Punjab shuttler Tanvi Sharma wins maiden BWF World Tour title at Taip…

Teen Indian sensation Tanvi Sharma won her maiden BWF World Tour title after defeating Vietnam’s sixth seed Thuy Linh Nguyen 21-16 21-16 in the women’s singles final of the Taipei Open Super 300 badminton tournament here on Sunday. catcrossgame.com

The 17-year-old from Punjab, who had finished runner-up at last year’s US Open Super 300, needed just 36 minutes to outclass Nguyen in the summit clash.

Coached by PV Sindhu’s former mentor Park Tae-sang, Tanvi also became the first Indian to win the women’s singles title at the Taipei Open since Saina Nehwal, who had lifted the trophy in 2008.

Tanvi made a flying start, repeatedly catching Nguyen at the front court with deft drops played with the same action as a smash to open up a 4-1 lead. The Vietnamese struggled to read the Indian’s deception and also found it difficult to judge the drift, going wide twice as Tanvi mixed steep cross-court smashes with her trademark touch to surge to a 10-2 advantage.

The Indian, however, suddenly slipped into a string of errors, struggling to keep the shuttle inside the lines. She eventually produced a timely smash to carry a three-point lead into the mid-game interval, with coach Park Tae-sang urging her to relax.

Tanvi found her rhythm after the break, producing powerful smashes from both flanks to move 15-9 ahead. Though she gifted away a few points with errors at the net and from the back court, she regained control, earning five game points before sealing the opening game with a cross-court smash.

After the change of ends, Nguyen opened a 3-0 lead by making Tanvi cover the court with sharp angles. But the Indian slowly began dictating the rallies, drawing level at 3-3 with a fine net shot before once again pushing her opponent deep and catching her at the net with deft touches.

Nguyen’s inconsistency also helped Tanvi build an 8-4 lead before another patch of errors allowed the Vietnamese to close the gap to 7-8, prompting Park to tap his head in frustration. Two exquisite deceptive winners helped Tanvi take an 11-8 lead at the interval.

The Indian gradually stretched the advantage to 15-10 and then 18-12, her deception once again fetching crucial points. At 19-12, Tanvi unsuccessfully challenged a line call after being ruled late, but soon earned seven match points with a smash. A nervous finish saw her squander three of them before she finally converted to seal her maiden BWF title.

In a heartwarming moment, Tanvi took off her gold medal and placed it around coach Park Tae-sang’s neck before the two posed together for photographs.

At 17 years and 222 days, Tanvi is the youngest finalist in the tournament’s history, surpassing Korean doubles great Lee Yong Dae, who was 17 years and 287 days old when he reached the men’s doubles final in 2006.

Tanvi had become the first Indian to win two medals at a single edition of the World Junior Championships, securing silver in girls’ singles and bronze in the mixed team event. She was also a member of the Indian team that won the country’s maiden gold medal at the Asian Team Championships.

A former world junior No. 1, Tanvi reached her maiden Super 300 final at the 2025 US Open at the age of 16. She also finished runner-up at the Odisha Masters Super 100 and Guwahati Masters Super 100.

Ankush Panghal secured the men's 80kg gold medal with a remarkable comeback victory. He overcame a significant deficit to defeat England's Dimeji Shittu in the final bout. This win contributed to India's most successful boxing campaign ever at the Commonwealth Games. India achieved seven gold and three silver medals in total across the boxing events. The women's team notably secured five gold medals during the competition.

New Delhi [India], August 2 (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday congratulated Indian athletes Gulveer Singh and Narender Berwal for their medal-winning performances at the Commonwealth Games 2026.

In a post on X, Rajnath Singh congratulated Gulveer Singh on winning the bronze medal in the men’s 5,000m event and hailed his historic achievement.

The Defence Minister said Gulveer’s feat would inspire young athletes to pursue excellence with dedication and perseverance, while wishing him continued success.

“A historic moment for Indian athletics at the Commonwealth Games. Heartiest congratulations to Naib Subedar Gulveer Singh on winning the bronze medal in the Men’s 5,000m event. With this achievement, he has scripted history by becoming the first Indian athlete to win medals in both the men’s 5,000m and 10,000m events at a single edition of the Commonwealth Games. This remarkable feat will inspire countless young athletes to pursue excellence with dedication and perseverance. Wishing him continued success and many more laurels for the nation," Singh wrote.

