Majestic Starlight Indian relay team races toward healing at INFR qualifier
Representing multiple Indigenous nations, the team blends tradition, culture and a deep love for the sport.
'Being a part of a team like this means a lot,' says co-owner Keagan Pahtayken. 'Just to express how it is to be an Indian, really … and to show that we are here still.'
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Beneath the paint and pageantry lies something more powerful. Majestic Starlight is a fully sober team: riders who have overcome personal struggles and now race as a symbol of hope.
'I don't really want to see any of the young men go through what I did … going through prison lifestyle,' says co-owner Leon Pahtayken. 'So I switched that around with my life, going back into the horse stuff.'
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For these riders, sobriety isn't just a personal choice, it's a core part of the team's energy and connection. 'Alcohol and drugs don't mix with horses,' Leon adds. 'Being sober keeps us together, shows us how to love each other, how to trust each other, and we build stronger.'
Now, with every lap, Majestic Starlight sends a message. Second chances are real, healing is possible, and the future rides clean.
The INFR will be held in Las Vegas, Nev., Oct. 14-18.
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Canada News.Net
an hour ago
- Canada News.Net
India Women's Wrestling team shines at U-17 World Wrestling Championship with six medals
New Delhi [India], August 2 (ANI): The 2025 Under-17 World Championship is underway in Athens (Greece), and once again, the Indian women wrestlers have showcased their dominance on the world stage. The Indian Women's Wrestling Team has secured a total of 6 medals--2 Gold, 3 Silver, and 1 Bronze, bringing glory to the nation, according to a release from the Wrestling Federation of India. The Indian Women's Wrestling Team clinched the Champion Trophy with 151 points, while the USA finished as runners-up with 142 points, and Japan secured the third position with 113 points. Rachna (43 kg)-Gold Medal: Rachna clinched India's first Gold Medal in the 43 kg weight category. She began her campaign with a win by fall (8-0) against Canadian wrestler Mariza Toshie Anjos Nasu. In the quarterfinal, she beat Egyptian wrestler Mareim Ahmed by technical superiority (13-3). Facing a strong American opponent, Madison M. Healey in the semifinal, who had earlier defeated a Japanese wrestler by fall, Rachna showed great composure and advanced with a narrow 1-1 win on criteria. In the final, she faced a tough Chinese wrestler, Xin Huang and emerged victorious with a confident 3-0 score. Rachna is also the reigning Asian Champion in this category, having won a Gold Medal at the Under-17 Asian Championship held in Vietnam in June 2025. Ashvini Vishnoi (65 kg)-Gold Medal: Ashvini Vishnoi, the only wrestler from Rajasthan to win a gold at the World Championship, continued her remarkable form. After winning Gold at both the Under-17 Asian Championship and the Asian Beach Wrestling Championship in Vietnam, she carried her momentum to the world stage. She began by defeating Algerian wrestler Selsabil Rouabah by fall. In the next round, she beat Hungarian wrestler Emese Czegledi by technical superiority (11-0), followed by a dominant win (13-0 fall) over Mongolian wrestler Anujin Erkhembaatar in the quarterfinal. In the semifinal, she outclassed UWW wrestler Lilia Ermokhina 7-0. Ashvini won the final against Uzbekistan's Mukhayyo Rakhimjonova by 3-0. Impressively, she did not concede a single point throughout the tournament. Moni (57 kg)-Silver Medal: Moni reached the final in the 57 kg category after an impressive run but narrowly lost the Gold Medal bout to Kazakh wrestler Madkhiya Usmanova (5-6). Interestingly, Moni had defeated Usmanova in the final of the Under-17 Asian Championship in June 2025. She began with a fall win over Taipei's Ling E. Li (10-0), then beat Uzbekistan's Feruza Kairatdinova 6-0 in the quarterfinal and UWW wrestler Alina Baroeva 7-0 in the semifinal. In the final, overconfidence may have cost her the gold, and she had to settle for silver. Kajal (73 kg) - Silver Medal: Kajal repeated her Under-17 Asian Championship final face-off with Chinese wrestler Wenjin Qiu, and unfortunately, the result was the same. Kajal had a strong run to the final, defeating Hungarian wrestler Bianka Barany Almasi by fall in just 25 seconds, followed by another fall win (12-0) over Romanian wrestler Claudia G. Mantong. She secured her third fall victory over Georgian wrestler Anna Godelashvili. In the semifinal, she outclassed USA's Ella J. Poalillo with an 11-0 technical superiority. The final against Qiu was hard-fought; although Kajal showed better preparation this time, she lost by a close 5-8 margin. Yashita (61 kg)-Silver Medal: India's third Silver Medal came from Yashita in the 61 kg category. She began with a 5-1 win over Kyrgyz