Blooming early: Top youngsters making waves in sports

Max Verstappen, 18, Formula 1 Red Bull’s Dutch phenom made history on Sunday by becoming the youngest to win a Formula 1 race when he roared to first place in the Spanish Grand Prix. He was 18 years and 228 days old as of Sunday. Sebastien Vettel was the previous youngest winner of an F1 race. Vettel was 21 years and 74 days when he won the 2008 Italian Grand Prix. Verstappen comes from racing stock. His father Jos was an F1 driver and his mother Sophie was a kart racer.


Image: AFP
Fun fact: Verstappen likes tomato soup, carpaccio and pasta.

Sarfaraz Khan, 18, cricket Sarfaraz grabbed headlines when at age 12 he scored 439 in the Harris Shield, setting a record for the highest individual score in the inter-school tournament’s history. He bettered Ramesh Nagdev’s record of 427 not out, scored in the 1963-64 season. There have been questions about the accuracy of his age — an old problem in Indian sport — and his fitness levels. But Sarfaraz has made it to the Mumbai team and the IPL (Royal Challengers Bangalore). So the hype is not without merit.
Fun fact: His RCB teammate Chris Gayle says he’s like a son to him.


Belinda Bencic, 19, tennis The era of teen prodigies in tennis is over, but there are some exceptions like Bencic. The Swiss righthander posted consistent results to reach No. 8 in the rankings. What makes her an interesting player is she does not rely on just power but also instinct. She is coached by the mother of a player renowned for her tennis IQ — Martina Hingis. And while she comes from Federer country, the player she’d like to meet is Rafael Nadal.


Image: AFP
Fun fact: Likes crime novels, Rihanna and The Hangover.

Marcus Rashford, 18, football The Manchester United striker was one of the finds of football this year. He became a household name when he scored a brace on debut in the Europa League as well as the Premier League. His goals in the Europa League made him United’s youngest goalscorer in European competition, a record held so far by George Best.


Image: AFP

FUN FACT: Though a part of United’s A-team, manager Louis van Gaal dictated that Rashford continue to have his meals in United’s under-21 dressing room.

Shubham Jaglan, 11, golf The word ‘fairytale’ is a cliché in sport. But in some cases no other word does a story justice. A case in point is Jaglan, the son of a milkman who started playing golf in an academy set up by an NRI in Israna, Haryana. Jaglan has won over 100 tournaments, including the IMG Academy junior world championship in San Diego in the 9-10 age group. He has captured the golfing world’s fascination and his family has moved to Delhi for the sake of his career. He’s coached by former golfer Nonita Lall Qureshi.


Image: BCCL
FUN FACT: Tiger Woods sent him a friend request, according to Shubham’s father Jagpal Singh Jaglan.