Page 8 - Indian Sports

Asiad 2023: India kabaddi teams' full schedule, squads, match timings

Indian men's and women's kabaddi teams would rest for nothing less than a gold after missing out on the 2018 Asian Games

Asiad 2023: Tarundeep Rai optimistic about Indian men's recurve chances

India's only Asian Games individual medallist in recurve section, Tarundeep Rai, feels at least one from the men's archery team could win a medal in the Hangzhou edition and end a 13-year-long drought in the continental showpiece. Rai indicated that fellow Army colleague Dhiraj Bommadevara and Atanu Das, the senior most in the recurve team, stand a chance to become individual champion. "Hopefully, I'll get a company (as an Asian Games individual recurve medallist) before I quit next year," Rai told PTI in an exclusive interview. "I think my record will be broken this year. If they have their day, it can be a gold this time. Hopefully, I will find a company this time. "I've a huge feeling that Indian men recurve archers will do better in individual events this time. More than the team we have a better chance in individual and teams like Korea, Japan, China, Malaysia and Indonesia are going to be strong medal contenders. "A Games experience is totally different than a championship e

Asiad 2023: Avinash Sable hopes to put behind World C'ship disappointment

Commonwealth Games silver medallist 3000m steeplechase runner Avinash Sable hopes to get over the World Championships disappointment and set a new national record en route to a gold medal in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. By his own admission, Sable is not satisfied with the season so far, which includes a disappointing seventh-place finish in the 3000m steeplechase heat at the World Championships in Budapest last month, thereby failing to qualify for the final. But come the Asian Games, Sable feels he is in a good frame of mind to register his best result of the season. "The Asian Games will be my season's last race. This year I didn't run any race for national record but I hope to clock my best timing in Hangzhou. I will be running for timing in Asian Games. The training I had, I hope to record my personal best and win the race," the long-distance runner said in a virtual media interaction. In Hangzhou, besides 3000m steeplechase, his pet event, Sable will also compete in 50

More participation of women will move the country forward: Rani Rampal

Indian hockey player Rani Rampal said increased participation of women will help the nation achieve faster growth. She expressed happiness over the Women's Reservation Bill being passed in Parliament

Antim Panghal shocks reigning world champion Parrish, but loses in semis

Antim Panghal shocked reigning champion Olivia Dominique Parrish en route to the World Championship semifinals, but the young grappler's giant-killing run was halted in the last-four stage, leaving her fighting for a bronze medal and a Paris Olympic quota place here on Wednesday. Panghal, the 53kg grappler, lost the semifinal bout to world No.23 Vanesa Kaladzinskaya -- a Belarusian competing as a neutral athlete -- on technical points 5-4. But the Indian can still earn an Olympic quota if she wins the bronze-medal match or emerges triumphant in the bout between the losers of the bronze-medal contest. Underlining her growth and a smooth transition from the junior to senior circuit, the two-time U20 champion won the first three bouts of the day to enter the semifinal even as other Indian contenders bit the dust in their respective categories. The two-time U20 champion Panghal slipped to a 0-2 deficit at the start of the bout against USA's Parrish but edged her rival 3-2 in the openin

Asiad 2023: Top five medal winners for India at the continental event

In a list dominated by athletes, tennis legend Leander Paes steals the show with his five gold medals across four Asian Games to become India's top medal winner in the history of the continental event

Asiad 2023: NRAI approaches OCA to get accreditation for skeet coach

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) is frenetically trying to get a shotgun coach on board the flight to the Asian Games in Hangzhou after an accreditation muddle, and has approached the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to help it out. The accreditation confusion has left the skeet contingent without an expert to guide them in the continental showpiece. A source told PTI that NRAI had sought the help of acting chief of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), Randhir Singh, to get an "extra accreditation" as soon as the top-ranking official reaches Hangzhou. For now, only one shotgun coach, Vikram Chopra has got the Asian Games accreditation and can accompany the Indian squad, comprising of trap and skeet shooters. The source said that Chopra is a trap coach and might not be able to help the skeet shooters, given his area of expertise. "Randhir Singh (a former Asian Games gold medallist in shotgun himself) will be reaching Hangzhou soon and the NRAI has requested him to help the

