Page 2 - Indian Sports

Neeraj Chopra reveals five ingredients that made him an Olympic champion

Neeraj Chopra feels that an athlete should always have self-belief till the very last moment that they can win it

Olympics 2024: Indian relay team's plan for qualification revealed by Jacob

Determined to improve its time and qualify for the Paris Olympics, the Indian men's 4x400m relay squad had planned to shadow the formidable USA team at the World Athletics Relays, sprinter Amoj Jacob had revealed. The Indian men's squad comprising Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Muhammed Ajmal, Arokia Rajiv and Jacob qualified for the Paris Games after finishing second in their heat at the World Athletics Relays in Nassau, Bahamas earlier this month. The Indian quartet finished with a collective timing of 3 minutes and 3.23 with USA (2:59.95) expectedly topping the heat. "We knew that we had the US in our Heats and they mostly run below 3 minutes. So, our plan was to stay close to them in the race, which will not only improve our time but also help us qualify for Paris Games," Jacob told SAI Media. "Our target was to register a time between 3:00 and 3:10 so that our confidence is high going into the Paris Olympics," he added. The Indian team was in third position when anchor-leg runner Jaco

Dipa Karmakar becomes first Indian gymnast to win gold at Asian Senior

Top Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar on Sunday became the first from the country to win a gold medal in the Asian Senior Championships as she clinched the yellow metal in the women's vault event here. The 30-year-old Dipa secured an average of 13.566 in the vault final on the last day of competitions in Uzbekistan's capital city. North Koreans Kim Son Hyang (13.466) and Jo Kyong Byol (12.966) grabbed the silver and bronze medals respectively. Dipa, who had finished fourth in the vault final at the 2016 Rio Olympics, had won a bronze medal in the same event in the 2015 edition. Ashish Kumar had a won bronze medal in individual floor exercise in 2015 Asian Championships. Pranati Nayak had also bagged a bronze each in vault event in the 2019 and 2022 editions. Dipa, who returned to action last year after a 21-month suspension for a doping offence, is out of contention for the upcoming Paris Olympics.

Javelin ace Neeraj Chopra to miss Ostrava Golden Spike due to muscle injury

Olympic gold-medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will miss the Ostrava Golden Spike 2024 athletics meet in the Czech Republic on May 28 due to a muscle injury he sustained in training two weeks ago, the organisers said. Chopra has competed in two competitions this season -- the Doha Diamond League and the Federation Cup. The 26-year-old will, however, attend the prestigious meet as a guest. "Due to an injury that he sustained in training two weeks ago (adductor muscle) he will not be able to throw in Ostrava, but he will arrive at the event as a guest," said the organisers of the competition in a statement. Chopra, the reigning Olympic and world champion, commenced his 2024 season on a strong note, clinching silver with an impressive throw of 88.36 metres at the Doha Diamond League on May 10. He then made a return to domestic competition after almost three years, winning gold in the Federation Cup on May 15 with a throw of 82.27m, pushing DP Manu to second spot in ...

Encourage girls in sports, they will bring smile on parents' faces: Sachin

Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar on Saturday urged people to encourage and support girls in the field of sports, and said the children will shine and bring a smile on parents' faces. Tendulkar and his wife Anjali were in Ranchi to motivate girl football players of the Yuwa Foundation' at Ormanjhi block of the district. Yuwa and the Sachin Tendulkar Foundation work together here to train and promote girl footballers. The cricket legend interacted with the players at their school located near Rukka Dam, and termed the day as remarkable. "Children's energy is infectious. I saw them working hard and enjoying themselves. I recalled my childhood," Tendulkar said, speaking to media persons. "I got inspiration from many children because this journey is not easy for them. There are several difficulties in their lives. They go to play football, which sometimes is not liked by parents. I would like to tell them to encourage children and support them. These children will bring a smile on their ..

25-30% more Indian fans flying across globe for key sporting events in 2024

Indian sports fans are flying across the world in huge numbers for T20 World Cup 2024 as well as Wimbledon in London, and Formula One races in Abu Dhabi, Singapore and Bahrain

Nagal takes a set off world number 7 Rune before Monte Carlo Masters exit

Putting up a brave fight, India's Sumit Nagal took a set off world number seven Holger Rune before losing his rain-hit second round match of the Monte Carlo Masters, here Thursday. In an impressive show of grit and gumption, Nagal threatened to spoil Rune's party by taking the second set after the second round match, which was suspended due to rain on Wednesday, resumed. However, he lost his serve twice in the final set. The Indian qualifier was behind 1-2 against seventh seed Rune in the second set, when the heavens opened up. He lost 3-6 6-3 2-6 after battling hard for two hours and 11 minutes in the prestigious clay court event. Nevertheless, it was a memorable tournament for him as he became the first Indian to win a singles main draw match at a Masters event on clay. Nagal had taken a set off the great Roger Federer at the 2019 US Open. The 26-year-old Nagal dropped his serve in the second game of the final set to fall behind but broke back immediately and held his own serve

