Sports
Half Yours’ Cox Plate claims to be decided in 2026 Turnbull Stakes
Trainer Tony McEvoy is awaiting the Turnbull Stakes to provide clarity on his stable star, Half Yours, and its potential for a Cox Plate campaign.
This Saturday at Flemington, McEvoy aims to see the horse, a dual Cups winner from last year, solidify its standing as a serious Cox Plate contender.
The 2000-metre Turnbull Stakes is expected to feature rivals such as Sir Delius, Birdman, and Aeliana, who are currently prominent in Cox Plate betting. McEvoy believes the Turnbull offers the ideal proving ground for Half Yours to demonstrate its capability at the highest level.
“That’s what we’re hoping and that’s what his work’s telling us,” McEvoy explained.
“The Turnbull is in the fork in the road for him.
“I don’t want to run him in a Cox Plate if he can’t win a Cox Plate, but if he matches it with them in the Turnbull, he’ll go to the Cox Plate.”
Beyond Saturday’s engagement, the $6 million Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) looms as another option for Half Yours. He triumphed in this event last year and will carry 57.5kg in the upcoming running.
Half Yours has not recorded a win since his Melbourne Cup victory last year. His sole race this season was a sixth-place finish in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) on September 12, where he was the standout performer in terms of sectional times.
He finished 4.65 lengths behind the winner, Sheza Alibi, but was closely matched with Sir Delius, who was the first horse home in the Makybe Diva Stakes and is set to contest the Turnbull Stakes, just three-quarters-of-a-length ahead.
The Makybe Diva Stakes saw Half Yours start from barrier 10, continuing a trend of wide draws that has affected his racing pattern. McEvoy is particularly hopeful for a more advantageous barrier position this week.
“He hasn’t drawn a gate for a long time and we’ve been forced to go back,” he stated.
“He can sit three or four lengths closer in a race, if we draw well. He’s due to draw a gate.
“He’s got to tick the 2000-metre box at this level. He’s an elite stayer, but we’ve kept him nice and sharp with just that one mile race coming into this and I think he’ll run really well.”
Bookmakers are offering competitive betting markets for the Turnbull Stakes, with Half Yours expected to be a popular choice.
TORONTO — The Toronto Tempo were about to take a 17-day break from playing WNBA games. It was Aug. 29, a Saturday night in Phoenix, and as losers of their last 16 of 17 games, including a 32-point loss that night, time away could be healing.
Some players, such as Nyara Sabally and Maria Conde, were gearing up for Berlin and the FIBA World Cup, others were readying for a few extra days off the court.
But as the Tempo sat together after the game and basked in yet another loss, it wasn’t about how quickly they could get away from recent disappointment. In that locker room, packing was slow.
Brittney Sykes, who is familiar with the post-loss locker room routine after 10 seasons in the WNBA, has catalogued that evening as a moment that best defines her team and their inaugural season.
“I just remember us all rallying behind each other and just giving each other encouragement and just pouring into each other’s cups,” Sykes said during her exit interview on Saturday.
When 2026 started, these players didn’t know they’d end up on the WNBA’s first international team, yet after four months together, they’d decided on the culture they wanted to have. Amid the losing record, injuries and disappointments, everyone in that room wanted to show up for each other, not hurry to get away.
“(We were) telling each other, as long as we got each other in this room, nothing else matters. As long as we’re happy with each other, nothing else matters,” Sykes said.
“We definitely made that decision in the beginning, but we reiterated it in that moment, and that stood out to me because not a lot of teams are able to do that. … I was really proud of my team.”
What were the biggest takeaways from the inaugural season? Let’s take a look.
The Tempo had two ways of getting into the history books in 2026. For one, the obvious list of firsts: first international franchise, first Toronto draft pick, first home game north of the border.
On the other end came the historical moments that beat out previous records, the ones that weren’t just a byproduct of becoming the first team in Canada.
