Eight athletes from Durban, representing the Iron Movement team, have secured spots in the South African national squad for the World Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) Championship. The event will take place in Beijing, China, in September.
Eight athletes from Durban, representing the Iron Movement team, have secured spots in the South African national squad for the World Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) Championship. The event will take place in Beijing, China, in September.
These athletes are part of the national team, which comprises over twenty South Africans who will compete in the global tournament across the 3 km, 400 m, and 100 m distances. Obstacle course racing is a rapidly growing sport that combines trail running with overcoming complex obstacles such as walls, rings, rope climbs, heavy carries, and crawling under cargo nets, testing participants' speed, strength, endurance, and technical skills.
Earlier this year, Iron Movement became the official venue for the South African Modern Pentathlon Association (SAMPA) and held a regional qualification stage in June. Following this, the athletes participated in the South African National OCR Championship in July, where the national team was formed.
Among those heading to Beijing is 34-year-old Nicole Christie from Waterfield. She joined The IRON Movement at the end of 2023 for strength training and functional fitness, and about a year ago, she started taking OCR classes. Christie, who works as a communications manager, described the opportunity to represent the first South African team at the World Championship as something absolutely surreal.
She noted that although she initially sought only strength training and functional fitness, she did not expect to find a new passion in OCR. Christie emphasized that balancing training with work, rest, proper nutrition, and family time is always a complex process. Speaking about the obstacles, she added that developing the necessary grip and hanging strength takes time, just as acquiring the endurance to overcome longer and more technical elements requires great patience.
Christie also mentioned that the biggest challenge for the team is raising sufficient funds to participate on the world stage. Each athlete needs to raise between 40,000 and 50,000 South African Rands to cover costs for international travel, accommodation, sports gear, and registration fees. The team has launched a crowdfunding campaign on the BackaBuddy platform, appealing to local businesses, sports enthusiasts, and the public to help fund their trip to Beijing.
Another member of the SA team is 25-year-old Erin Pons from Hillcrest. She began obstacle course racing in January after discovering this unique and exciting sport. Pons shared that it requires extensive training, including trail running and strength exercises. The course includes rings, rope climbs, crawling under cargo nets, and moving heavy objects. She expressed great enthusiasm about the possibility of competing in international competitions, calling it a new dream she didn't know she could achieve.
Coach Rain Hoskins stated that watching his athletes qualify for the World Championship is the proudest moment of his coaching career. He noted that the team heading to the championship always demonstrates dedication and brings him the greatest pride. In Hoskins' opinion, the team's main advantage lies in the obstacles themselves, as each athlete excels through technique and strength on the setups.
Hoskins also stressed that OCR differs from many other sports because every course presents a new challenge requiring a high level of skill, excellent strength, and incredible adaptability to different tracks, making it a true test of athleticism.
In Washington, D.C., two South African athletes, Nkosi Ndebele and Eliezer Kubantsa, made their debut in the PFL Global league recently. Ndebele demonstrated a dominant performance against American Brandon Davis, while Kubantsa secured an impressive victory over Chris Mixan.
Nkosi Ndebele, known as the 'King of Many Nations,' officially introduced himself to PFL Global by achieving a convincing win over Brandon Davis. This fight took place at the CareFirst arena in Washington. The originally scheduled opponent, Mando Gutierrez, withdrew due to health issues, leading the bout to be contested at catchweight. Ndebele, who is the PFL Africa champion in the 2025 welterweight division, won by unanimous decision with a score of 30-26.
The South African fighter displayed a high level of skill, showcasing clinical and composed mixed martial arts tactics. His signature precise strikes, impeccable timing, and high in-fight intelligence allowed him to methodically break down Davis across three dominant rounds. Ndebele utilized clean front strikes, knees, and sharp combinations, while masterfully controlling distance and positioning. His style drew comparisons to Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort, earning widespread approval from fans.
On the same evening, alongside Ndebele, his teammate from SOMA Fight Club, Eliezer Kubantsa, also shone. Opening the main card, Kubantsa, a PFL Africa alumnus, defeated Chris Mixan by applying an Armbar in the second round. Kubantsa began the fight with aggressive intentions, overwhelming Mixan with powerful strikes, before transitioning to grappling and finishing the contest midway through the second round.
In the main event of the night, Ted Jean successfully defended his PFL welterweight championship title by defeating Ernesto Rodriguez via technical knockout in the third round. Jean faced difficulties after an early takedown by the dangerous Cuban, who was close to a major upset. Rodriguez turned the fight into a striking exchange, closing the distance and unleashing powerful combinations, but Jean withstood the onslaught and responded decisively in the third round. A series of crushing blows led to Rodriguez falling, after which Jean unleashed a barrage of ground strikes until the referee stopped the fight, making the 'Silver Bear' the new champion in the capital city.
