Indian powerlifter Keyaa Kunal Banerji has revealed that she faced sexual harassment, impersonation and unauthorised AI-generated images after her viral performance at the 2026 IPF World Championships in Sun City, South Africa. Competing in the Junior Women’s 47kg category, the 21-year-old lifted 140kg in the deadlift to win silver. She weighed 45.70kg and recorded a 90kg squat and 50kg bench press, finishing with a 280kg total and fifth overall. Banerji said social media attention increasingly focused on her appearance and alleged that offensive comments targeted her ethnicity, ancestry and caste. She described discovering AI-generated images using her face and body without consent as particularly disturbing and said she chose to speak out.

Seventeen-year-old Madhura Kar from Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, won four gold medals and the world champion title at the IPF World Sub-Junior & Junior Classic Powerlifting Championships in Sun City, South Africa. Competing in the Sub-Junior Women’s 52kg category at a body weight of 49.35kg, she recorded a 292.5kg total. Madhura won gold in the squat with 107.5kg, bench press with 60kg, deadlift with 125kg and overall total. A Class XII student, she won the National Powerlifting Championship in 2024 and defended her title in 2025, besides winning national bench press gold earlier this year. She also won silver at the Asian Powerlifting Championship in China. Her achievement marks a remarkable rise.

Star Indian men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty finally broke their China Masters jinx, winning the Super 750 title for the first time. The Indians produced a stirring comeback in Sunday’s final, recovering from a game down to defeat China’s He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu in a gruelling three-game thriller. Satwik and Chirag lost the opening game 11-21 but responded strongly to take the second 21-13 before sealing the deciding game 21-17. The contest lasted 1 hour and 10 minutes. The victory came after three China Masters finals, including two heartbreaking defeats, making their successful fightback against the home favourites a significant breakthrough for the Indian pair. (PC: India Today)

Indian powerlifter Keyaa Banerji won a silver medal at the 2026 IPF World Sub-Junior and Junior Classic Powerlifting Championships after an impressive 140kg deadlift, more than three times her body weight. Her achievement quickly drew praise online and attention across India. However, the sudden spotlight also brought disturbing online abuse. Banerji revealed that she faced sexual harassment, impersonation, and discussions targeting her ethnicity, ancestry and caste. She also said thousands of AI-generated images had been created by morphing and editing her face and body in disturbing ways. The powerlifter described the experience as particularly unnerving, saying the fake images were appearing on her own and people she knew’s social media feeds. (PC: MSN)

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi attracted major attention during the Duleep Trophy final, but 21-year-old Jharkhand opener Shikhar Mohan stole the spotlight with an impressive 85-run innings. Mohan, initially named East Zone’s reserve opener, received his first opportunity of the tournament in the final against South Zone. He responded with a composed knock that provided substance to East Zone’s strong opening-day performance. Sooryavanshi, the highly rated 15-year-old, also impressed with an aggressive 44, entertaining the crowd at Chennai’s Chepauk. However, Mohan’s debut performance became one of the biggest talking points of the opening day. (PC: X)

Indian powerlifter Madhura Kar delivered an outstanding performance at the World Powerlifting Championships, winning four gold medals in the Sub-Junior Women’s 52kg category. The young athlete from Jalpaiguri recorded a 107.5kg squat, 60kg bench press and 125kg deadlift, producing a combined total of 292.5kg. Her achievement adds to an impressive record at the national and international level. Kar, a Class XII student, has previously won national titles and secured silver at the 2026 Asian Powerlifting Championships in China. Her performance highlights the growing presence of young Indian women in international strength sports.

India’s Madhura Kar won four gold medals at the IPF World Sub-Junior and Junior Classic Powerlifting Championships in South Africa. The 17-year-old competed in the 52kg category and lifted a total of 292.5kg.   She won gold in squat with 107.5kg, bench press with 60kg and deadlift with 125kg. She also won gold for her overall performance.   Madhura is a Class 12 student and has won several national titles. Meanwhile, India’s Keyaa Banerjee won a silver medal in the junior 47kg category after lifting a total of 140kg.  

India produced a commanding seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in the 2026 Women’s Asia Cup in Dubai. Pakistan struggled against India’s spin attack and were bowled out for just 55 runs, their lowest-ever T20I total. Shree Charani and Prema Rawat claimed three wickets each, while Deepti Sharma took two, dismantling Pakistan’s batting lineup. India initially lost three top-order wickets for 29 runs but recovered calmly. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur remained unbeaten on 18, while Deepti Sharma scored 12 not out. India reached 57 for three in just 8.4 overs, winning with 68 balls remaining and advancing unbeaten to the semifinals. (PC: The Hindu)

West Bengal’s 17-year-old powerlifter Madhura Kar has made India proud by winning four gold medals at the IPF World Sub-Junior & Junior Classic Powerlifting Championships in Sun City, South Africa. Competing in the Sub-Junior Women’s 52kg category at a body weight of 49.35kg, the Jalpaiguri athlete recorded a total of 292.5kg. She won gold in the squat with 107.5kg, bench press with 60kg, deadlift with 125kg and the overall total. A Class XII student, Madhura previously won national championships in 2024 and 2025 and a National Bench Press gold in 2026. 

West Indies cricket legend Brian Lara has joined former cricketers calling for proper medical care and humane treatment for former Pakistan captain and Prime Minister Imran Khan. In an Instagram post on Saturday, Lara said he was shocked that Khan was not being cared for and called for independent medical attention. Khan, 73, has been imprisoned at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi since 2023 after convictions in corruption cases. Concerns over his health have drawn criticism from his family and former cricketers. Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Greg Chappell and Pat Cummins have also spoken about Khan’s treatment and need for dignity. (PC: India Today)