Ritu Sejwal

@the_bridge_in
Sports Journalist. Reach out to me on [email protected] or [email protected].

[The Bridge @the_bridge_in]

Understanding para-athlete's classification system: how 🇮🇳 Tejas Nandakumar lost his CWG spot 🏆

The 18-year-old Bengaluru swimmer had visa, accreditation and anti-doping formalities complete, but was declared ineligible after his classification review was listed as R-2025, not meeting the required status

Read More 🔗

✍️: @ritusejwal19
#CommonwealthGames #Glasgow2026 #ParaSwimming #IndianSports
https://t.co/bdfrOqPkkF

[The Bridge @the_bridge_in]

From heartbreak to history. 💔➡️🥇

After missing out on a medal twice at ISSF World Cup events, Neeru Dhanda made history by becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual women's trap gold at an ISSF Shotgun World Cup.

Here's how she kept her poise in the final and beat world and Olympic champions to stand on top of the podium. 👇

✍️: @ritusejwal19

https://t.co/QuscnoiBCI

#Shooting #ISSFworldcup

[The Bridge @the_bridge_in]

India's Doping Crisis: Is NADA Being Set Up to Fail?

India has topped the world for doping violations three years running 2022, 2023, and 2024. Cases have nearly doubled, from 125 to 260 in that period, with Athletics as the biggest offender.

In April 2026, the Athletics Integrity Unit moved India into Category A the highest-risk bracket, alongside Russia and Kenya.

Watch the full video on our Youtube channel

#IndianSports #Doping #Indianathletes #athletes

[The Bridge @the_bridge_in]

🇮🇳 India has never played a FIFA World Cup match 🏆Not once ⚽️

@_Aswathy_S breaks down decades of missed chances, weak grassroots systems and administrative chaos that kept India out of football's biggest stage 🏟️

#IndianFootball #FIFAWorldCup
https://t.co/VFJ7JYPAGb

[The Bridge @the_bridge_in]

🚨#Exclusive l "There were times I questioned why I was playing" - Nagal opens up to The Bridge on battling self-doubt through the lean years.

🇮🇳 Sumit Nagal ended a 2-year title drought, winning the Intaro Open 2026 in Romania, beating 🇫🇷 France's Felix Balshaw 6-3, 7-5 on Sunday.

Read the full exclusive 🔗

✍️: @ritusejwal19

#SumitNagal #IndianTennis #Tennis
https://t.co/f7HYiTN416

[The Bridge @the_bridge_in]

🚨#Explained l Mumbai's football future at stake🚨

BMC has approved a proposal to convert Neville D'Souza Football Ground Mumbai's only major football venue into an Exhibition Centre.

The ground hosts 700+ clubs & 8,000-10,000 young footballers.
Read more 🔗

✍️: @_Aswathy_S
#IndianFootball #MumbaiFootball
https://t.co/uzRpbFEMKr

[The Bridge @the_bridge_in]

🚨#Exclusive l Deepika Sehrawat is back, and stronger than ever 💪

A year after a Grade III hamstring tear, she returned as joint-highest scorer at the FIH Nations Cup, helping India earn promotion to the FIH Pro League.

"They told me I'd come back even more powerful" - Deepika

✍️: @Abhiee0312
#Hockey #IndianHockey
https://t.co/cn1nr80b0C

[The Bridge @the_bridge_in]

At just 21, sabre fencer Shreya Gupta is balancing elite sport with a Master's degree in Psychology, and she believes the combination is making her a better athlete. 🤺🧠🇮🇳
Speaking to The Bridge, the Jammu fencer revealed how meditation, visualisation and breathing techniques have become an integral part of her preparation before every bout.

✍️ @ritusejwal19

https://t.co/n0rRXz9A1i

[The Bridge @the_bridge_in]

Ever wondered what do Fencers carry in their huge kit bag?🤺👀

We've got you covered!

Watch as Indian epee star Prachi Lohan reveals what essentials the elite fencers carry during a big tournament🔥

#Fencing #IndianSports | @fencingindiafai

[The Bridge @the_bridge_in]

#Wrestling Federation of India has written to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) seeking details on date-of-birth revisions of wrestlers.

It also ordered all verified wrestlers to undergo fresh document verification.

