National record-holder and Asian Games gold-winning Indian middle-distance runner Jinson Johnson announced his retirement on Wednesday, after a 15-year career shaped by “relentless training, quiet struggles, and painful injuries”. View this post on Instagram A post shared by jinson Johnson (@jinson__johnson) The 34-year-old has not competed since winning a 1500m bronze in the Hangzhou Asian Games in October 2023. His best moment was winning the 1500m gold in the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games with a time of 3 minutes 44.72 seconds. He also won a silver in the 800m race in the same tournament. “From a boy with dream started the journey from Kolkata and reached up to Asian Games podium in Hangzhou 2023. Thank you Athletics,” Johnson wrote on his Instagram. During the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, Johnson broke Bahadur Prasad’s 23-year-old 1500m national record (3 mins 37.86 secs). He improved on it in 2019 (3 min 35.24 secs). 3 mins 35.24 secs The 1500m national record time set by Jinson Johnson during the ISTAF Berlin meet in 2019 This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
08 January,2026 08:58 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIIndian shuttlers have been handed a tricky draw at the India Open Super 750 tournament here later this month, with former world champion PV Sindhu set to face Vietnam’s Thuy Linh Nguyen, against whom she had lost twice recently, in the women’s singles first round. Lakshya Sen, the 2022 champion, will open his campaign against compatriot Ayush Shetty. The tournament will be played from January 13 to 18 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
08 January,2026 08:52 AM IST | New Delhi | PTIIndian top seed Anahat Singh finished as the runner-up in the women’s U-19 category at the British Junior Open after she succumbed to French second seed Lauren Baltayan here on Tuesday. Anahat lost 9-11, 11-7, 3-11, 9-11. This was her ninth time featuring at the tournament across various age groups. The Delhi-based player had a breakout year in 2025, reaching her highest world ranking of 28 in just her second season on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) Tour. She also defeating two top-20 players during the season. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
08 January,2026 08:50 AM IST | Birmingham | IANSMick Schumacher, son of F1 legend Michael, may not be in the best position professionally, having failed to secure a Formula One seat for the upcoming season, but his personal life seems to be on the right track with reports suggesting that he is dating Portuguese model Clara Ramos. German newspaper Bild recently published photographs of the former Haas driver with his arms around Ramos at a golf course in Camp de Mar on the Spanish island of Majorca — Schumacher also owns a villa there — with a report suggesting the pair are dating. Ramos, who has 1.13 lakh followers on Instagram, is also a PHD student at the University of Barcelona. Interestingly, it was reported last year that Schumacher’s ex-girlfriend Laila Hasanovic also found new love in tennis superstar Jannik Sinner.
08 January,2026 08:48 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentReturning from a prolonged injury lay-off, PV Sindhu began the new season on a winning note along with the formidable men’s doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy as they entered the second round of the Malaysia Open Super 1000 badminton tournament here on Wednesday. The 30-year-old former world champion, who had opted to withdraw from all BWF World Tour events in October last year to recover from a foot injury, defeated Chinese Taipei’s Sung Shuo Yun 21-14, 22-20. The 18th-ranked Sindhu will face Japanese World No. 9 Tomoka Miyazaki in the Round-of-16. Later, the duo of Satwik and Chirag saw off Chinese Taipei’s Yang Po-Hsuan and Lee Jhe-Hue 21-13, 21-15. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
08 January,2026 08:45 AM IST | Kuala Lumpur | PTIThe New Year appears to have heralded new love for National Football League (NFL) superstar Tom Brady. The seven-time Superbowl champion was seen enjoying his time at a yacht party in the Caribbean waters near Saint Barthelemy with social media influencer Alix Earle on New Year’s Day, leading to speculation that the two are dating. American magazine Cosmopolitan stated that the two were seen engaging in public displays of affection during the party. Brady, 48, was previously married to model Gisele Bundchen (2009-2022), and have two children together: Benjamin Rein Brady (16), and Vivian Lake Brady (13). The former quarter-back also has a son — Edward Thomas Moynahan (18) — with Hollywood actress Bridget Moynahan. The pair dated each other from 2004 to 2006. Meanwhile, Earle, 24, was in a relationship with NFL player Braxton Berrios, but they recently broke up after two years of dating. She had previously dated baseball player Tyler Wade for three months in 2022.
