Page 4 - Indian Sports

Thailand Masters Badminton: Ashmita Chaliha enters first Super 300 semis

India's Ashmita Chaliha dished out a brilliant performance as she beat Ester Nurumi Wardoyo of Indonesia in straight games to storm into the women's singles semifinals of the Thailand Masters badminton tournament here on Friday. The 24-year-old Chaliha remained the only Indian in the fray after Mithun Manjunath lost his men's singles quarterfinals while the women's doubles pairs of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also exited from the Super 300 tournament in the last-eight stage. World no. 61 Chaliha, who made it to the main draw from the qualifiers, beat Wardoyo, ranked 44th, 21-14 19-21 21-13 in a 57-minute match. The first game saw both Chaliha and Wardoyo fighting on an even keel as they tied the score at 7-7 and 8-8, before the Indonesian took a 14-10 lead. Chaliha fought back and made it 14-14 but she could not stop the Indonesian from taking seven straight points to pocket the first game. The player from Assam made amends in the second game with a superb fight back. She wo

Chennai Open 2023: Sumit Nagal to spearhead Indian men's singles challenge

Sumit Nagal, who recently became the first Indian to beat a seeded player in a Grand Slam tournament, will spearhead the Indian challenge in the men's singles competition of the Chennai Open ATP Challenger 100 tournament beginning Sunday. The 26-year-old Nagal had entered the second round of the Australian Open last month after beating world no. 27 and number 31 seed Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan. He is currently ranked 121 in the world. Ramkumar Ramanathan and Mukund Sasikumar will the other Indians in the fray in men's singles as they were among three players who were handed wild cards for the main draw. Luca Nardi of Italy has been given the top billing as players from 14 countries will be taking part in the tournament here. Last year's winner Max Purcell of Australia will not be competing this time as he is featuring in other ATP events. In the doubles category, India's Arjun Kadhe and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan are the top seeds. The tournament is the first of the four Challenger

Chennai Open: It is better to play Challengers at home feels Vijay Amritraj

Indian tennis players must concentrate on the Challengers at the moment and will be better off playing regularly at home than going overseas, the country's former star Vijay Amritraj suggested on Thursday. Amritraj, who beat legends such as Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and Rod Laver in his heyday, spoke to PTI ahead of next week's Chennai Open Challenger. He said the tournament gives the Indian players a great opportunity to earn ranking points. "It's give them an opportunity. If you don't get the opportunity, you can't even try. You're better off playing in India than going somewhere else to get points. The cost, competition and home turf -- all these things matter," Amritraj said. "For us (Indians), we don't need to stretch that far. First, we need to get into a tournament. If we can't get into the Challengers, no point talking about Grand Slams. "You expect someone like Sumit (Nagal) and Mukund (Sasikumar) to perform better than he could have fared overseas. So, localised tournamen

Sailor Vishnu qualifies for successive Olympics, targets medal in LA 2028

Asian Games bronze medallist Vishnu Sarvanan became the first Indian sailor to qualify for successive Olympics as he made the cut at the World Championships here on Wednesday. A Subedar from the Mumbai-based Army Yachting Node, the 24-year-old secured qualification for the upcoming Paris Games by finishing 26th out of 152 participants in ILCA-7. He thus becomes the first Indian sailor to make the cut for Paris 2024. Vishnu secured the top rank among Asian countries, surpassing gold medallists from Singapore in the Asian Games and medal winners from Hong Kong and Thailand in the Continental Qualifiers. Vishnu concluded the competition with an overall score of 174. Following the standard rule, his least score of 49 in a race was subtracted, resulting in a net score of 125. The weather condition was windy and at its challenging best at the Adelaide Sailing Club, taking a toll on the sailors. 'Numb fingers, legs destroyed' ================== So gruelling has been the race that Vish

IOA CEO appointment: 12 EC members allege President Usha "exerted pressure"

Around a dozen of Executive Council (EC) members of Indian Olympic Association alleged that president P.T.Usha "exerted pressure" on them to pave the way for Raghu Iyer's appointment as CEO, a charge that the legendary athlete termed "shameful". Usha had issued an official statement on January 6 about the appointment of Iyer as CEO but 12 out of 15 EC members said that former Rajasthan Royals' chief executive's recruitment "hasn't been ratified" by the apex body. "... you did not list the appointment of the CEO in the agenda circulated for our previous EC meeting. While introducing the matter into the agenda unilaterally, you tried to exert pressure on us to make a rushed and hasty decision," a letter dated January 14 and signed by 12 members of EC, stated. "We found the manner in which you conducted the proceedings to inappropraite and not befitting of our institution." The letter was signed by all the EC members except for Usha, herself, Olympic medallist Mary Kom and ace paddle