wrestler Akylai Chynybaeva and then defeated Bulgarian wrestler Andrea Niseva 3-1. In the quarterfinal, Yashita edged past UWW wrestler Varvara Aliseyenka 2-2 on criteria. She secured a convincing 5-0 victory over Hungarian wrestler Barbara Bager in the semifinal. In a closely contested final, she lost bout from USA wrestler Taina Rose Fernandez 11-0. Komal Verma (49 kg)-Bronze Meda: Komal Verma secured a Bronze Medal in the 49 kg category. She started strong, defeating Spain's Sheila Mondrago Garcia 10-0. In the quarterfinal, she lost to USA's Morgan Nicole Turner (0-10), but as Turner advanced to the final, Komal got a chance in the repechage. She made full use of the opportunity by beating Kazakhstan's Saniya Soltangali with a 10-0 technical superiority and then clinched the bronze by defeating UWW wrestler Anhelina Burkina 8-3. Hardeep (110 kg, Greco-Roman)-Gold Medal: Hardeep created history by becoming the first Indian to win a Gold Medal in the heavyweight (110 kg) Greco-Roman category at the Under-17 World Championship. Already crowned Asian Champion earlier this year in Vietnam, Hardeep continued his winning streak. He opened with a 2-0 win over a Kazak wrestler, followed by a 4-2 victory over a Polish opponent. In the quarterfinal, he dominated his Ukrainian opponent 9-0. The semifinal saw him beat a tough Turkish wrestler 4-2. In the final, he faced a strong Iranian wrestler, a match that tested his determination. In a dramatic finish, Hardeep won on criteria with a 3-3 scoreline, securing India's first-ever gold in this category at the Under-17 Worlds. This achievement surpasses the previous best, a silver medal by Raunak Dahiya in 2023. The Indian wrestling team has once again proven its strength on the global stage. With 3 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze medals, it has been a memorable campaign at the Under-17 World Wrestling Championship in Athens. The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) congratulates all the medalists and extends gratitude to the coaching staff, support teams, and partners whose relentless efforts continue to elevate Indian wrestling on the global stage. This is a proud moment for Indian Wrestling. The commitment, confidence, and courage displayed by our young athletes, especially the women wrestlers, show the promising future of wrestling in India,' said a WFI spokesperson. The championship continues in Athens, where Indian wrestlers are set to compete in the remaining bouts in the Freestyle category. Lacky (110 kg) has advanced to the Gold Medal bout, scheduled to take place tomorrow. Unfortunately, two Freestyle wrestlers, Saurabh Yadav (82 Kg) and Arjun Ruhil (92 Kg), were unable to travel to Athens due to the non-issuance of visas. Arjun Ruhil, the reigning Asian Champion, was a strong medal contender, and his absence is a significant setback for the Indian team. (ANI)
Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Manitobans look to stay on target at Worlds
It all started with a documentary for Khushreet Sandhu, who remembers watching a story about an Indian archer criticized for being a girl competing in sports — and something clicked. 'That kind of lit this fire in me,' said Sandhu. 'So I asked my mom if there were any archery places in Winnipeg.' Now, just three years after picking up a bow, Sandhu, at 13 years old, is one of three Manitoban athletes who will represent Canada at the World Archery Youth Championships, as 582 athletes from 67 countries are set to arrive in Winnipeg for the largest event on the World Archery calendar. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Khushreet Sandhu set a new Canadian open record in the 18-metre in May. She will be competing in the U18 Compound event at the 2025 World Archery Youth Championships in Winnipeg from Aug. 16-24. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Khushreet Sandhu set a new Canadian open record in the 18-metre in May. She will be competing in the U18 Compound event at the 2025 World Archery Youth Championships in Winnipeg from Aug. 16-24. It's the first time Winnipeg is hosting an international archery tournament, which will run from August 16-24. The event features both compound and recurve competitions, with all matches up to the semifinals held at the Winnipeg South End United Soccer Complex, and the bronze and gold medal finals taking place at The Forks. Sandhu, a compound archer, hopes to build on what has already been a successful start to her young archery career. She holds multiple provincial medals in both indoor and outdoor competitions, along with first-place finishes at the 2024 National West Cup, 2024 Archery Nationals, 2024 Manitoba Outdoor Championships, 2025 Manitoba Indoor Championships and, most recently, the 2025 National West Cup held this past June. Consistent practice is what Sandhu says has been a big help in her growth, dedicating five to six hours every day to archery. Not only is she winning compound tournaments, on May 15 Sandhu also set a new Canadian open record in the 18-metre indoor round with a score of 583, breaking her own previous record of 578 set in February. For Worlds, Sandhu will stand 50 metres away from the target. In the qualification round, she will shoot 72 arrows, six arrows per end across 12 ends, with a maximum possible score of 720 points. In the elimination rounds, she will shoot 15 arrows, five ends of three arrows each, with a maximum score of 150 points. 