Ajit Agarkar, wife Fatema to start early learning centre ACE Juniors
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar and his wife Fatema will launch a new-age early learning centre ACE Juniors on July 29 with a curriculum that will focus on developing creativity, emotional intelligence and communication among children.
The curriculum draws inspiration from Cambridge Early Years, Reggio Emilia, Steiner Education, the Alberta Curriculum and the New Zealand Curriculum Framework, while remaining “deeply rooted in Indian developmental and cultural contexts.” “Children today are growing into a world that will demand adaptability, empathy, resilience and problem-solving far beyond academic knowledge.
“ACE Juniors is designed to nurture these real-life capabilities from the very beginning, through inquiry, exploration and meaningful experiences,” said Fatema, educationist, and founder of Agarkar Centre of Excellence.
Starting out as a preschool, ACE Juniors will evolve into a full K-12 ecosystem (from kindergarten to 12th grade) in the coming years.
“Cricket taught me that success is never just about talent. It comes from learning every day, staying adaptable, working as a team, and developing the resilience to handle both success and setbacks. These are lifelong skills, and they should begin developing early in a child’s life,” said Agarkar.
-PTI
Diksha finishes Tied 16th in Scotland
A patchy final round of 1-over 73 meant that Indian golfer Diksha Dagar finished tied-16th at the Women’s Scottish Open here.
Diksha was gunning for a fifth Top-10 finish, but slipped after compiling 2-over 290 for four days. The event was co-sanctioned with LPGA.
India’s Pranavi Urs and Avani Prashanth missed the cut.
Korea’s Jenny Shin returned to the winner’s circle after a 10-year absence. Shin won by two strokes as she produced a wire-to-wire victory with rounds of 66, 67, 71 and 75.
It is a second LPGA Tour title for Shin, who won the 2016 Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America, and a first title on the Ladies European Tour (LET).
Diksha opened the day with a birdie and added one more on the fourth, but a double bogey on the fifth brought her back to par.
A birdie on the seventh raised hopes of a Top-10, but bogeys on the eighth and the 12th meant another setback. Diksha parred the last six holes for a 73. She will now play the AIG Women’s Open next month.
The result this week also saw Diksha move to sixth place on the LET Order of Merit.
Korea’s A Lim Kim ended the week in solo second place on seven-under-par after a final round of 68 (-4) which included five birdies and one bogey. Thailand’s Pajaree Anannarukarn was third on five-under-par with Germany’s Esther Henseleit one shot further back in fourth.
The LET heads to the final Major championship of the year with the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes from July 30 until August 2.
-PTI
Indian golfers Ceerat, Guntas to compete in Malaysia Ladies Open Amateur
Chandigarh’s Guntas Kaur Sandhu and Ceerat Kang of Panchkula will participate in Malaysia Ladies Open Amateur scheduled to be staged from July 28 to 30 at Glenmarie Golf & Country Club in Selangor.
The 19-year-old Ceerat, currently ranked No. 1, registered 12 top-10 finishes out of 20 starts in 2025-26 season, including victory at the Greens to Glory Junior Masters Championship last year.
“I am currently ranked No. 1 in the IGU merit list and I’m very excited to represent India in the Malaysia Ladies golf championship. It’s always an honour to represent my country and hopefully I can make India proud,” Ceerat said.
Guntas, who is placed second in the IGU Ladies Order of Merit, posted 13 top-10 finishes including four victories from 20 starts on the IGU amateur circuit.
The 15-year-old won the IGU Eastern India Ladies, IGU Southern India Ladies, IGU Maharashtra Ladies and IGU West Bengal Ladies in the 2025-26 season.
Around 40 amateur golfers from 20 countries will compete in the three-round event with individual winners decided after 54 holes, while the champion team will be decided after 36 holes with the combined score of the two golfers.
-PTI
Indian men enter pre-quarters in World Junior squash team competition
The Indian men’s team brushed aside Brazil and the Netherlands to advance to the pre-quarterfinal of the World Squash Junior Team Championships in Ontario, Canada.
Fifth seed Indian men swept the Netherlands and Brazil by an identical 3-0 margin to top Group 5 enroute to round of 16.