Singh also congratulated boxer Narender Berwal for winning the silver medal in the men’s +90kg category at the Commonwealth Games 2026.

Rajnath said Narender’s performance had brought immense pride to the nation and reflected the “rising strength of Indian boxing". He also wished the boxer continued success and many more laurels for the country in the years ahead.

“A silver medal earned through exceptional skill, determination, and unwavering resolve on the world stage. Heartfelt congratulations to Narender Berwal on winning the Silver Medal in the Men’s +90kg boxing event at the Commonwealth Games 2026. His remarkable performance has brought immense pride to the nation and reflects the rising strength of Indian boxing. Wishing him continued success and many more laurels for India in the years ahead," Singh wrote on X.

India will enter the final day of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026 with an impressive haul of 39 medals, comprising 13 gold, 17 silver and nine bronze, despite the reduced sports programme (ANI)

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Glasgow [Scotland], August 2 (ANI): India enjoyed a strong medal-winning day at the Commonwealth Games 2026 on Saturday, with athletes across boxing, athletics, para athletics and judo adding to the country’s medal tally.

Indian boxers dominated the competition, winning seven gold medals and three silver medals. Sakshi Chaudhary defeated England’s Ruby White to win gold in the women’s 51kg category, while Preeti Pawar beat Canada’s Scarlett Savannah Delgado to claim the women’s 54kg gold.

Jaismine Lamboria secured gold in the women’s 57kg category after defeating Northern Ireland’s Michaela Walsh, while Priya Ghanghas overcame Canada’s Marie-Bathoul Al-Ahmadieh to win the women’s 60kg gold medal.

Arundhati Choudhary also emerged victorious in the women’s 70kg category, defeating England’s Chantelle Reid.

In the men’s events, Sachin Siwach defeated Namibia’s Tryagain Morning Ndevelo to clinch gold in the 60kg category, while Ankush Panghal beat England’s Dimeji Shittu to win the men’s 80kg gold.

Lovlina Borgohain, Jadumani Singh and Narender Berwal settled for silver medals after losing their respective finals. Lovlina went down to Australia’s Emma Sue Greentree in the women’s 75kg final, Jadumani lost to Australia’s Jye Dixon in the men’s 55kg final, while Narender was defeated by England’s Damar Thomas in the men’s 90+kg final.

In para athletics, Soman Rana won gold and Shubham Juyal secured silver in the men’s F57 shot put event.

Athletics also brought two medals for India, with Praveen Chithravel winning silver and Selva Prabhu Thirumaran claiming bronze in the men’s triple jump. Gulveer Singh added another bronze medal in the men’s 5000m final.

In judo, Unnati Sharma defeated South Africa’s Skye Knoester to win bronze in the women’s -63kg category. Harsh Tokas, meanwhile, lost to Australia’s Keishin Ochi in the men’s -81kg bronze medal bout after progressing through the repechage.

India’s other athletes had mixed results across events. Karanjit Singh Maan and Inunganbi Takhellambam were knocked out in their respective judo repechage bouts, while track cyclists David Beckham, Ronaldo Singh and Rojit Singh exited the men’s sprint qualification.

In para athletics, Ramesh Shanmugam finished seventh in the men’s 1500m T54. Priyanka Goswami finished fourth in the women’s 10,000m race walk, while Ravina Gayakwad was disqualified.

Dinesh Kumar and Harshveer Singh Sekhon failed to finish the men’s 10km scratch race qualifying event, while India’s men’s pairs team of Navneet Singh and Dinesh Kumar was knocked out by England in bowls. Nayanmoni Saikia also exited the women’s singles sectional play after losing to South Africa’s Bridget Herselman.

In athletics, Dev Meena and Kuldeep Kumar finished outside the medal positions in the men’s pole vault final, while the Indian mixed 4x400m relay team of Vishal TK, Rajesh Ramesh, Rashdeep Kaur and Neeru Pathak finished sixth.

India will enter the final day of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026 on Sunday with an impressive haul of 39 medals, comprising 13 gold, 17 silver and nine bronze, despite the reduced sports programme. (ANI)

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