✍️ @ritusejwal19

https://t.co/9GWLuUzeGR

[The Bridge @the_bridge_in]

Hosted for the first time in India, the 2026 Asian Fencing C'ships kicked off earlier today in New Delhi with a gripping opening ceremony followed by three Indians making it to the round of 32.

Watch for all the details from Day 1️⃣

#Fencing 🤺

[Dr. Sangita Reddy @drsangitareddy]

The untimely passing of Jaspal Rana is a stark reminder that heart disease does not always fit the profile we expect.

An Arjuna Awardee, champion shooter, coach, and a symbol of discipline and peak performance, he was someone many would consider the picture of health.

Yet, for several days, the warning signs were present but easy to dismiss. By the time medical attention was sought, a major coronary artery was completely blocked.

His story highlights an important reality: heart disease is often silent until it is not.

For decades, we associated serious cardiac events with age, inactivity, or visibly poor health. Today, that assumption no longer holds true. Across India and around the world, we are seeing an increasing number of heart attacks and significant coronary artery disease in people in their 30s, 40s and 50s including individuals who are active, productive, and outwardly healthy.

At @HospitalsApollo , we are witnessing this shift firsthand.

What concerns me most is that many of these conditions are detectable long before they become life-threatening. Elevated cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension, arterial calcification, and early coronary artery disease can remain unnoticed for years unless we actively look for them.

A routine health assessment can reveal risks that the body may not yet be showing. Regular screening, risk profiling, and timely intervention remain some of the most powerful tools we have in modern medicine.

Equally important is listening to your body. Unexplained chest discomfort, breathlessness during exertion, unusual fatigue, pain in the shoulder, arm, neck, or jaw, or symptoms that consistently appear with activity and improve with rest should never be ignored.

As healthcare professionals, we often say that prevention is better than cure. But today, prevention is far more than a slogan it is our best opportunity to save lives.

The most successful treatment is often the one that prevents a medical emergency from ever occurring.

Let us honour stories like these not only with condolences, but with action. Schedule your health check-up. Know your risk factors. Encourage your family members to do the same.

[The Bridge @the_bridge_in]

#Exclusive 🚨 J&K's long-delayed sports quota recruitment has sparked protests, with athletes alleging that lower-category non-Olympic sports were favoured in government appointments.

✍️ @ritusejwal19

#JKSports #SportsQuota

https://t.co/bkhghljNTb

[The Bridge @the_bridge_in]

#News | Astha Choudhary sets a 17-year-old meet record at Swimming Nationals

She wins the women's 200m butterfly gold with a time of 2:18.37s.

However, she fell short of her own Best Indian Time of 2:17.09s set in March 2026.

#Swimming

[Abhinav A. Bindra OLY @Abhinav_Bindra]

Heartbroken to hear about Jaspal Rana’s passing.

Jaspal was my teammate, and in many ways, part of a generation that helped shape Indian shooting. He was intense, gifted, and carried the pride of the country every time he stepped onto the range.

This is a huge loss for our sport. My deepest condolences to his family, friends, students and everyone whose life he touched.

[The Bridge @the_bridge_in]

#News | The men's freestyle and Greco Roman wrestling trials for 2026 Asian Games underway in Lucknow😍

Far lesser crowd and hype surrounding the event in Lucknow compared to the chaos of women's trials on Saturday🫣

🎥: @Sportsfan_77777

#Wrestling

[The Bridge @the_bridge_in]

🚨More controversy at the #Wrestling selection trials!

Vinesh was trailing 0-5 against Nishu in the 53kg quarterfinal when the referee decided to give 4 points to Vinesh who was going for a pin fall, instead of letting her complete the pin. Vinesh challenged that and won.

A minute later, Vinesh went for an arm throw for which the referee gave 2 points instead of 4. Vinesh challenged again, but lost this time.

[Ritu Sejwal @ritusejwal19]

Drama at asian games trial ... vinesh vs nishu... some heated exchange there.. vinesh trailing 4-5.

[Ritu Sejwal @ritusejwal19]

Supreme Court permits Vinesh Phogat to compete in Asian Games trials tomorrow! @wfi_wrestling @Phogat_Vinesh

[The Bridge @the_bridge_in]

“Her body must still be in adaptation mode, with the initial months of training feeling like climbing Everest.”

@ritusejwal19 looks beyond the headlines and politics surrounding Vinesh Phogat’s return, focusing instead on the realities of attempting an elite comeback after childbirth.

Read: https://t.co/w42HYotRXH

#VineshPhogat