvir Singh – Silver in Men’s Javelin Throw (85.72m, personal best).
Rohit Yadav – Bronze in Men’s Javelin Throw (84.35m).
Vithya Ramraj – Bronze in Women’s 400m Hurdles (54.75s, broke PT Usha’s 42-year-old national record).
Parul Chaudhary – Bronze in Women’s 5000m (15:14.61, her 2nd medal after steeplechase bronze).
Athletics contributed 7 medals in one day, a record surge for India.
Shooting
Esha Singh – Silver in Women’s 25m Pistol (equalled Games record with 38 hits, lost gold in shoot-off).
Martial Arts (Kurash)
Pincky Balhara – Bronze in Women’s -78kg Kurash (her 2nd Asian Games medal after 2018 silver).
India has won 17 medals so far at the Asian Games 2026 (Aichi–Nagoya, Japan), including 1 Gold, 7 Silver, and 9 Bronze, placing the country around 15th in the medal standings. The women’s cricket team secured India’s only gold, while shooting, athletics, wushu, and rowing have contributed heavily to the tally.
🇮🇳 India’s Medal Tally (as of 25 Sept 2026)
Medal Type
Count
Key Events
🥇 Gold
1
Women’s Cricket (defeated Sri Lanka in final)
🥈 Silver
7
Shooting (Elavenil Valarivan – individual & team 10m air rifle; Himanshu Dhillon – 10m air rifle; Men’s team 10m air rifle), Weightlifting (Mirabai Chanu – 49kg), Wushu (Roshibina Devi – 60kg sanda), Athletics (Mixed 4x400m relay)
The Asian Games 2026 officially opened today (19 September 2026) in Aichi–Nagoya, Japan, with India’s flag-bearers Manu Bhaker and Tajinderpal Singh Toor leading a 500-athlete contingent. The Games run until 4 October, featuring 43 sports, including new disciplines like freestyle BMX, MMA, paddle surfing, teqball, and virtual taekwondo.
🏟️ Key Facts about Asian Games 2026
Edition: 20th Asian Games (XX Asiad)
Dates: 19 September – 4 October 2026
Host City: Aichi Prefecture & Nagoya, Japan
Main Venue: Paloma Mizuho Stadium, Nagoya
Motto: Imagine One Asia
Participation: 11,000+ athletes from 46 nations
Events: 469 events across 43 sports
Olympic Qualification: Archery, hockey, sailing, squash, surfing, tennis, and triathlon offer direct quotas for Los Angeles 2028 Olympics
🇮🇳 India at Asian Games 2026
Contingent Size: ~500 athletes across 35 sports.
Flag Bearers:
Manu Bhaker – Double Olympic medallist shooter.
Tajinderpal Singh Toor – Defending Asian Games shot put champion.
Past Record: India won 107 medals (28 gold) at Hangzhou 2023, its best-ever tally.
Target: To surpass the 2023 record and secure more Olympic quotas.
India defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 final at Dubai on 13 September 2026, winning a record-extending eighth Asia Cup title and avenging their defeat in the 2024 final.
India: 183/5
Sri Lanka: 111 all out in 19.4 overs
Result: India won by 72 runs
Top scorer: Shafali Verma – 68 runs
Smriti Mandhana:59 runs
Best bowler: Shree Charani – 4/20
Deepti Sharma:3/19
Key Highlights
Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana shared a record 129-run opening partnership, the highest for any wicket in Women’s Asia Cup history.
Shafali scored 68 off 39 balls and hit the fastest fifty in Women’s Asia Cup history, reaching 50 in just 24 balls.
Mandhana scored 59 off 39 balls, helping India post a strong 183/5.
Sri Lanka’s chase struggled against India’s disciplined bowling. Chamari Athapaththu top-scored with 36.
Shree Charani’s 4/20 and Deepti Sharma’s 3/19 dismantled the Sri Lankan batting lineup.
Shafali finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 236 runs in five innings.
The victory gave India their eighth Women’s Asia Cup title, further extending their record.
Indian badminton pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won their maiden China Masters 2026 title on 6 September in Shenzhen, defeating China’s He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu 11–21, 21–13, 21–17 in a 70-minute final.
Event: Li-Ning China Masters 2026 — BWF Super 750
Venue: Shenzhen Arena, China
Historic achievement: First Indian men’s doubles pair to win the China Masters.
Career milestone: Their 10th BWF World Tour title and second Super 750 title of 2026, after the Singapore Open.
Comeback: They recovered brilliantly after losing the opening game.
Breakthrough: After finishing runners-up in 2023 and 2025, they finally captured the title on their third final appearance.
World ranking: Currently World No. 5 in men’s doubles.
Significance: The victory provides strong momentum ahead of the Asian Games 2026 in Japan, beginning 19 September.
Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa made history by becoming the first Indian to win the Grand Chess Tour. He defeated defending champion Fabiano Caruana 15–13 in the final at St. Louis, USA, on 27 August 2026.
