Indian Sports Wrap, August 18: Anirban Lahiri finishes 25th in LIV standings

GOLF

Lahiri 27th at Indianapolis, ends season 25th in LIV standings

Anirban Lahiri signed off with a two-under 69 to finish tied-27th at the LIV Golf event in Indianapolis, ending the regular season 25th in the individual standings of the Liv Golf league.

Lahiri shot 67-67-69 for a 10-under total as Sebastian Munoz beat Jon Rahm in a play-off after both tied at 22-under.

However, Rahm finished atop the standings. It earned him a second straight season-long title.

At 25th place, Lahiri was one place outside the ‘Lock Zone’ which ensured a spot for 2026. He is now in the ‘Open Zone’ under which his team, Crushers, can trade him or release him. Lahiri has been an important member of Crushers, which is led by Bryson DeChambeau, who was third overall.

-PTI

GOLF

Aditi logs best finish of 2025, 6th in Portland

Aditi Ashok fired a final round of 5-under 67 to finish sixth in The Standard Portland Classic held at Columbia Edgewater Country Club on the LPGA.

The sixth place finish is Aditi’s best finish of the season on the LPGA and only the second Top-10 finish this season.

Aditi shot 69-70-65-67 to finish the week with a score of 17 under par. She had seven birdies and two bogeys in her final round.

Indian-American Gurleen Kaur shot 7-under 65 on the final day for her career best result of second with a total score of 20-under par. Kaur shot rounds of 65-68-70-65 to end the week four strokes behind the winner Akie Iwai.

Indian-Canadian Savannah Grewal finished tied 38 with a total score of seven under par (69-67-72-73). Akie Iwai shot a final round of 6-under 66 to secure her maiden title by a comfortable margin of four strokes.

-PTI

Saptak Talwar finishes in top-30 despite tough final round

Saptak Talwar endured a difficult final day at the Vierumaki Finnish Challenge being played at the Cooke Course on the Hotel Planner Tour, shooting 3-over 75 to finish tied-27.

At the end of the third round, Talwar had set himself up for his first top 5 finish. He even began with a birdie for a good start and then slid backwards.

Talwar dropped a bogey on the seventh but recovered the shot on the ninth.

Then the Indian fell apart on the back nine as he made a double bogey on the 10th and a bogey on the 11th only to follow it with one more bogey on the 14th.

His rounds of 73-67-65-75 saw him finish at 8-under for the week.

-PTI

Rayhan Thomas finishes T-58 in Boise Open

Rayhan Thomas carded a final round of 1-over 72 to finish the week in Boise at tied 58 in the Albertsons Boise Open on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Thomas, who started the week with a strong first round of 65, slipped thereafter. With 65-70-69-72, his combined score for the week was eight under par.

The final round included five birdies, four bogeys and one double bogey.

Indo-Canadian Sudarshan Yellamaraju missed the cut, while Indo-American Julian Suri was tied-seventh.

-PTI

Ahlawat finishes quietly on tied 34th in Denmark

Veer Ahlawat finished with a modest 1-over 72 to finish tied 34 at the Danish Golf Championship at the Fureso Golf Klub in Denmark on the DP World Tour.

Ahlawat shot three birdies and four bogeys in his final round.

After a bogey on the second hole, Ahlawat put together three birdies in four holes and looked set for a strong end to the week.

However, bogeys on the 12th, 16th and 17th prevented him from his first top 20 finish of the season.

With scores of 73-68-70-72, Ahlawat had a total score of one under par for the week.

The finish is expected to move him up from the 139th spot on the Race to Dubai rankings to the 136th spot.

The top 113 will get Category 10 card, which gets a player most of the starts for next year.

-PTI

MOTORSPORT

Sanjay Takale helps secure overall 2nd for Team Toyota at Asia Cross Country Rally 2025

Pune’s seasoned rally driver Sanjay Takale showcased his trademark resilience at the 30th edition of the Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR), steering Team Toyota to an overall second-place finish despite early setbacks. The Indian driver was awarded a Special Trophy for his remarkable fightback performance in Asia’s toughest cross-country rally, often referred to as the “Asian Dakar.”

Takale’s gritty drive came after a dramatic incident on Day 2, when he hit a large ditch at high speed, resulting in a tyre blast and a major puncture. The wheel change was further delayed when a wheel nut broke due to the impact, costing Takale and his Thai co-driver Keerati Noijard more than two hours. Unable to complete the leg, the duo incurred a penalty of nine hours—dropping it to the bottom of the standings.