World Wrestling: Neha loses bronze-medal match; Divya, Sarita exit early

Indian woman wrestler Neha Sharma went down fighting to Anastasia Blayvas of Germany in the bronze-medal contest at the UWW World Championships, even as four other grapplers failed to make an impact here on Tuesday. Neha, competing in the non-Olympic 55kg category, had made it to the bronze-medal round after defeating Mariia Vynnyk of Ukraine 7-4 in repechage to set up a fight against Anastasia. But after a keen contest, the 19th ranked Indian lost on technical points to the world No.16 German. Compatriots Sarita Mor and Divya Kakran failed to make an impact at the Worlds, losing their preliminary round bouts. The Indian contingent is competing here under the United World Wrestling (UWW) flag as the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has been suspended by the international body for not holding its elections in the stipulated time. Both Sarita (57kg) and Divya (76kg) lost their pre-quarterfinal bouts, while team-mates Antim Kundu (65kg) and Neelam (50kg) also met with similar fate

Asiad 2023: Indian men beat Cambodia 3-0 to begin volleyball campaign

India put up a dominant performance to outclass Cambodia 3-0 in their opening match of the men's volleyball competition at the Asian Games here on Tuesday. India comfortably defeated lower-ranked Cambodia 25-14, 25-13, 25-19 in a Pool C match. But a stern test await India on Wednesday as they are up against world No.27 South Korea, the other team in Pool C. A total of 19 teams are participating in men's volleyball at the Hangzhou Games. Japan, China and South Korea are regarded as the three major powerhouses of the competition. While Japan has secured 27 podium finishes with 16 golds in men's volleyball at the Asian Games, China follows closely behind with 11 golds and Korea is on the third spot with five gold medals. Men's volleyball was first introduced at the Tokyo Asian Games in 1958, where India secured a third position. The Indian men have won a total of three volleyball medals so far. Their best performance came in 1962 when they were runners-up. India's other two medals w

Asiad 2023: Shooter Rudrankksh aims for consistency with Paris 2024 in mind

World champion air rifle shooter Rudrankksh Patil will be aiming for "consistency" at the upcoming Asian Games and Asian Championships, which he feels will help him in achieving the bigger goal of winning gold at next year's Paris Olympics. Rudrankksh, following his World Championship gold medal-winning performance in Cairo last year and his sublime form throughout the year, is a favourite to clinch the yellow metal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, but he said such big competitions "help us prepare and grow" as shooters for major events. Asked if the Asian Games, commencing on Saturday and the Asian Championships in Changwon (South Korea) later this year, will be a stepping stone for winning the gold in Paris, the 19-year-old told PTI, "Our main focus is on the consistency of process, to keep ourselves maintained and to grow. Sometimes we find new methods to grow... I think all that (Asian Games) is helping (prepare for the Olympics)." The Maharashtra shooter, who was not included in

Asiad 2023: Atanu Das takes lead as recurve archers aim to shake off 'jinx'

He may no longer be the India No. 1 recurve archer, but the seasoned Atanu Das is fully aware of the responsibility of not only bringing out the best in him but also the team as they look to overcome the Asian Games 'jinx'. Recurve archery, an Olympic discipline, has been on a downward spiral and its slide has ironically coincided with the rise in the compound section, where India now boast of two recently-crowned world champions in Ojas Deotale and Aditi Swami. With the postponed Asian Games taking place just a year before the Paris Olympics, the pressure is more on recurve where no archer is inside the top-10 in world rankings. India have not won a recurve medal, individual or team, since the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games. Das, who is set for a third Asian Games participation, is the senior-most archer in the recurve team, which will have promising Army man Dhiraj Bommadevara and the rookie duo of Mrinal Chauhan and Tushar Shelke. In the women's section, two-time Asian Games ...