The Tempo signed Marina Mabrey and Sykes to the league’s first million-dollar deals. The backcourt duo anchored the trajectory of this team and affirmed Toronto as a place overlooked talent could get new opportunities.
While Sykes was healthy, she averaged 18.6 points per game, an increase of 4.5 from her previous season, while Mabrey reached a career-high average of 20.8 points per game. In the few games they spent together on the court before injuries, this pair gave a glimpse of the demolition they could cause on both ends of the floor.
In total, Toronto helped five veterans — Temi Fagbenle (19), Isabelle Harrison (26), Sabally (29), Sykes (38) and Mabrey (53) — hit single-game career highs this season. In most cases, the Tempo helped players take their game to a new level.
That’s not to say all of Toronto’s big spending paid off; Fagbenle also got a seven-figure contract in free agency and ended up missing 19 games and her per-game scoring average dropped by 1.5 points and sank to a three-year low.
The most memorable record of the year was Mabrey’s 53-point game against the Los Angeles Sparks on June 25. With nine three-pointers, eight twos and 10 free throws, the crashout queen tied A’ja Wilson’s single-game scoring record and forced the rest of the league to take notice of the bordeaux and blue north of the border. In that game, the Tempo also set a WNBA record for the most points in a regulation win, with 125.
“The 53 tops everything. That was one of the best nights of my basketball career,” Mabrey said as she ended her final media availability of the season.
Laura Juskaite was the only Tempo player to play in all 44 games this season. Apart from Kia Nurse and Teonni Key, who were also available for every game, no other Toronto players could take the court with that consistency.
Injuries started early, with Harrison, Fagbenle and Sabally all missing time. To adjust, Toronto had to move guards Juskaite and Conde out of their comfort zones and into bigger positions. Then, just when that front-court core started to get healthy rookie Kiki Rice suffered an ankle ailment that cost her 16 games. Sykes also went down with a left foot injury that forced her to miss 27 games.
By the time the team was ready to return from FIBA break on Sept. 18, the Tempo had ruled out three key players for the rest of the season: Sykes, Mabrey (right adductor) and deadline acquisition Aneesah Morrow (left knee).
“At one time we never had our full group together, it was like, well, this is a what-if,” head coach Sandy Brondello said as she reflected on the season.
“What would it look like if we had Nyara and Izzy and everyone available at the same time, and Slim and Mabrey, and we could continue to grow?”
The Tempo never had the chance to answer those hypotheticals as injuries became a constant plague. In total, they lost 120 player games due to injury or illness, which ranked third in the league.
The WNBA had long been considering expansion to Canada. Back in May, commissioner Cathy Engelbert spoke with media in Toronto and shared there were plans for the WNBA to play pre-season games in Toronto that dated all the way back to 2020 but were delayed because of the pandemic.
When the moment finally arrived, the Tempo never lacked support at home. All 15 Coca-Cola Coliseum games were sold out this season.
“I remember our first pre-season game. I couldn’t believe what it sounded like there,” Mabrey reflected. “All the little kids getting everyone’s jersey, getting a chance to see all of us in-person, upfront, so they can learn and be able to have that mentor they can look up to.”
On July 10, the Tempo also set an WNBA regular-season attendance record in Montreal with 20,996 fans. To have the record set in a French-speaking city, outside of the United States, by a team from a different province, was remarkable. That turnout speaks to more than just what the WNBA means to Canada; it provides a blueprint for what the league could do in the rest of the world.
“The thing that you will never forget is that you were part of this first season, this first team for Canada. It’s a special thing,” Tempo guard Julie Allemand said on Saturday.
In his first season in charge at Liverpool, Jürgen Klopp lost just one of his first five games.
Germany hopes for a similar run emerges after a shock 1-0 defeat to Greece, a team that hasn’t qualified for a major international tournament in 12 years. The defeat left Klopp with just one point after his first two games in charge of the national team.
True to form, the head coach took responsibility for the loss, shielding this new crop of Germany players from criticism.