Rather than conceding, Takale launched a determined comeback, gradually climbing the leaderboard over the following stages. His persistence not only salvaged his rally but also secured Team Toyota a strong overall finish.

On Day 5, Takale stopped mid-stage to help a Team Toyota teammate whose car had been bogged down in a swamp. Using his winch, Takale pulled the car free, sacrificing over an hour of his own time but ensuring both cars continued in the rally.

– Team Sportstar

ATHLETICS

12th edition of Ladakh Marathon to return in September

The 12th edition of the Ladakh marathon, scheduled to feature about 6,600 runners in all, in six different races, from 30 countries, will be staged from September 11 to 14.

The 122-kilometre Silk Route Ultra and the 72-kilometre Khadung La Challenge will be the major attractions, testing human endurance at high altitude, as participants race along the Indus river, through Khardung La and Nubra, amidst the Himalayan beauty.

The Silk route, with about 300 athletes, will be held on the first day on the 122-km course from Kyagar village at 10,000 feet over the Khardung La at 17,618 on to the Leh market.

The 72-km Khardung La challenge will have about 60 kilometres of the route above 13,000 feet, making it the highest ultra-marathon in the world.

All participants will undergo mandatory acclimatisation, as they arrive in Ladakh at least a week to ten days prior to their race to tune themselves to the high altitude conditions.

“The Ladakh marathon has grown into one of India’s biggest races and most unique. The Khardung La Challenge and the Silk Route Ultra push the limits of human endurance. The record registration reflects a fit India,” said the founder and organiser Chewang Motup Goba.

The motto will be “leave only footprints behind”, ensuring efficient waste management along every route.

Apart from the regular marathon and half marathon, there will also be two other races spanning 11.2 and five kilometres to give everyone a chance to be part of the event.

-Kamesh Srinivasan

Ahmedabad Marathon to be held on November 30

The ninth edition of the Ahmedabad Marathon will be held on November 30 and will start from the Sabarmati Riverfront, the organisers announced on Monday.

The event will feature four race categories — full marathon, half-marathon, 10 km run, and 5 km run — appealing to participants across age groups and fitness levels.

Organised by Adani Sportsline, the marathon will once again be flagged off from the Sabarmati Riverfront, weaving through some of the city’s most iconic landmarks, including the Atal Bridge, Gandhi Ashram, and Ellis Bridge.

-PTI

KHELO INDIA

Over 400 athletes in six disciplines to compete in Khelo India Water Sports Festival

Jammu and Kashmir’s quest to emerge as a sporting destination will get a major boost when the Dal Lake hosts the maiden Khelo India Water Sports Festival (KIWSF) in six disciplines from August 21-23.

More than 400 athletes from 36 states and Union Territories will participate in three medal events — rowing, kayaking and canoeing — as the sports ministry plans to further promote sports activities in the valley, following Gulmarg’s success in hosting five editions of the Khelo India Winter Games.

For decades, Dal Lake has remained the hub of Kashmir tourism, and with the hosting of the inaugural KIWSF, it will also become a hot spot for competitive sporting activity.

The inaugural KIWSF will also showcase three demonstration events — water skiing, dragon boat race, and the ‘shikara’ sprint.

– PTI

HOCKEY

15th Hockey India Junior Men National Championship 2025: Odisha, Manipur and Jharkhand ends pool stage with wins

Odisha, Manipur and Jharkhand won their matches of the day while Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu played out a draw to end the Division A pool stage on day of the 15th Hockey India Junior Men National Championship 2025 in Jalandhar.

– Team Sportstar

TENNIS

Balaji and Rithvik finish runner-up of $200,000 Challenger tournament

Second seeds Sriram Balaji and Rithvik Bollipalli were beaten 6-4, 7-6(3) by the fourth seeds Ryan Seggerman and Patrik Trhac in the doubles final of the $200,000 Challenger tennis tournament in Sumter, USA.

The champion team won 125 ATP points and $9,900. The Indian pair collected 75 points and $5,760.

-Kamesh Srinivasan

CHESS

Kriti, Iyer and Muthe continue winning streak in All India Chess Masters

WCM Kriti Patel, ACM Arvind Iyer and Dhruv Muthe continued their respective winning streaks in the third round of the All India Chess Masters Mumbai FIDE Classical Tournament here on Monday.

Playing with black pieces, Kriti got the better of Anvay Patil while Iyer defeated Mediansh Poojary to record his third successive victory.

Muthe also registered his third straight win as he defeated Murli R and remained on the top position in the standings.

– PTI