3 National Games participants among 11 to get reduced 3-year ban for doping

Three National Games participants were among 11 sportspersons, who ended up getting reduced sanctions for failed dope tests after admitting to their offence within 20 days of being charged, the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has revealed. Liable to be banned for four years, their sentence was reduced by one year due to early acceptance of guilt earlier this month. Their names appeared in the latest NADA list of those who were handed reduced sanctions of three years under Article 10.8 of the NADA Rules. Kamaljeet Kaur (100m and 200m), Ajay Kumar (5000m and 10000m) and Harjodhvir Singh (5000m and 10000m) are the three track-and-field athletes, who failed dope tests in the October 25-November 9 National Games in Goa. Article 10.8.1 of the NADA Anti-Doping Rules allows athletes charged with a four-year ban to benefit from a one year reduction if they admit the violation and accept the penalty within 20 days of being charged. Article 10.8.2 provides an opportunity for the athlete to

PKL 2024: Pro Kabaddi felicitate legends of the league in 1000th match

Five legends of the league Anup Kumar, Dharmaraj Cheralathan, Ajay Thakur, Manjeet Chhillar and Rishank Devadiga were facilitated for their amazing contribution to the growth of the brand PKL

India Open 2024: Lakshya Sen inspired by Prakash Padukone's words of wisdom

Lakshya Sen will be looking to get back into the top 16 of the Race to Paris rankings to qualify directly for the Paris Olympics 2024 with a great showing at India Open 2024

Unjust to disqualify Manavjit, will take issue to logical conclusion: NRAI

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has termed the disqualification of trap shooter Manavjit Singh by organisers of the Asia Olympic Qualifiers in Kuwait as "unjust" and "unfair", and is ready to take the issue to its "logical conclusion". The NRAI also said that the rules quoted by the Asian Shooting Confederation (ASC) while barring the former world champion from competition due to a 'faulty' gun stock were "unsubstantiated" and "frivolous". Manavjit was on Saturday not allowed to take part in pre-event training and, on Sunday, was disqualified from competition. Manavjit had alleged on Saturday that the technical director, Abdullah Hamidi, was playing politics, perhaps because "they were scared" of India winning the Olympic quota. NRAI senior vice-president Kalikesh Singhdeo told PTI on Sunday that the issue had been taken up with both the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) and ASC. "The NRAI is taking it up with the ISSF and ASC. Last night, we lodged an

Santosh Trophy final round to begin on February 21

The final round of the National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy will begin on February 21 in Itanagar and all the matches will be played at Golden Jubilee stadiu, the AIFF announced on Sunday. Hosts Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Meghalaya have earned direct entries in the 12-team tournament which will conclude on March 9. The other teams in the fray are Goa, Delhi, Manipur, Assam, Services, Maharashtra, Kerala, Mizoram and Railways. Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Goa, Assam, Services and Kerala have been clubbed in Group A. The Group B consists of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Delhi, Manipur, Mizoram and Railways.

Shooter Vijayveer Sidhu clinches 17th Paris Olympics spot for India

India's Vijayveer Sidhu clinched a 17th Paris Games quota place for the country while clinching a silver medal in the men's 25m rapid-fire event at the Asia Olympic Qualifiers here on Saturday. The 21-year-old team bronze-medallist at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year, joins senior country-mate Anish Bhanwala in securing a Paris berth in the 25m rapid fire. Anish had bagged the Olympic quota with a bronze medal in the Asian Championship in Changwon, Korea, last year. Vijayveer did not have to wait for a medal to secure a quota place. He earned it by qualifying for the final in fourth place with a score of 577. Four out of the six finalists on Saturday were eligible for quota places and the youngster, who hails from Chandigarh, did it in style by shooting 28 in the elimination round to clinch silver behind Kazakhstan's Nikita Chiryukin, who shot 32 for the gold medal. Rapid-fire pistol is traditionally a strong event for India as Vijay Kumar had bagged a silver at the 2012 London

Olympics Women's Hockey Qualifier: NZ women excited to play hosts India

New Zealand women's hockey team is determined to prove a point during its maiden visit to India, with coach Phil Burrows terming the Black Sticks' second pool match against the hosts as "special" moment for his wards. Both India and New Zealand are placed in a tough Pool B in the FIH Olympic Qualifier here, alongside Italy and the United States, while Germany, former Asian Games champions Japan, Chile and Czech Republic are in Pool A. New Zealand, ranked ninth in the world, will open their campaign against Italy on Saturday before taking on world no. 6 India the next day. "We know game 2 is going to be pretty crazy for the girls. None of our group have experience of playing in India before, so the second match will be pretty special for them," coach Burrows said ahead of their match. "Germany certainly is a favourite, India is going to be tough to beat in their conditions. We want to be there as well. It's a tough pool, we just have to play well and try to get to the ...

Paris 2024: Sports Ministry approves Jena and Chanu's training overseas

The Sports Ministry on Thursday approved Asian Games silver medallist javelin thrower Kishore Kumar Jena's proposal to train in Australia, while also funding Tokyo Olympic medallist Mirabai Chanu's month-long rehab training in the US ahead of the Paris Games. Jena will be training in Gold Coast, Australia for 78 days, while Chanu will head to the US for training in St. Louis. She will be having regular sessions with Dr Aron Horschig and will be accompanied by chief coach Vijay Sharma. "MYAS, under its Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) will fund Jena, his coach and physiotherapist's airfare, boarding & lodging expenditures, along with cost for availing training and massage facilities, medical and local travel expenses and Medical Insurance cost among other expenditures," the Ministry said in a release. "Ministry, under TOPS funding will cover her (Mirabai) and her coach's airfare, boarding & lodging cost, gym expenses, medical insurance cost among other expenditures." The ...