“We have been together for a week now, all mixed together, and that needs time,” Klopp said after the match.
“Let the new players develop. The established players are top players at their clubs, and they have my support. Feel free to criticize me, but not the boys. We don’t need to completely tear everything apart. I was surprised that some people booed. The future is as bright as we make it. We’ll take it on with everything we have.”
He also emphasized development over short-term panic, citing the need for more training sessions to cement the automatic responses needed to break down well-organized defenses.
International coaching is different
Herein lies the challenge for one of football’s greatest coaches. In likely his final job as a head coach, can the multiple league winner adapt his coaching methods to work in the national team? Klopp, a coach and a person famous for his ability to develop relationships and grow a team at a club, has said he believes he can adapt.
His legacy at Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool leaves no doubt that his communication style is what this team needs. His charismatic focus on developing a culture and growing collectively in connection with the fans is what is required.
After many years of frustration and pain watching Germany’s men at major tournaments, the biggest mistake would be to tear down this new group before it even begins.
The team both needs and deserves the time to figure out how far it can go. Bambase Conte and Hennes Behrens made their debuts against Greece after a host of others had done so against the Netherlands.
These are the first steps towards finding out who will drive Germany towards an improved outing at the 2028 European Championship. It is the main reason why Klopp chose so many players for these first four games.
Can Klopp alone compensate should ability be lacking?
But what if, for all of Klopp’s positivity and culture building, this new generation of German players is just not good enough to win a trophy? Clearly, it is too soon to know the answer, as Klopp himself has said.
“We want to help prepare these players to be competing at the very top over the next two or three years,” Klopp had said at his unveiling.
“We took a different approach and focused not on what we don’t have, but on what we do have.”
What Germany has right now is both a new team looking to grow and a team that just suffered their first-ever defeat to Greece.
At Liverpool, it took Jürgen Klopp two years and approximately 500 training sessions to reach the point where the team looked like his. In the 2017-18 season, they reached the Champions League final. Alongside the time it took for the team to learn the new system, new signings, notably Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, improved the quality.
Klopp doesn’t have that option in with the German national team. He has to do more with fewer training sessions — Klopp will have approximately 200 before Euro 2028. The closest he can get to new signings is by calling up uncapped Germany players — there were 11 first-time call-ups in this Germany squad.
The 59-year-old said his whole career brought him to this job. It might well prove to be the greatest challenge of his career, too.
Edited by: Chuck Penfold
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John McEnroe believes tennis stars must boycott Grand Slam events to receive a greater share of tournament revenue.
Stars such as Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka limited their media time at the French Open and Wimbledon in a pointed protest, as players target a 22 per cent share of Grand Slam tournament revenue by 2030.
Yet speaking at the Laver Cup held in London over the weekend, McEnroe said players may have to take drastic action: “I’m going to say this: the players should be partners in the majors. Number one.
“The fact that they’re not causes friction, to me, that they’re getting such a small part of the revenue. I’m hopeful and I’m sceptical. You’ve got to have a little bit of hope, or it won’t happen. But I’m sceptical because nothing changes, it seems, or very little.
“I’m a backseat driver now. I’m commentating on a match, so it’s a lot easier than playing, but I still enjoy being a part of it. But I understand what the players go through. I’ve been there, and so my sympathies are with them.
“I understand that Wimbledon’s a great event. It’s obviously incredible, and so is the US Open. Australia’s done a great job. And the French, all of them have done a great job. But I believe the players should be partners in that success.
“The only way to succeed in doing that, in my opinion, is you’re going to have to boycott one or two of these [slams].”
McEnroe also believes the fifth set of matches at majors should be replaced by a match tie-break, as the length of contests and late-night scheduling continues to be a pair of unsolved problems, especially after Ben Shelton’s win over Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open finished at 3:33am.
“Some of the matches I called [at the US Open] went in excess of five hours,” he said. “You watch what you call football here where they have a penalty shoot-out. Why do they have a penalty shoot-out? Because people are worried about the attention span of some of the fans who will turn off, is my guess.