'The mental side is a really big and key factor of it,' said Sandhu. 'It's like 90 per cent of a mental game. Like you can see all the equipment, you see the strength training, it is very physical at some points. But it's really mental, because having pressure on yourself and having the ability to control yourself and have pinpoint accuracy in that pressure is very hard.' Sandhu will compete in the U18 Compound event along with Canadians Jordyn Polowaniuk of Alberta and Anya Pinel of Ontario. Acadia Flockton, also from Manitoba, was named as an alternate. 'It's not really overwhelming, as many would say,' said Sandhu. 'But it's a really nice experience. You see people who are also attached to this sport, and it's very fulfilling for you to notice that, like someone else is also putting their efforts into this game as well. You get inspired by some people, because you obviously meet people who are better than you, so you get inspired to do better.' 'I'm looking forward to having a great experience, and making an impact on the world level, so some people remember my name, I really hope,' she said. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. In the U21 Compound event, Winnipegger Bailey Mathers will take the stage. It's not her first time representing Canada, the 18-year-old having competed at the previous World Archery Youth Championships in Limerick, Ireland, in 2023, and also at the 2022 and 2024 Junior Pan Am Championships. But it is her first time at a World Championship at home, hoping to come back from a rough Canada Cup tournament a couple of months ago. 'It's definitely an honour shooting for your country, especially it being in Canada and in my hometown, right?' said Mathers. 'So it's a really big deal, and I'm very excited to have the opportunity to represent Canada again.' Mathers's journey in archery began when she was seven years old, after she and her older sister were gifted bows for Christmas from their parents. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Bailey Mathers, who will be competing in the U21 Compound event, is hoping to rebound from a rough Canada Cup tournament earlier this year. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Bailey Mathers, who will be competing in the U21 Compound event, is hoping to rebound from a rough Canada Cup tournament earlier this year. Her dad also shoots, and by the time she was 12, Mathers had started taking lessons. A year later, she was competing. Mathers now coaches young athletes in the sport herself, a full-circle moment for the archer who came up through lessons and has gone on to earn first-place finishes at the Indoor Target Provincial Championships, National Indoor Championships and Provincial Championships Mixed Team events, along with medals at several other provincial and national competitions. 'The most important thing for being a good archer, I'd say it's the mental game,' said Mathers, who practices six times a week. 'You can shoot super well in practice, but when you get into competition, if all of that goes away as soon as you get a bit stressed out, it's really hard to perform well.' At the Canada Cup, Mathers struggled with severe 'target panic,' a psychological condition where the mind is unable to hold the pin on the intended target and execute the release without experiencing anxiety. 'Your body knows there's gonna be an explosion,' said Mathers. 'Your body is automatically gonna try to protect yourself from that explosion. With archery and shooting guns, really any type of shooting, the fire is perceived as an explosion to your body, so target panic is essentially your brain reacting to that explosion.' It's something she's been working to overcome by researching and applying techniques from shooting instructor Joel Turner, who has dedicated his career to helping athletes manage target panic through both mental and physical strategies. Feeling better recently, Mathers is working hard on the physical side of the game and refining her technique for Worlds, where she will pull back 53.5 pounds of draw weight on her compound bow and go up against 66 other countries. 'Getting to know the other athletes, that's the one thing that I always look forward to with international competitions,' Mathers said. 'It's not very common that you can walk up to a group of people from a totally different country and just immediately know you have something that's very important to all of you that is shared among that entire group.'