07 January,2026 08:56 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentSergio Pérez said being a teammate of Max Verstappen was ‘the worst job there is in Formula 1.’ Pérez partnered the Dutchman for four years at Red Bull before being dropped at the end of 2024. Pérez is returning to F1 this year with new team Cadillac. “I was on the best team, but it was complicated because being Max’s teammate at Red Bull is the worst job there is in F1,” Pérez told a podcast with Oswaldo Trava that was posted on YouTube on Sunday. “At Red Bull everything was a problem; if I was faster than Max it was a problem, If you were too slow it was a problem, a very tense atmosphere was created,” Pérez said. Pérez’s best season was 2023 when he was runner-up to Verstappen. Verstappen won the championship again in 2024, but Pérez finished eighth and was released by Red Bull. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
07 January,2026 08:54 AM IST | Mexico City | AP | PTIFormer world billiards champion Manoj Kothari, one of the most influential figures in Indian cue sports, died on Monday following a massive cardiac arrest at a hospital in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, a family member said. Kothari was 67. He is survived by his wife, son Sourav Kothari — also a former world billiards champion — and daughter Shreya Kothari. Kothari, who is the current chief national coach, was being treated at a Tirunelveli hospital for more than a week and suffered cardiac arrest around 7.30am, the family member said. He served as the chief coach of the Indian billiards team from 2011. Kothari’s highs . Won IBSF World Billiards Championship in 1990. Won World Doubles Billiards Championship in 1997 This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
06 January,2026 12:06 PM IST | Kolkata | PTINovak Djokovic announced on Sunday he was leaving the professional players’ union he co-founded in 2020, citing “concerns regarding transparency and governance” within the body. The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), founded by the current world No. 4 and Canadian Vasek Pospisil, took legal action in March 2025 against tennis governing bodies, denouncing “anti-competitive restraints and abusive practices.” The action also highlighted the “unsustainable schedule” for players, with tournaments scheduled 11 months out of 12 by both the men’s ATP and women’s WTA. “After careful consideration, I have decided to step away completely from the Professional Tennis Players Association”, Djokovic posted on social media. “This decision comes after ongoing concerns regarding transparency, governance, and the way my voice and image have been represented. I am proud of the vision that Vasek and I shared when founding the PTPA, giving players a stronger, independent voice — but it has become clear that my values and approach are no longer aligned with the current direction of the organization.” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
06 January,2026 08:25 AM IST | Paris | AFPCricket India T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav Jan 4-8: The Ashes: Australia v England, 5th Test at SydneyJan 11-18: India vs New Zealand, ODI seriesJan 21-31: India vs New Zealand, T20I seriesJan 15-Feb 6: ICC U-19 World Cup, Zimbabwe and NamibiaFeb 7-Mar 8: ICC T20 World Cup, India and Sri LankaMar-May: Indian Premier LeagueJune 12-July 5: ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, EnglandJuly 1-11: England vs India, T20I seriesJuly 14-19: England vs India, T20I series Football Argentina captain Lionel Messi March 22: League Cup final, LondonMay 16: FA Cup final — Wembley, LondonMay 20: UEFA Europa League Final - Istanbul, TurkeyMay 27: UEFA Europa Conference League final — Leipzig, GermanyMay 30: UEFA Champions League final — Budapest, HungaryJun 11-Jul 19: FIFA World Cup — USA, Canada, Mexico Tennis World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz Jan 18-Feb 1: Australian Open, MelbourneMay 24-Jun 7: French Open, ParisJun 29-Jul 12: Wimbledon, LondonAug 30-Sept 13: US Open, New YorkSept 25-27: Laver CupNov 24-29: Davis Cup final Formula One World champion Lando Norris March 8: Australian Grand PrixMarch 15: Chinese GPMarch 29: Japanese GPApril 12: Bahrain GPApril 19: Saudi Arabian GPMay 3: Miami GPMay 24: Canadian GPJune 7: Monaco GPJune 14: Barcelona-Catalunya GPJune 28: Austrian GPJuly 5: British GPJuly 19: Belgian GPJuly 26: Hungarian GPAugust 23: Dutch GPSeptember 6: Italian GPSeptember 13: Spanish GPSeptember 26: Azerbaijan GPOctober 11: Singapore GPOctober 25: US GPNovember 1: Mexico City GPNovember 8: Sao Paulo GPNovember 21: Las Vegas GPNovember 29: Qatar GPDecember 6: Abu Dhabi GP Badminton Satwiksairaj Rankireddy (left) and Chirag Shetty Jan 6-11: Malaysia Open — Kuala LumpurJan 13-18: India Open — New DelhiMar 3–8: All England Open Badminton — BirminghamMar 10–15: Swiss Open — BaselNov 17–22: Hong Kong OpenNov 24-29: Syed Modi India International — LucknowDec 9–13: BWF World Tour Finals — Hangzhou, China Other major sports Hockey skipper Harmanpreet Singh May 8: Athletics — Doha Diamond LeagueJun 18–21: US Open golf — New YorkJul 4–26: Cycling — Tour de FranceJune 26: Athletics — Paris Diamond LeagueJul 23–Aug 2: Commonwealth Games — Glasgow, Scotland Aug 15–30: Hockey World Cup (men and women) — Belgium & NetherlandsSept 19–Oct 4: Asian Games — Aichi-Nagoya, Japan
05 January,2026 01:25 PM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentThere was dramatic action unfolding in the bookmakers's ring as eleven runners and riders were being paraded in the paddock before the start of the second race on the Sunday card: the Aslam Kader Salver. Truckloads of money was bet onto Diego Garcia whose odds almost halved to 5-to-2 from 5-to-1. Not many, however, noticed quiet support coming in for the Imtiaz Sait-trained Ekatarina, who just closed below the long shot status at 9-to-1. On the race track, however, it was neither the favourite Dedication (David Allan up) nor the heavily backed Diego Garcia (A Sandesh up) who called the shots, it was Ekatarina (Neeraj Rawal up) who floored all her rivals and went on to post a facile victory in the Aslam Kader Salver, the first running of the race instituted in Kader's memory after his demise on October 9 last year. "Aslam Kader rode some of the best races for me," Sait said in a post-race chat with mid-day, "so I am delighted to win this race." "My filly (Ekatarina) didn't have a clear run in last start, as she was hampered by a riderless horse in that race," added the veteran trainer, "so I was confident she will run a big race today. In fact, I told the owner (Mr Shyam Ruia) that we had a good chance to beat the favourite, and kept my fingers crossed." Remembering late Aslam Kader, Sait said, "He rode some great races for me," and added, "his greatest quality was his confidence. After riding a horse during the track work, he would confidently tell me to call the owner to lead in the winner--amazing confidence!"
05 January,2026 12:58 PM IST | Mumbai | Prakash GosaviADVERTISEMENT