“Otherwise you’d just keep playing until a goal is scored, so tennis has to look at that. We finally got to the stage where there’s tie-breakers in the fifth set at all four majors, but I still think more needs to be done because it’s a great sport we have.
“You don’t want people playing at 3.30 in the morning.”
Chally Chute (16/1) gave trainer and rider, Ross O’Sullivan and Sam Coen, a major career success, with victory in the €500,000 Friends Of The Curragh Cesarewitch at The Curragh on Sunday afternoon.
The two-mile contest, worth €275,000 to the winning connections, was the feature of an eight-race card on day two of the Autumn Racing Weekend at flat racing’s headquarters.
🥈 in 2025
🥇 in 2026Chally Chute makes amends for an unlucky defeat in last year’s Irish Cesarewitch by defying a 5lb higher mark this time around.
A cracking result for the @rosullivan82 team 🥳 pic.twitter.com/I5dTbZzlDR
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 27, 2026
Chally Chute, the top-weight with 9 stone 11 pounds, is owned by Julie White, one of the joint-breeders, with Dominic O’Neill, of the son of Fast Company, and was improving on last year’s runner-up spot in the race.
The eight-year-old won by a half-length from the Willie Mullins-prepared Sirius (28/1), with Galileo Dame (25/1), a neck further back, followed home by Madbadanddangersous (80/1) in fourth place.
Soul Love Wins Group 3 Renaissance Stakes
Karl Burke, a prominent visitor to Irish shores, claimed the Group 3 Qatar Racing Renaissance Stakes over six furlongs with Soul Love (5/2 joint-favourite). Ridden by French jockey Pierre-Louis Jamin, the chestnut filly had three-quarters-of-a-length in hand on The Curragh specialist, Big Gossey (12/1) at the line.
The nine-year-old grey runner-up was four lengths ahead of the other joint-favourite, Power Blue in third.
Made all, made all 🌬️
It’s yet another successful Irish raid for @karl_burke as Soul Love makes every single yard in the G3 Renaissance Stakes.
Lovely ride, @pljamin25 👏 pic.twitter.com/fK9yGu3OYk
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 27, 2026
Curracloe Remains Unbeaten
Johnny Murtagh’s Gowran Park maiden winner Curracloe (13/8 joint-favourite) remains unbeaten after two career starts following today’s victory. Successfully stepping up directly from a maiden to Group 3 company, the Qatar Racing-owned juvenile filly ran out a length-and-three-quarters winner for Ben Coen.
A filly going places 📈
Curracloe, a daughter of first-season sire Baaeed, makes it 2-2 with a dominant success in the G3 @DarleyStallions Fillies Stakes.@JohnnyMurtagh | @BenCoen2 | @Qatar_Racing pic.twitter.com/BT2KyUSNBI
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 27, 2026
The runner-up, Alpine Wedding (7/2), for Saturday’s successful Goffs Million-winning combination of Paddy Twomey and Billy Lee, had two-and-a-quarter lengths to spare over Damsel In Distress (13/8 joint-favourite) in third.
Doubles for O’Brien and Coolmore
Aidan O’Brien and the Coolmore partners opened the day with a quick-fire double, taking both maidens.
Raging Bull (1/2 favourite), bred by Whisperview Trading, had a head to spare over the John Murphy-handled Overhead Drive (14/1) in the Army Equitation Centenary Irish EBF Maiden. The juvenile son of Wootton Bassett was ridden by Ryan Moore.
JUST 👀
Raging Bull backers were made to sweat but the son of Wootton Bassett eventually got the job done under Ryan Moore.@curraghrace | @coolmorestud pic.twitter.com/3RkSkAPA21
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 27, 2026
It was Inishannon, Co Cork, jockey Wayne Lordan who was in the saddle for the second Ballydoyle winner, Capability Brown (4/1), in the Izuzu Ireland Irish EBF Maiden over a mile and one furlong. Drawn on the rail, and prominent throughout, the Coolmore-bred son of Dubawi out of the Gailieo mare, Maybe, held off the late challenge of Colin Keane on Juddmonte’s Cluster (2/1) by two-and-a-quarter lengths.
