Indian sports wrap, December 29: India’s Jagreet Misra wins FIDE Rapid Rating event

CHESS

Delhi boy Jagreet Misra wins FIDE Rapid Rating event

Delhi chess prodigy Jagreet Misra racked up an impressive 8.5 points in nine rounds to win the inaugural ChessVeda FIDE Rapid Rating Tournament in Greater Noida.

The 13-year-old’s performance earned him 90 rating points, highlighting his tactical sharpness and competitive maturity as he remained unbeaten in the tournament.

The Mount Carmel School student received a cash prize of Rs 25,000 for the win.

The tournament saw participation from 592 Indian and foreign players, including International Masters, FIDE Masters, and Candidate Masters.

Jagreet had recently defeated a Grandmaster Blagojevic Dragisa (ELO 2446) from Montenegro.

– PTI

MOTORSPORT

Takale sole Indian car rallyist at Dakar, returns with team Aerpace Racers

Rally driver Sanjay Takale, the only Indian to take part in four-wheeler category in the Dakar Rally, will make his second successive appearance in the event, beginning in Saudi Arabia on January 3.

Takale, who made his debut earlier this year, was placed 18th overall and 10th in his class—the Dakar Classic category—a ‘regularity event’ for vintage vehicles.

The 57-year-old will race for Team Aerpace Racers along with French navigator Maxime Raud. He will receive technical and logistical support from Compagnie Saharienne, France.

Takale’s three-decade-long career has seen him clinch the Asia-Pacific Production Cup title and participate in select World Rally Championship events.

He described finishing the 2025 Dakar Classic as a key milestone in his career.

– PTI

HOCKEY

Roundglass Punjab wins 3rd Hockey India Sub Junior Men Academy Championship 2025

Roundglass Punjab Hockey Club Academy won the third Hockey India Sub Junior Men Academy Championship 2025 – Zone A & B title at the Veer Narmad South Gujarat University Hockey Ground in Surat, Gujarat, on Monday.

Army Boys Sports Company finished as the runner-up, while Sail Hockey Academy finished in third place.

Roundglass secured a 2-0 win against Army Boys in the finals, with Ali Razzaq (35’) and Sanmukh Singh (56’) scoring crucial goals for their side to help it be crowned as champion.

In the third-place match, Sail Hockey Academy secured a third-place finish after its 7-0 win against Ritu Rani Hockey Academy. Arun Lakra (13’, 34’) bagged a brace, while Bikash Kaetha (15’), Mohmad Shahid (17’), Kailash Kujur (22’), Milan Athokpam (28’), and Malemnganba Akoijam (35’) also got on the scoresheet for Sail Hockey.

Earlier in the day, the semifinals of the 3rd Hockey India Junior Men Academy Championship 2025 – Zone A & B took place at the same venue. Roundglass Punjab Hockey Club Academy and S.G.P.C. Hockey Academy booked their place in the finals after securing victories.

Roundglass Academy registered an 8-1 win against Ghumanhera Riser’s Academy in the first semifinal. Prince Singh (7’, 58’), Amandeep (11’, 47’), and Jarman Singh (25’, 59’) bagged a brace each, while Varinder Singh (2’) and Uttkarsh (13’) also got on the scoresheet for the winners. Hitesh Kataria (47’) scored the only goal of the game for Ghumanhera Riser’s Academy.

In the second semifinal, S.G.P.C. Hockey Academy clinched a 2-1 victory over Namdhari XI. Diljeet Singh (37’) and Jagjit Singh (39’) scored for the former, while Sehajpreet Singh (53’) scored for the latter.

Roundglass Academy will take on S.G.P.C. Hockey Academy in the final on December 30. On the same day, Ghumanhera Riser’s Academy and Namdhari XI will face each other in the third-place match.

-Team Sportstar

SHOOTING

Neeru Dhanda strikes women’s trap gold at 68th NSCC

From L-R: Kirti Gupta, Neeru Dhanda, and Pragati Dubey—podium finishers in women’s trap at the 68th NSCC in New Delhi.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Asian Championship gold medallist Neeru Dhanda delivered a composed performance to strike women’s trap gold at the 68th National Shooting Championship Competitions on Monday at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range.

Neeru finished on top with 41 hits in the final, holding off a strong challenge from Delhi’s Kirti Gupta, who settled for the silver medal with 40. Neeru’s state teammate from Madhya Pradesh, Pragati Dubey, completed the podium, claiming the bronze medal with 32 hits.

Earlier in qualification, Pragati topped the field with 117, followed by Neeru on 114 and Rajeshwari Kumari on 113. Addya Katyal qualified fourth with 112, while Preeti Rajak (111+1) and Kirti (111) rounded off the top six, their positions decided on shoot-off scores.

In the finals, Addya Katyal of Delhi finished fourth with 27, followed by Preeti with 21 and Punjab’s Olympian Rajeshwari, who finished sixth with 17 hits.

The junior men’s trap final saw Aryavansh Tyagi rise to the occasion with a strong finish, shooting 42 to win the gold medal. Punjab’s Keshav Chauhan took silver with 37, while Uttar Pradesh’s Zuhair Khan claimed the bronze with 30. 

Zuhair had earlier dominated the qualification round with a score of 120, ahead of Aryan Singh’s 118, who finished the final at fifth with 21 hits. Aryavansh Tyagi and Arjun both shot 115, with the former advancing via a shoot-off. Keshav Chauhan (113) and Manitwa Singh Rawat (112) completed the list of finalists. Manitwa finished fourth with 27 (112), while Arjun of Haryana finished sixth with 14 hits in the final.

In the team events, Madhya Pradesh dominated the women’s trap team event, winning gold with a combined total of 339 from Pragati, Neeru, and Manisha Keer. Delhi secured the silver medal with 333 through Addya, Kirti, and Bhavya Tripathi, while Punjab claimed bronze with 319 (Rajeshwari, Pukhraj Kaur Chahal, and Krishika Joshi).

Haryana claimed the junior men’s trap team gold with an aggregate score of 336, courtesy of Arjun, Lakshya Atree, and Prikshit Arya. Gujarat finished second to take the silver medal with 327 (Aryan, Bakhtyar Uddin Mohamadmuzahid, and Manavrajsinh Rajendrasinh Chudasama), while Rajasthan claimed bronze with 326 through Udhav Singh Rathore, Prithviraj Singh Rathore and Vinay Pratap Singh C.

Delhi claimed the gold in the junior women’s trap team event, as Addya Bhavya and Ananya Yaduvanshi combined for a winning total of 323. Tamil Nadu finished second with 295, while Rajasthan secured the bronze with 274.

-Team Sportstar

Published on Dec 29, 2025