After trailing by six points, Praggnanandhaa staged a remarkable comeback by winning both rapid games and holding his lead in the blitz games. He won the $200,000 first prize and secured a place in the next year’s Grand Chess Tour.
East Bengal defeated Mohun Bagan 4–1 in the Durand Cup 2026 final at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium on 23 August 2026, ending a 22-year wait for the trophy.
🏆 Winner: East Bengal
⚽ Score: East Bengal 4–1 Mohun Bagan SG
🏟️ Venue: Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata
🏆 17th Durand Cup title for East Bengal, equalling Mohun Bagan’s record.
⏳ Their previous title came in 2004.
⭐ Edmund Lalrindika scored a spectacular hat-trick in the first half.
⚽ Bipin Singh scored East Bengal’s opening goal.
🇮🇳 East Bengal and Mohun Bagan are now joint-most successful teams in the Durand Cup.
Extra Facts for Exam: Asia’s oldest football tournament is the Durand Cup, which has been held since 1888
Kajal Dhochak created history by winning her second consecutive U20 World Wrestling Championship gold, defeating China’s Jingru Sun 7–0 in the women’s 76 kg final in Slovakia on 21 August 2026.
Kajal Dhochak: Gold – 76 kg; second consecutive U20 World title (2025 – 72 kg, 2026 – 76 kg).
At 18, she became only the second Indian wrestler to win back-to-back U20 World titles.
She completed a flawless campaign without conceding a single point.
2026: Five successive gold medals, including the U23 Asian Championships, Ulaanbaatar Ranking Series, U20 Asian Championships, Budapest Ranking Series and U20 World Championships.
Other Indian medals: Tanu Sharma – Silver (72 kg); Savita – Silver (62 kg).
India remained in contention for medals in several women’s and men’s freestyle categories.
On 18 August 2026, Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant became the first Indian and fourth player in the world to hit 100 sixes in Test cricket during the fourth day of the opening Test against Sri Lanka.
Pant reached the milestone in his 51st Test, becoming the fastest player to complete 100 Test sixes.
He surpassed Ben Stokes, who reached 100 sixes in his 82nd Test.
Players ahead of Pant in the overall list:
Ben Stokes – 138 sixes
Brendon McCullum – 107 sixes
Adam Gilchrist – 100 sixes
Rishabh Pant – 100 sixes
Among Indian players, Virender Sehwag and Rohit Sharma are joint second with 91 sixes each.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports announced the National Sports Awards 2025 on 18 August 2026 to recognise excellence and outstanding contributions by sportspersons, coaches and organisations in various sporting disciplines.
The awards were decided on the recommendations of a Selection Committee chaired by former Supreme Court Judge Justice (Retd.) Arun Kumar Mishra. The committee included eminent sportspersons, sports administrators and persons with experience in sports journalism. Applications were invited through a dedicated online portal, allowing sportspersons, coaches and entities to self-apply.
🏅 Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance – 2025
The Arjuna Award recognises good performance over the previous four years, along with qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and discipline.
A total of 17 sportspersons were selected:
No.
Sportsperson
Discipline
1
Tejaswin Shankar
Athletics
2
Muhammed Ajmal V
Athletics
3
Priyanka Goswami
Athletics
4
Treesa Jolly
Badminton
5
Pullela Gayatri Gopichand
Badminton
6
Narender
Boxing
7
Vidit Santosh Gujarathi
Chess
8
Divya Jitendra Deshmukh
Chess
9
Dhanush Srikanth
Deaf Shooting
10
Lalremsiami
Hockey
11
Rajkumar Pal
Hockey
12
Surjeet
Kabaddi
13
Pooja
Kabaddi
14
Rudransh Khandelwal
Para-Shooting
15
Ekta Bhyan
Para-Athletics
16
Arvind Singh
Rowing
17
Akhil Sheoran
Shooting
🏆 Arjuna Award (Lifetime) – 2025
The Arjuna Award (Lifetime) honours sportspersons who have made significant contributions through their performances and continued to promote sports after retiring from active competition.
I Arumainayagam – Football
🥇 Dronacharya Awards – 2025
The Dronacharya Award recognises coaches for outstanding and meritorious work on a consistent basis and for enabling sportspersons to excel at international events.
Regular Category:
Parveer Singh – Athletics
Chhote Lal Yadav – Boxing
Neha Nandkumar Chavan – Shooting
Lifetime Category:
Dharmendra Singh Yadav – Boxing
Virender Kumar – Wrestling
🇮🇳 Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar 2025
The Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar is given to entities that play a visible role in the promotion and development of sports.
Magnus Carlsen successfully defended his Esports World Cup Chess 2026 title in Paris by defeating Denis Lazavik 2–0 in the grand final. The Norwegian star remained unbeaten throughout the tournament, winning his second consecutive EWC Chess title and earning $250,000.
🏆 Winner: Magnus Carlsen (Norway, Team Liquid)
🥈 Runner-up: Denis Lazavik (Belarus)
🥉 Third: Hikaru Nakamura (USA)
📅 Dates: 11–15 August 2026
📍 Venue: Paris, France
💰 Prize: $250,000 for Carlsen
♟️ Format: Rapid chess (10-minute games)
⭐ Key Record: First player to win the EWC Chess title twice consecutively (2025 & 2026).