Joseph O’Brien and Joey Sheridan teamed up to take the penultimate race on the card, the Kwiff More Bang For Your Bet Nursery, with 5/2 joint-favourite Moon Sand, while the finale of the weekend went to Fianna (4/1) for jockey Oran McGill and trainer Aidan Howard.
Sports
Chess Olympiad 2026: India win silver in open category; women claim bronze | Other Sports News
The Indian men played out a draw with Hungary and settled for the silver medal on a tie-break, while the women drew with Georgia to bring home the bronze in the 46th Chess Olympiad that concluded on Sunday.
The Uzbekistan team regained the gold medal in the open section after winning the final round game against Ukraine by a 2,5-1.5 points. The Uzbeks ended with 20 points out of a possible 22, winning as many as 10 rounds and losing a lone match against Germany.
The Indian men ended up with 18 points and were tied for the second spot with Germany that defeated Holland. However, thanks to a better tie-break score, the Indian team ended with silver while Germany had to be content with the bronze.
Check Asian Games 2026 latest news here Check Asian Games 2026 medal tally here
In the women’s section, China annexed the gold with another fine performance against Vietnam, winning by a 3-1 margin. The Chinese team also ended with 20 points in all, a couple of points more than second-placed Kazakhstan.
The Indian team was yet against rescued by B Savitha Shri who has clearly been the best performer among the Indian women. Ending up with nine points out of her 10 games, Savitha Shri was clearly the reason why the Indian women could win the bronze.
As it happened in the match, Humpy scored a quick victory over Nana Dzagnidze but Divya Deshmukh lost against Bella Khotenashvili on fourth board.
After Vantika Agrawal was also held to a draw on the third board, much was left to Savitha Shri to survive a very difficult position where her king was under constant scrutiny. Savitha eventually fought move for move to force the draw.
In addition to the team bronze, Savitha also won the individual gold medal for her performance. Humpy and Vantika won the bronze while Divya Deshmukh got silver medal for her performance.
Among the Indian men, Praggnanandhaa won the bronze for his performance but following a last round debacle, Gukesh narrowly missed out on gold.
Important results final round Open: Uzbekistan (20) beat Ukraine (Nodirbek Abdusattorov Igor Kovalenko; Javokhir Sindarov drew with Vasyl Ivanchuk; Nodirbek Yakubboev drew with Ihor Samunenkov; Mukhiddin Madaminov beat Roman Dehtiarov). India (18) drew with Hungary (17) 2-2 R Praggnanandhaa drew with Richard Rapport; Arjun Erigaisi beat Peter Leko; Nihal Sarin drew with Benjamin Gledura; D Gukesh lost to Gleb Dudin). Netherlands (15) lost to Germany (18) 1.5-2.5; Anish Giri drew with Vincent Keymer; Jorden Van Foreest lost to Matthias Bluebaum; Loek Van Wely drew with Svane Frederik; Casper Schoppen drew with Rasmus Svane.
Women: China (20) beat Vietnam 3-1 (Zhu JIner beat Pham le Thao Nguyen; Song Yuxin drew with Vo Thi Kim Phung; Lu Miaoyi beat Luong Phuong; Zhai Mo drew with Nguyen Thi Mai Hung). Poland (17) drew with Kazakhstan (18) 2-2 (Oliwia Kiolbasa drew with Bibisara Assaubayeva; Aleksandra Maltsevskaya beat Alua Nurman; Kulon Klaudia drew with Meruert Kamalidenova; Alicija Sliwicka lost to Elnaz Kaliakhmet); India (18) drew with Georgia (16) 2-2 (Koneru Humpy beat Nana Dzagnidze; Divya Deshmukh lost to Bella Khotenashvili; Vantika Agrawal drew with Lela Javakhishvili; B Savitha Shri drew with Meri Arabidze).