The women’s team, also seeded fifth, drubbed Chinese Taipei 3-0, and will meet Malaysia next in Group 4.
Anahat Singh was rested for the women’s opening round, a day after being crowned the World Junior champion.
Intense competition expected in Hockey India Junior Men National Championship
A total of 30 teams across three divisions will take part in the 16th edition of the Hockey India Junior Men National Championship starting in Coimbatore from Tuesday.
Promotion and relegation will add further significance to every fixture in the competition, which will culminate on August 8, as the teams placed in Division A will compete for the title, while the teams in Divisions B and C will be engaged in a battle for promotion to the next division.
Division A will have 12 teams divided into four pools of three teams each. Pool A comprises Hockey Haryana, Hockey Madhya Pradesh, and Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu. Pool B consists of Hockey Association of Odisha, Manipur Hockey, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey.
Pool C will have Hockey Punjab, Hockey Jharkhand, and Delhi Hockey, while Pool D features Uttar Pradesh Hockey, Hockey Karnataka, and Hockey Bengal.
After the conclusion of the league stage, the top two teams from each pool will compete in the quarterfinal to be held on August 5. The semifinals will be on August 6 while the playoff for the third-placed side will be on August 8.
- PTI
TVS launches junior rider programme with mini race bikes
TVS Motor Company on Monday launched the TVS Apache Junior Programme, a grassroots initiative aimed at identifying and nurturing young racing talent, by handing over 10 purpose-built TVS Apache RR 200 Mini motorcycles to the Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC).
The programme is designed for children aged 10 to 14 years and will offer structured training at the Madras International Karting Arena (MIKA), where aspiring riders will learn racing fundamentals under the guidance of experienced instructors and TVS Racing champions. The specially developed motorcycles will be available on rent as part of the programme.
TVS said the initiative is intended to create a clear pathway for young riders, progressing from the Apache Junior Programme to the TVS One Make Championship Rookie category for riders aged 15 and above, followed by the RR 310 Expert category and eventually international racing opportunities.
Vimal Sumbly, Head – Premium Business, TVS Motor Company said, “With competitive racing under FMSCI regulations beginning at the age of 15, the TVS Apache Junior Programme addresses the need for structured early training by providing aspiring riders aged 10–14 years with world-class coaching in a safe, controlled environment.
“Powered by the TVS Apache RR 200 Mini Motorcycle at the Madras International Karting Arena and guided by TVS Racing experts, the programme creates a clear pathway for India’s future racing champions while strengthening the grassroots of Indian motorsport.” The company said the programme builds on TVS Racing’s four-decade legacy of promoting motorsport in India and coincides with the 20th anniversary of the Apache brand, which has grown to a community of more than seven million riders across 90 countries.
-PTI
India’s Aditya wins his first international race at Sepang
Indian racer Aditya Patnaik won Round 3 of the Sporting Class at the Gold Vios Championship Malaysia at the iconic Sepang International Circuit here.
Aditya came third in Race 1 and then won Race 2 to seal the top spot on the podium for Round 3, and collect prize money of MYR 15,000.
This was the Mumbai-based youngster’s maiden international racing victory in his first year on the circuit, after graduating from the Polo Cup India as the Vice-National Champion two years in a row.
Aditya from Rayo Racing, driving for former F1 racer Alex Young’s Team Axle Sports, lost some positions in the opening laps as the front bunch of cars ran up to four cars wide in the first few corners.
The former Indian National Karting Champion then had an intense wheel to wheel battle with Malaysia’s Taj Aiman.
However, it was Lew Xuan Yan who won ahead of Aiman and Aditya.
The top eight finishers of Race 1 get reversed for the start of Race 2.
Aditya’s third place finish meant he had to start sixth. A good start helped him gain some positions and by Lap 3 he was in third place.
Following a battle with Adam Mikail, Aditya eventually took the lead and held it on to bag his maiden international win.
“Race 1 was entirely a wheel-to-wheel battle, and Race 2 turned into my best race of the year — fighting and earning the lead for the win was a great feeling,” said Aditya.
-PTI
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Published on Jul 27, 2026