Global News
4 hours ago
- Global News
Elks look to slow down the high-flying Tiger-Cats on Saturday
It's expected to be a hot weekend in Edmonton with temperatures set to hit 30 degrees — fitting, as the Elks will welcome the hottest team in the CFL. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats face the Elks at Play Alberta Field at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Elks are 1-5 on the season after having their comeback bid fall short last week in Regina losing 21-18 to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Elks fell behind by a score of 21-4 before scoring 14 straight points in the fourth quarter only to settle for a loss. Quarterback Cody Fajardo will make his second start of the season for the Elks after throwing for 348 yards and two touchdown passes against the Riders. It was the first time this season the Elks had three receivers eclipse the 50 yard mark in Steven Dunbar Jr. (82), Kaion Julien-Grant (69), and Zach Mathis (52). Story continues below advertisement Fajardo says receiving all of the first team reps this week makes him feel more comfortable with the offence. 'There's some plays that I got to see reps with and there's some plays I didn't rep the best but I was able to see it and correct some things,' Fajardo said. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'That's what I'm most excited about, I thought the offence had a great week of practice now we have to take that from the practice field to the game field against a really good Hamilton defence.' The Hamilton defence leads the CFL in interceptions (11), pass knockdowns (30), and tackles for losses (16). On offence, the Tiger-Cats lead the league in average points scored per game (32.1), passing yards per game (316.0), and passing touchdowns (15). The Elks have more injuries to deal with this week as linebacker Nick Anderson (groin), receiver Zach Mathis (back), and linebacker Micheal Brodrique (shoulder) have all been place on the six-game injured list. Defensive end Robbie Smith (elbow) will return. Receiver Binjimen Victor will see his second start of the season. Linebacker Brock Mogensen and Canadian defensive back Jerrell Cummings will added to the active roster. Linebacker Bryce Cosby will come off of the active roster and will be placed on the practice roster. The following are the projected offensive and defensive starters for the Elks: Story continues below advertisement Offence Quarterback: Cody Fajardo Running back: Justin Rankin (Fullback: Tanner Green) Offensive line: Martez Ivey, Mark Korte, David Beard, Gregor MacKellar, Brett Boyko Receivers: Steven Dunbar, Kurleigh Gittens Jr., Arkell Smith, Kaion Julien-Grant, Binjimen Victor Defence Defensive line: Brandon Barlow, Jared Brinkman, Jake Ceresna, Robbie Smith Linebackers: Joel Dublanko, Nyles Morgan, Kenneth Logan Jr. Defensive backs: J.J. Ross, Kordell Jackson, Chelan Garnes, Kobe Williams, Tyrell Ford You can hear Saturday's game between the Elks and Tiger-Cats on 880 CHED starting with Countdown to Kickoff with Courtney Theriault at 11:30 a.m. The opening kickoff from Play Alberta Field at Commonwealth Stadium will be at 1 p.m. with Morley Scott and Dave Campbell calling all of the live action. Hear analysis from former Edmonton Football Team offensive lineman and two-time Grey Cup champion Blake Dermott. Former EE offensive lineman Gord Hinse will proved analysis from the Elks sidelines.