Check Asian Games 2026 latest news here Check Asian Games 2026 medal tally here
Sports
Vithya Ramraj wins bronze in 400m hurdles, adds second medal at Asian Games | Asian Games 2026 News
Vithya Ramraj added a bronze medal to her Asian Games 2026 tally after finishing third in the women’s 400m hurdles final in Nagoya on Monday.Ramraj clocked a personal best of 54.75 seconds to finish behind Mariam Kareem of the UAE, who won gold in 54.31, and Kazakhstan’s Adelina Zems, who took silver in 54.58.The 26-year-old was part of India’s silver-medal winning mixed 4x400m relay team earlier in the Games, running the anchor leg and producing a strong finish to help India hold on to second place. The Indian quartet of T S Manu, Poovamma Raju, Vithya and T Vishal clocked 3:14.46.Asian Games Full Coverage|Medal Tally|ScheduleHer compatriot Anu Raghavan finished fifth in 55.88 seconds, also recording a personal best.The medal also adds to Ramraj’s Asian Games record. She had won bronze in the women’s 400m hurdles at the 2023 Hangzhou Games.
Graeme Hinton has been selected to replace Peter V’landys as the chief executive of Racing NSW, with the board’s unanimous decision endorsing the long-serving administrator for the leading role.
Hinton has been acting as CEO since July and will officially commence his duties on December 1st. This appointment follows his extensive career of over a decade with Racing NSW, including his prior role as Chief Operating Officer.
A pivotal figure alongside V’landys during a significant growth phase, Hinton was instrumental in the launch of The Everest, the expansion of the NSW Spring Carnival, and the development of Racing NSW’s comprehensive equine welfare programs.
Dr. Saranne Cooke, Chair of Racing NSW, highlighted that industry backing for Hinton was “resounding” after the board engaged with crucial stakeholders.
V’landys also provided a strong recommendation for his successor.
“Racing is extremely lucky to have Graeme. He is one of the rare individuals who have deep knowledge of every aspect of the racing industry.”
Hinton described taking charge of the industry as a significant honour.
“It is a privilege to lead such an incredible industry that I have grown up around and have spent my working life in. Racing is part of the economic and social fabric of our entire state. It provides employment to tens of thousands of people and entertainment to many, many more.”
He concluded, “I look forward to working closely with the Racing NSW Board, our clubs, participants and industry partners to build on these strong foundations to ensure NSW remains at the forefront of racing in Australia and internationally.”
Sep 11, 2026; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; The reflection of the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the Oakley visor of Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams (23) during the 2026 NFL Melbourne Game. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos will face off in one of Week 3’s most important matchups. Both teams enter this game with a 1-1 record, and they’re both coming off wins after underwhelming Week 1 performances.
We aren’t entirely in panic mode yet, but this is essentially a playoff game for these teams.
I don’t mean that literally, but it’s by far the most important game of the season.
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Both teams have Super Bowl aspirations, and the loser will face an extremely difficult uphill climb. Teams that start their season 2-1 make the playoffs ~62% of the time. That number drops to only ~26% when they start 1-2.
The Rams are coming off an extremely impressive game against the New York Giants, but this is an entirely different defense. The biggest key is that Puka Nacua is doubtful once again.
Los Angeles found plenty of points against New York because they couldn’t guard Davante Adams. Denver has Pat Surtain on the opposite side, and he’s likely to shadow Adams. He’s one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, and the Rams are going to need others to be able to contribute.
On the other side, Denver hasn’t found much offensive success in 2026. They’ve scored 30 total points against the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars. Neither of those teams is expected to have an overly dominant defense, and the Broncos’ inability to find success is a massive concern.