Paris 2024: Neeraj Chopra to compete in Finland's Paavo Nurmi Games

Superstar Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will compete in the prestigious Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland on June 18, where he will be up against 19-year-old sensation Max Dehning of Germany, the latest entrant in the 90m club, the organisers said. The 26-year-old Chopra, who will begin his season in the Doha Diamond League Meeting on May 10, had won a silver in the 2022 edition of the Paavo Nurmi Games with a throw of 89.30m -- his career second best -- while he pulled out of the event in 2023 as he was recovering from an injury then. Chopra has a personal best of 89.94m. The Paavo Nurmi Games are named after the legendary Finnish middle and long distance runner. It is a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series event, one of the most prestigious single-day competitions outside the Diamond League Meeting series. "Javelin throw Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra will return to Turku in June. Chopra will compete in the Paavo Nurmi Games after a year's break and will meet a ..

Nagal first Indian to enter Monte Carlo Masters MS main draw in 42 years

Sumit Nagal became the first Indian to enter the Monte Carlo Masters singles main draw in 42 years, beating Facundo Diaz Acosta of Argentina in a three-setter in the final qualifying round here on Sunday. Nagal, ranked 95th in the world, defeated his world number 55 rival 7-5 2-6 6-2 in a gruelling match that lasted two hours and 25 minutes. In the first round of the main draw, he will meet world number 35 Matteo Arnaldi of Italy in the clay court tournament. The 26-year-old Nagal was following the footsteps of the legendary Ramesh Krishnan, who had made it to the main draw of the same tournament in 1982. Nagal had beaten world number 63 Flavio Cobolli of Italy 6-2 6-3 in the first round of qualifying event. "Absolutely thrilled to have made it to the main draw in Monte Carlo! Really appreciate the support and well wishes from India and around the globe. Can't wait for my next match!," Nagal tweeted after the win. Nagal has been in the spotlight since making it to the main draw o

India tops list of doping offenders in 2022: WADA anti-doping report

South Africa follows India as countries with the highest number of athletes testing positive for banned substances

Olympics 2024: Nikhat, Manika, Sreeshankar's abroad training plea cleared

Several top athletes, including the Olympic-bound trio of boxer Nikhat Zareen, long jumper Murali Sreeshankar, and table tennis player Manika Batra's request for financial assistance to train abroad was on Wednesday cleared by the Sports Ministry following a meeting here. Boxers Nikhat, Preeti Pawar, Parveen Hooda and Lovlina Borgohain will travel to Turkey for a foreign training camp along with their coaches and a physio, the ministry said in a statement. Wrestlers Sujeet (65kg), Deepak Punia (86kg) and Naveen (74kg) will head to Russia along with their sparring partners, a coach and physiotherapists to train ahead of the Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament later this month. All the assistance is being provided under the ministry's Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). Shotgun shooter Bhowneesh Mendiratta's Mendiratta, who has secured a Paris quota place for the country, will travel to Italy to train with personal coach Daniele Di Spigno for the ISSF World Cup in Baku. Asian Ga

Bopanna-Ebden clinch Miami Open title, return to world No. 1 ranking

Ace Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna rewrote his own record to continue to be the oldest ATP Masters 1000 champion as he and his Australian partner Matt Ebden clinched the men's doubles crown at the Miami Open here. Continuing their fine run this year, the 44-year-old Bopanna and Ebden fought back from a set down to pull off an exhilarating 6-7(3), 6-3, 10-6 win over Crotia's Ivan Dodig and American Austin Krajicek at the Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday. With the win, Bopanna surpassed his record created last year when he won the Indian Wells title at the age of 43, and also reclaimed the top spot in the doubles ranking. "It's amazing. As long as you are doing well in these big events, it's what we play for," Bopanna said after the win. "I want to do well in the Masters 1000s and the Grand Slams. It's good to keep that record going and keep giving everyone else a run for their money," added Bopanna, who won his maiden doubles Grand Slam title at the Australian Open earlier this ...

Cricket presses its field advantage, scores big in Rs 15.7K cr sports biz

The Indian Premier League or IPL, a cricketing event, remains the largest in revenue, reach, and popularity

Gulveer's national record 10000m run not enough to qualify for Paris 2024

Asian Games bronze medallist athlete Gulveer Singh shattered a 16-year-old national record in the men's 10000m to finish second in his heat at The Ten in San Juan Capistrano in California. The 25-year-old clocked 27.41.81 on Saturday to better the earlier national mark of 28:02.89 by over 20 seconds that stood in Surendra Singh's name since 2008. However, Gulveer's effort was not enough for Olympic qualification as he missed the Paris Games qualification time of 27:00.00 by over 41 seconds. The other Indian in the heat, Kartik Kumar finished ninth in the race with a timing of 28:01.90, which was also better than Surendra's earlier national record. Avinash Sable, who was competing in the same event, did not finish (DNF) his heat, pulling out of the race in the 15th lap at the 6000m mark. In the women's 10000m, Parul Chaudhary finished a disappointing 20th, clocking 32:02.08. She too missed the Paris qualification, which stands at 30:40.00.