The co-main event also concluded with a spectacular finish: Brazilian Rafael Javier stopped Tyson Pedro late in the first round. Javier initially shocked the Australian with a series of devastating head strikes, then followed him to the canvas, unleashing a relentless flurry of elbow strikes that resulted in a deep cut and referee intervention in the final seconds of the first round. This dominant victory is expected to help Javier climb the heavyweight rankings.
Rishikanta Singhambam won a silver medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, becoming the first athlete from India to achieve such an award. He placed second in the men's 60 kg weight division in weightlifting.
Furthermore, Rishikanta set a new Commonwealth Games record in the snatch discipline, successfully lifting 121 kg in the final of the men's 60 kg category. He later achieved a lift of 143 kg in the clean and jerk, reaching a total of 264 kg. Mohammad Anik Kasdan from Malaysia won the gold medal with a total of 273 kg, while Joshua Amung Mboya from Kenya was awarded bronze with a total of 260 kg.
Rishikanta's silver medal increased India's total medal count to two, after para-weightlifter Jandu Kumar opened the country's account with a bronze medal on the opening day of the Games.
Born on July 5, 1998, in Imphal West, Manipur, Rishikanta began training in weightlifting at one of India's leading centers. He trained at the National Sports Academy (NSA) in Human Lampak, graduating in 2018, after which he joined the Sports Service Control Board (SSCB).
The rigorous training environment helped him establish himself at the domestic level, where he consistently showed high results in light categories and made it into the Indian squad. His debut at the Commonwealth Games was at the Birmingham 2022 Games in the men's 55 kg category. Although he did not win a medal, this experience proved invaluable as he competed against some of the best Commonwealth weightlifters.
After the restructuring of international weight categories, he moved to the 60 kg division, where he quickly became India's main contender. His consistent performances at the national level paved the way for more significant international achievements.
A turning point in Rishikanta's career was the 2025 World Weightlifting Championships in Ahmedabad. Competing in front of a home crowd, he lifted 120 kg in the snatch and 151 kg in the clean and jerk, setting a national record of 271 kg and winning the gold medal. This result also set Commonwealth Championship records in the clean and jerk and total, securing his spot at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Later that year, Rishikanta participated in the World Weightlifting Championships, where he finished 11th among elite world-class athletes, demonstrating his ability to compete with the best in the sport.
Rishikanta continuously updated Indian records. He set the Indian national record in the men's 61 kg snatch at the 2024 Indian Weightlifting Championships, lifting 124 kg. He then set the Indian national record in the total for men's 60 kg (271 kg) by winning the 2025 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships.
At the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, he reached another milestone by lifting 121 kg in the snatch, becoming the first athlete to lift this weight at the Games and setting a new Commonwealth Games record. Despite ultimately receiving a silver medal, this record remains his.
Rishikanta Singh was awarded the Commonwealth Games snatch record for successfully lifting 121 kg, even though his closest competitor and future gold medalist, Mohammad Anik Kasdan from Malaysia, also lifted the same weight in the men's 60 kg competition. The Indian weightlifter was recognized as a record holder because he was the first athlete to successfully lift 121 kg, surpassing the previous Games record of 120 kg.
Although Anik later repeated the 121 kg lift, his effort was registered as an equality with the Commonwealth Games record, not a surpassing of it. According to the rules of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), when multiple athletes lift the same record weight, the record belongs to the first athlete who achieved it, and subsequent ones are recognized as having reached that level.
As a result, Rishikanta retains the official status of Commonwealth Games snatch record holder in the men's 60 kg category with a weight of 121 kg.
After the Indian team secured a confident victory in the first two matches of the three-match T20 series against Zimbabwe, the team is preparing to play the third match. Under the guidance of Shreyas Iyer, India has gained an early advantage of 2-0.
Following the conclusion of the series, there was a demand to give a chance to players who were on the bench. Former Indian cricketer Akash Chopra advocated for including Prabhsimran Singh, an experienced batsman and wicketkeeper from Punjab Kings, in the starting eleven. He noted that Prabhsimran Singh has established himself as an opener in the IPL while playing for Punjab and has many memorable innings.
Discussing the situation on his YouTube channel, Akash Chopra stated that winning the series is an ideal moment to test new players. He expressed his intention to consider giving Prabhsimran a chance, questioning: 'What is his fault? You selected Prabhsimran Singh for the team, and we have no idea when he will be selected again. Now that you have won the series, he should be given a chance.'
Chopra also suggested that Ishan Kishan could be rested to make way for Prabhsimran. He advised resting Ishan because Prabhsimran can easily handle the wicketkeeping duties, allowing him to be used as a full-fledged player.
Previously, Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, and Ishan Kishan played in the top order of India in the first two matches. Although Ishan delivered an impressive performance, scoring 81 runs off 44 balls in the second match, Abhishek Sharma failed to perform well in both matches. Despite the poor performance, Akash Chopra does not believe it is right to exclude Abhishek. He insists that Abhishek should be given another chance in the third match so he can score runs. Furthermore, he emphasized that Abhishek can act as a bowler if necessary.