The Rams will continue to be without Myles Garrett, but Aaron Donald helped shut down the Giants in Week 2. Granted, they were without Jaxson Dart for most of the game, and that helped drastically. Regardless, it was an impressive defensive outing for Los Angeles, and Donald should only continue to get better as he gets more live action.
This could play out as a game where both teams struggle to find sustained success on offense. They could focus heavily on field position, without finding explosive plays that lead to quick scores.
Ultimately, if this plays out like a playoff game, we should see a defensive battle from both teams. They have the ability to take away the best part of the opponent’s offense, and I’m backing the defenses here.
Where to Bet: Los Angeles Rams/Denver Broncos under 44.5 points | -115 at FanDuel Sportsbook
2026 NFL Season Betting Record: 2-5
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Sports
At 19, Pincky Balhara lost three family members ahead of Asian Games debut; Now, she is only Indian to win multiple Kurash medals | Asian Games 2026 News
Three family deaths in quick succession could have brought Pincky Balhara’s sporting journey to a halt. Instead, the Delhi athlete carried her grief into the competition arena, turned her father’s dream into motivation and went on to win an Asian Games medal.Eight years after her historic silver at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, Balhara returned to the continental podium on Monday, winning bronze in the women’s -78kg Kurash event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Games. The bronze is Balhara’s second Asian Games medal in Kurash, following her silver in the women’s -52kg category in Jakarta. She has now become the only Indian athlete to win multiple Asian Games medals in Kurash.
What is Kurash?
Kurash is a traditional Central Asian martial art that originated in the region and is particularly associated with Uzbekistan. It made its Asian Games debut at the 2018 Jakarta Games. The basic objective is simple: throw the opponent onto their back while remaining in a standing position. Unlike judo or Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Kurash does not involve prolonged ground fighting.
From judo mats to Kurash
Born on October 20, 1998, in Neb Sarai, Delhi, Balhara began training in judo when she was nine. Her maternal uncle, Samundar Tokas, a former judoka and coach, played a major role in her early development.She quickly established herself in judo, winning gold at the 2018 Asian Junior Judo Championships. But she missed out on India’s judo squad for the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games. That disappointment opened another door.With Kurash making its Asian Games debut in Jakarta, Balhara entered the trials. The sport, which shares similarities with judo but is contested entirely from a standing position, offered her another route to the continental stage. She made the team and was soon heading to Jakarta.
Three deaths changed everything
But just weeks before the Games, Balhara’s life was shattered. She lost her cousin brother first, followed by her father, who died of a heart attack, and then her grandfather. The three deaths came in quick succession, leaving the teenager struggling to cope with the loss.Her father had been particularly excited about her selection for the Asian Games. After his death, Balhara initially did not want to compete. Her uncle, however, pushed her to continue, reminding her of her father’s hopes for her career.She returned to training while dealing with grief and also had to make the weight for her 52kg category. She later recalled going to the gym at night because she feared people would judge her for returning to training so soon after her father’s death.Balhara eventually made it to the 2018 Asian Games and produced a remarkable run. At just 19, she reached the women’s -52kg Kurash final, becoming one of India’s first Asian Games medallists in the sport. She eventually lost to Uzbekistan’s Gulnor Sulaymanova and settled for silver.Balhara later recalled her father’s prediction before the Games: that she would win silver rather than gold. When she finished second, she remembered his words. At Aichi-Nagoya, Balhara began her campaign with a 3-0 quarterfinal victory over South Korea’s Garam Lim, securing her place in the semifinals and guaranteeing India another Kurash medal.She then faced South Korea’s Sumin Mo in the last four. Mo won 5-0, sending Balhara into the bronze-medal position.Eight years after her first Asian Games medal, Balhara was back on the podium.
Pincky Balhara’s Asian Games record
| Year | Games | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Jakarta | Women’s -52kg | 🥈 Silver |
| 2022 | Hangzhou | Women’s Kurash | Quarterfinal |
| 2026 | Aichi-Nagoya | Women’s -78kg | 🥉 Bronze |
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