Lifter Achinta Sheuli caught entering women's hostel at night, expelled

Commonwealth Games gold medallist weightlifter Achinta Sheuli has been expelled from the Paris Olympics preparatory camp after he was caught entering the women's hostel at night at NIS Patiala. The disciplinary breach occurred on Thursday night. The 22-year-old, who competes in the men's 73kg weight class, was caught by security personnel, who made a video of the lifter. "Obviously, such indiscipline will not be tolerated. Achinta was asked to leave the camp immediately," an Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF) official told PTI on condition of anonymity. The Sports Authority of India and NIS Patiala Executive Director Vineet Kumar were immediately made aware of the incident. Since there was video evidence of the incident, SAI did not constitute an investigating panel. "The video was sent to NIS Patiala ED Vineet Kumar and the SAI headquarters in New Delhi and IWLF was asked to remove Achinta from the camp," a SAI source said. Sheuli, who won the gold medal at the 2022 Birmingha

India 'big priority' for Decathlon, among top five mkts in world: Official

India is a "big priority" market for Decathlon, and the French sports retailer expects the country to be among its top five global markets within the next five years, helped by expansion of store network and increased local sourcing, according to a top company official. Decathlon, as part of its growth plans, will add 10 new stores every year in India, while accelerating online sales and also increasing local sourcing to over 90 per cent in the next five years from the current average of 60 per cent, its Chief Retail & Countries Officer Steve Dykes said. This move would help Decathlon become more competitive in the fast-growing Indian sports and athleisure segment and increase exports to global markets from its Indian manufacturing facility, he said. India "is a top priority for us. We have five countries, which we call as leapfrog jump countries and one of them is India," Dykes said, while speaking at a Decathlon global event here. For Decathlon, India is already among the top ...

Lakshya's Paris hopes brighten, enters No.15 in Olympic Games qualification

Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen's hopes of making the cut at Paris received a boost as he grabbed the 15th position in the latest Olympic Games Qualification rankings following his semifinal finish at last week's French Open badminton tournament. The 22-year-old from Almora had reached a career-best ranking of world number six in November 2022 but saw his rankings plummet to world No. 25 in April last year. He recovered to 11th spot by August but fell to 20 early this year following a series of early exits. Things were not looking good after his first-round losses in Malaysia Super 1000 and India Super 750 as he stayed world No. 19 in the Olympic Games qualification for a few weeks but a semifinal finish at the Super 750 event in the French capital last week saw him take his tally to 74,897 points. The 2021 World Championships bronze medallist also climbed a spot to world number 18 in the BWF World rankings issued on Tuesday. However, the 2023 World Championships bronze ...

National Games gold medallist Parvej Khan finishes seventh in USA's NCAA

National Games gold medallist Parvej Khan finished seventh in the one mile track event's final in the NCAA Championships of the United States in Boston, one of the most competitive collegiate competitions in the world. Khan clocked 4 minutes 03.05 seconds to finish seventh on Saturday, having become the first Indian to qualify for the final of a track event in the NCAA Championships. The 19-year-old Indian clocked 3 minutes 57.126 seconds to finish third in the preliminary run. The USA's Luke Houser finished first with a timing of 4 minutes 01.72 second while Australian Adam Spencer came second in 4 minutes 01.92 seconds. Lucas Bons (4:02.12) of the US was third. Khan was representing University of Florida as he earned a college scholarship there last year. Khan, who belongs to a farming family in Mewat region in Haryana, had won the 1500m gold in the 2022 National Games with a new personal best of 3.40.89 in Gandhinagar. One mile run though is not popular among Indian athletes

At my best, never felt so good: Neeraj Chopra ahead of Paris Olympics

World and Tokyo Olympics champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who will be training in Turkey from this week before returning to outdoor competition for the first time in 2024, said he was in "top physical shape" and "has never felt so good before." The build up to the Tokyo Games was a challenging one for the 26-year-old Chopra, who had missed an entire season due to injuries. "I want to be in best possible shape before Paris," Chopra, who is on a short break after his training stint in South Africa, told SAI media. "My training sessions have gone off really well so far. I always lay stress on fitness along with strength and technique. "This is the best I have felt in a long time but I must add that training and competition are not the same. When you wear the India jersey, the feeling is different, the josh (energy) is unbelievable," Chopra added. He also stated that time after his Tokyo Olympics success was "very different". Chopra said his performance thereafter indicated th

Anurag Thakur announces two National Centre of Excellence for women

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Friday announced the establishment of two National Centres of Excellence (NCOE), exclusively for women on the occasion of International Women's Day. The NCOE cover 23 focused and priority disciplines where Indian athletes have a chance to win medals in global competitions like the Asian Games and the Olympics. "Sports is a state subject but still the central government is keen to look at the upliftment of sports in the country. We have to spend a lot of money on infrastructure and coaches," Thakur said reacting to lack of trainers, coaches and infrastructure at the state level. "We are collaborating with state governments and asked them to identify three key sports so that we have a roadmap and information on which state will promote hockey, boxing and athletics etc. "I have already started consolidating our NCOEs and in association with the national sports federations, will greater emphasis on producing good coaches," he added. The Sports Authorit