Exam Point: Magnus Carlsen won the Esports World Cup Chess 2026 title and became the first back-to-back champion of the event.
Indian chess Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa won his maiden St. Louis Rapid & Blitz 2026 title at the Saint Louis Chess Club, USA, held from 31 July to 7 August 2026.
He scored 23.5/35 points, finishing 1.5 points ahead of Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan. Wesley So of the USA finished third with 20.5 points. Praggnanandhaa earned $50,000 and 13 Grand Chess Tour points, moving to second place in the overall Grand Chess Tour standings.
The victory is significant as Praggnanandhaa had also won Norway Chess 2026 earlier in the year.
Harshita Jakhar, a 19-year-old cyclist from Rajasthan, became the first Indian woman to participate in the Tour de France Femmes. She took part in the ceremonial start of Stage 2 on 2 August 2026 in Switzerland.
Harshita was part of a specially selected group of eight cyclists from countries including Afghanistan, Algeria, Chile, Ethiopia, Namibia and Uganda.
The riders were selected by the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) and completed a 4.5-km neutralised section of the course.
The Tour de France Femmes is the women’s equivalent of the men’s Tour de France and is part of the UCI Women’s WorldTour calendar.
The 2026 race began on 1 August in Lausanne and is scheduled to conclude on 9 August in Nice.
Harshita has achieved several successes in junior and senior cycling competitions in India.
Her goals are to finish in the Top 10 at the 2026 Asian Games and win a medal at the 2030 Asian Games.
Exam Point: Harshita Jakhar → First Indian woman at Tour de France Femmes → Rajasthan → 2026.
The Commonwealth Games 2026 were held in Glasgow, Scotland, from 23 July to 2 August 2026. India delivered one of its strongest performances at the Games, winning 39 medals and finishing 4th in the overall medal standings.
India won 13 gold, 17 silver and 9 bronze medals. Boxing was the biggest success for India, while weightlifting, athletics, para-athletics and judo also produced several historic achievements.
India’s Medal Tally
🥇 Gold: 13
🥈 Silver: 17
🥉 Bronze: 9
🏅 Total: 39
Overall Rank: 4th
Major Highlights
Boxing: Indian boxers won a record 10 medals, including 7 gold medals, making it India’s best-ever Commonwealth Games boxing performance.
Mirabai Chanu: Won gold in the women’s 48 kg weightlifting event and completed a Commonwealth Games hat-trick.
Judo:Asmita Dey won India’s first-ever Commonwealth Games judo gold. Harsh Singh became the first Indian male judoka to win a CWG gold.
Para-athletics:Sharmila Dhankar won India’s first Commonwealth Games para-athletics gold.
Dilip Gavit: Won gold in the men’s 100m T47 event.
Soman Rana: Won gold in the men’s F57 shot put.
Neeraj Chopra: Won silver in men’s javelin with a season-best throw.
Gulveer Singh: Won silver in the 10,000m and bronze in the 5,000m, becoming the first Indian to win two athletics medals at the same Commonwealth Games.
Tejaswin Shankar: Won bronze in the decathlon, becoming the first Indian to win a Commonwealth Games decathlon medal.
Jhandu Kumar: Won India’s first medal of the 2026 Games in para powerlifting.
Top Countries in the Medal Table
Rank
Country
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
1
Australia
65
41
52
158
2
England
26
40
35
101
3
Canada
18
20
21
59
4
India
13
17
9
39
5
Scotland
13
8
17
38
Overall Significance
India’s performance was particularly notable because several of its traditional strong sports, such as wrestling, badminton, shooting and hockey, were not part of these Games. Despite this, Indian athletes performed strongly in boxing, weightlifting, athletics, para-athletics and judo.
India’s 39-medal haul and 4th-place finish highlighted the country’s growing strength across a wider range of sports.
On 25 July 2026, Anahat Singh created history by becoming the first Indian to win the World Squash Junior Individual Championships, defeating Ruqayya Salem (Egypt)3-0 (11-3, 11-7, 11-9) in the girls’ singles final at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada. Her victory ended Egypt’s 15-year dominance in the championship and marked a historic milestone for Indian squash.
Born on 13 March 2008 in New Delhi, Anahat Singh is coached by Saurav Ghosal, Stéphane Galifi, and Grégory Gaultier. She has previously won the British Junior Open U-11 (2019), US Junior Open (2021), Asian Junior U-15 Championship (2022), Squash World Cup gold (2025), and was named PSA Young Player of the Year and Challenger Player of the Year (2025). She also became the youngest Indian squash player to compete at the 2022 Commonwealth Games at the age of 14.
The Commonwealth Games 2026 officially opened in Glasgow, Scotland on 23 July with a vibrant indoor ceremony at the OVO Hydro Arena. Over 3,000 athletes from 74 nations are competing across 11 days, with India fielding a 124-member contingent led by Mirabai Chanu and Lovlina Borgohain.