Varun, Esha seal Shooting Olympic quota with golds at Asian Qualifiers

Young Indian shooters Varun Tomar and Esha Singh on Monday secured two Olympic quota places for the country with gold medals in the men's and women's 10m Air Pistol events of the Asian Qualifiers here. The duo's qualification took the total number of Indian shooters bound for Paris to 15, equalling the highest-ever tally that was achieved in the Tokyo Games. India can add more to the group headed for the Games in July-August this year when the remaining qualifiers are held. India secured six medals on Monday, including two team golds, at the continental event's opening day. The 20-year-old Tomar shot 239.6 in the final to claim the top position, while Arjun Cheema won the silver medal with a score of 237.3. Mongolia's Davaakhuu Enkhtaivan (217.2) won the bronze medal. Earlier, Tomar (586), Cheema (579) and Ujjawal Malik (575) shot a total of 1740 to win the 10m air pistol team gold, while Iran and Korea claimed the silver and bronze medals respectively. Tomar, a former junior wor

Archer Aditi's parents on a 'suit hunt' at Palika for Arjuna Award ceremony

Archer Aditi Swami's parents from Maharashtra's Satara were in a 'suit hunt' at Delhi's Palika Bazar after arriving at the national capital on a frigid winter morning to attend their daughter's Arjuna Award ceremony on Tuesday. After landing in Delhi, Gopichand and Shaila Swami realised that they have come without formal dresses to wear at the National Sports Awards function to be graced by President Droupadi Murmu. So, they rushed to Palika Bazar in Connaught Place to buy formal clothing for the "most special day" of their lives. "We have come with our ordinary clothes but after coming here Aditi told me that we need something formal for the occasion," Gopichand told PTI from Delhi. "To witness our child receiving Arjuna Award from the President will be an unparalleled moment of pride for us. It will be the most cherished moment for a parent. And we must go prepared," said Gopichand, a primary school mathematics teacher at Kanher village in Satara. President Murmu will give away

Yuki Bhambri-Robin Haase pair loses in Brisbane International semifinals

India's Yuki Bhambri and his Dutch partner Robin Haase on Saturday lost their semifinal match against the duo of Lloyd Glasspool of England and Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands in the Brisbane International ATP Tour tournament. The eight-seeded Indo-Dutch pair lost 3-6, 7-6, 9-11 to their second seeded opponents in the match that lasted one hour and 40 minutes. The Bhambri-Haase duo had beaten the American pair of Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow in straight sets -- 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6) -- in the quarterfinals on Friday. Last year, the 31-year-old Bhambri from New Delhi won his maiden ATP title at the Mallorca Championships doubles competition, partnering with South African Lloyd Harris.

They are not hungry enough: Mary Kom blasts new generation athletes

Six-time world champion boxer MC Mary Kom feels the new generation of athletes is not hungry enough like her to achieve success and gets satisfied with just one big achievement. The Olympic bronze medallist also said that she is "super fit" at 41 years of age and hungry to "achieve more and more". I will fight (on), that fighting spirit only Mary Kom has... I have that something unique from other sports stars," Mary Kom, who has not ruled out turning pro in the coming years, said during an event on Saturday. "I am 41 years (old), I cannot fight any international (amateur) competition from this year because there is that age limit. But I want to continue for one, two or three years," she said. Mary Kom added that the current generation, despite having more facilities and options in sports as compared to when she took up boxing, is not hungry enough. "I am super fit, I want to achieve more and more, that hunger I have. This young generation, they (become) one (time) champion and ...

NRI athletes welcome PM Modi's vision for Pravasi Sports through HIPSA

The Prime Minister back in 2019 in a meeting with the sports fraternity, had envisioned and had desired to find a way to conduct Sports competitions for talented Pravasi Bharatiya youth in India

National Games 2023: More than 20 athletes fail dope tests in Goa edition

More than 20 athletes from various sports have returned positive for banned drugs in tests conducted during the National Games in Goa in October-November in one of the biggest heaps of doping cases in the country. Most of the 20-odd dope offenders have been handed provisional suspension by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), which had collected dope samples from the participants in the October 25 to November 9 multi-sport event. Many have won medals in the Games while there were a few international players. There were nine track and field athletes and seven weightlifters among the dope offenders, according to sources. The most prominent of the seven weightlifters who failed dope tests was Vandana Gupta, a double bronze-medal winner in the Commonwealth Championships. "Yes, seven weightlifters have failed dope tests during the Goa National Games and there could be more in the coming days," a source from the Indian Weightlifting Federation told PTI. The 29-year-old Vandana, from

Guts & glory: Capturing India's sporting saga of 2023 - triumphs and trials

2023 was punctuated by superlative sporting performances - from India's record medal haul at Asiad to its stellar march at cricket World Cup final. The year also witnessed anguish of the wrestlers