Aditi Ashok shoots 66, rises to tied 20th at Black Desert
India’s Aditi Ashok shot one of her best rounds of the season as she landed seven birdies against one bogey in a round of 6-under 66 that carried her up to the tied 20th place in the Black Desert Championship in Ivins, USA. With rounds of 69-71-66, she is 10-under and eight shots behind the leader, Haeran Ryu of Korea, who has shot 63-67-68 to be 18-under. Starting from the first, Aditi began with three pars and then birdied four times between the fourth and the ninth to turn in 4-under. On the back nine Aditi birdied 11th and the 12th and dropped a shot on the 14th and finished with a birdie on the 18th. Aditi, who has been finding the fairways and the green regularly, needed 27 putts as against 31 on the second day. Ryu regained control of the Black Desert Championship by holing out for an eagle on the 11th hole. Her 68 helped her maintain her two-shot lead in the LPGA Tour’s return to Utah for the first time in more than 60 years. Ryu is trying to win a tournament for the seventh straight year, dating to when she was an 18-year-old on the Korea LPGA. Ryu shared the 54-hole lead at a major last week in the Chevron Championship before closing with a 76. Her biggest rival will be Ruoning Yin, the former Women’s PGA champion who ran off 10 birdies for a 62, the best score of the tournament and enough to get within two shots. Esther Henseleit of Germany had a 68 and left her three shots behind.
Nine Olympic gold medalist swimmer Katie Ledecky recreates her own world record in 800 freestyle
American swimmer Katie Ledecky has shattered her own 800m freestyle world record on Saturday. She clocked 8 minutes 4.12 seconds at the Tyr Pro Series meet in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to better her previous mark of 8:04.79 which she set at the 2016 Rio Olympics. It was a tactical race from Ledecky who paced it masterfully surfing ahead through 400m. She ceded her lead at the 450m and 500m but was back in the lead by 550m and a powerful final leg saw her break the world record. The record-breaking swim capped an extraordinary series of performances for Ledecky, who posted her second-fa 400m freestyle time on Thursday. This was her best timing in nine years – and the second-fastest 1500m freestyle time in history on Wednesday. Ledecky’s most recent world record before this was in the 1500m in May 2018 in a 50m pool came into the 1500m freestyle. The 28-year-old holds 15 world records in the 50m pool. At the age of 28, Katie Ledecky is one of the most decorated swimmers in the World and US history. She has won a total of nine Olympic gold medals and 21 World Championship medals. Ledecky is the fifth-most decorated athlete in the Olympic history. Ledecky was one of the surprising stories from the 2012 London Olympics as then 15-year-old surprised everyone by winning the gold medal in the 800m freestyle. Ledecky became the first American female swimmer to win an individual event in three straight Olympics at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and emerged as the most decorated U.S. female athlete.
Greg Chapell advises BCCI to protect prodigies like Vaibhav Suryabangshi; says child psychologists must for elite youth program
Former India head coach Greg Chappell has warned the BCCI against managing 14-year-old cricket prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi. The young left-hander shot to fame after being selected by Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2025 auction, and later with his thrilling century against Gujrat Titans last month. Chapell warned that while Suryavanshi bats with the authority of a man twice his age, he is “still a child – physiologically, neurologically, emotionally.” “His brain is still wiring itself, his values still forming, his identity still fragile. In that context, such acclaim, such expectation, such public adulation, can become a double-edged sword.” Chapell noted in his column for ESPNCricinfo. He added that child prodigies can be a ‘double narrative’, giving hope and a sense of wonder to fans but also being forced to carry burdens that they are not equipped to handle. To make his point, Chapell gave the example of Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli, one of them succeeded while the other failed to balance fame with discipline. “ Sachin Tendulkar succeeded as a teenager not simply due to talent but because of a solid support system – a stoic temperament, a wise coach, and a family that protected him from the circus. On the other hand, Vinod Kambli who was equally talented and more flamboyant, struggled to balance fame and discipline. His fall was as dramatic as his rise,” explained the former India coach. Prithvi Shaw is another wunderkind who has fallen but may yet find a way back to the pinnacle,” Chappell added. Chapell added that it was up to the cricket board, along with other stakeholders, to protect the young cricket prodigy. He noted, “It is incumbent on the cricketing ecosystem – the BCCI, the franchises, mentors, and the media – to protect him. Talent can’t be bubble-wrapped, but it can be provided as a buffer. It must be guided, not glorified; nurtured, not just marketed,” The former India coach suggests a few ways to protect young and emerging talent in cricket. First, he says, there should be licensed child psychologists as part of every elite youth program.
MS Dhoni takes the blame for CSK’s loss against RCB
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni took the blame on himself as his franchise unbearably lost by just two runs against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their IPL 2025 clash in Bengaluru. CSK fell short of what would’ve been their highest successful run chase in IPL. Dhoni contributed 12 runs off eight balls and crucially got out in the final over as CSK crumbled to a dramatic defeat. 17-year-old Ayush Mhatre ‘s scintillating knock of 94 went in vain, as a result. “When I went into bat, with the kind of deliveries and the runs needed, I felt I should’ve converted a couple more shots to ease the pressure. I take the blame,” said Dhoni, speaking after the game. After RCB posted a total of 213 at home, CSK looked in the hunt throughout thanks to wonderful knocks by Ayush Mhatre and Rabindra Jadeja. Mhatre slammed 94 off just 48 balls, showing composure beyond his years. Jadeja himself contributed 77 off 45 and stayed unbeaten till the end, but was unable to guide CSK home. With CSK needing 22 runs off eight balls, Dhoni slammed a six off Bhubaneswar Kumar in the penultimate over. However, against Yasha Dawal in the final over, Dhoni failed to execute and was dismissed LBW, with CSK needing 13 runs off three balls. CSK were handed a lifeline as Dayal bowled a waist-high no-ball and Shivam Dubey smashed a six off his first ball. However, even with the equation demanding six runs off three balls, Dayal held his nerve and clinched a two-run victory for RCB.