Asiad 2023: A look at India's medal tally in 2018 Jakarta-Palembang games

India's medal tally at the Jakarta Asian Games 2018 was the best ever by the country in the history of the games. In spite of that, it was ranked 8th overall

Asiad 2023: How India fared in previous editions of the Asian Games

India have remained one of the best-performing countries at the Asian Games, finishing in the top 10 of the medals table in all editions except one

Asiad 2023: A look at India's biggest medal prospects for Mission Hangzhou

India will be sending its biggest ever contingent of 655 athletes to the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou. The country will be vying for top honours across 39 sporting disciplines, including individual and team events. While 'Aab ki Baar, Sau Paar' (which translates to crossing 100 medals this time) has been the catchline, the fans and the sporting establishment would like to temper its expectations but with an eye to surpass the tally of 70 medals won in the previous edition in Jakarta and Palembang. The PTI looks at some of India's brightest medal prospects in the quadrennial extravaganza starting September 23. *ATHLETICS ======== Men's Javelin Throw: Neeraj Chopra The 25-year-old Olympic and world champion is the best bet for a gold in athletics. Having achieved legendry status, defending the gold he won in 2018 could be a cakewalk for Neeraj. Pakistan's World Championships silver medallist Arshad Nadeem, who claimed a bronze in the 2018 Asian Games, will be his main rival i

Asiad 2023: India's golden generation of squash ready for one last dance

Saurav Ghosal, Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal, synonymous with Indian squash over the past two decades, have unfinished business going into what could be their last appearance at the Asian Games. Ghosal and Joshna, who both turned 37 recently, will be featuring in their sixth Asian Games, a testament to their remarkable longevity in a physically demanding sport like squash. A week way from celebrating her 32nd birthday, Dipika will be entering her fourth and in all probability last Asian Games. The mother of two, who doesn't play singles anymore, will be eyeing a mixed doubles gold alongside Harinder Pal Sandhu in Hangzhou. Ghosal and Joshna too are in the twilight or their careers and Hangzhou could be their one final chance to add a singles gold to the rich medal count at the continental event, having won seven and four medals respectively since their maiden outing in 2002. Though the level at Asian Games is not as high as the Commonwealth Games, the job for Ghosal and Joshn

Asiad 2023: Watch out for the Indian 'Super moms' competing at Hangzhou

Returning to work after giving birth to a child is a difficult task but an increasing number of Indian athletes are now smashing stereotypes by continuing to compete. Perhaps the most well-known sporting moms in the country are legendary boxer Mary Kom and six-time Grand Slam winner Sania Mirza. PTI takes a look at the Indian mothers who will be competing at the Hangzhou Asian Games beginning on September 23. Dipika Pallikal (Squash) =============== The poster girl of Indian squash, Dipika Pallikal has been a consistent performer for the country. She paired up with Joshna Chinappa to win India's first Commonwealth Games gold medal in squash in the Glasgow edition of CWG in 2014. Her other accomplishments include several medals in World Championships, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, besides becoming the first Indian woman to be ranked in the top 10. In October 2021, she and her husband Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik were blessed with twin boys -- Kabir and Zian. A few months

Asiad 2023: India's bridge contingent, full schedule, streaming in India

The bridge competition of the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 will be held from 27 September to 6 October 2023 at Hangzhou Qi-yuan (Zhili) Chess Hall

Asiad 2023: India's shooting contingent, full schedule and live streaming

Indian shooting contingent will be led by Manu Bhaker and Rudranksh Patil as they try and achieve better results from the Jakarta Asian Games. Shooting at the Hangzhou Asian Games begins on Sep 24

Borgohain among 3 players addedd by AFI to Indian team for Hangzhou 2023

Haryana's 3000m steeplechaser Priti Lamba was on Monday added to the Indian athletics team for the Hangzhou Asian Games along with top sprinter Amlan Borgohain and quartermiler Prachi, after the conclusion of the Indian Grand Prix 5 here. The 27-year-old Lamba won the 3000m steeplechase on the final day of the IGP 5. She breached the Asian Games qualifying time of 9 minute 47 seconds set by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), by clocking 9:45.13 in a two-woman field. She had finished second at the National Inter-State Championships behind Parul Chaudhary with a time of 9:52.89, and improved it to 9:48.50 while finishing fourth at the Asian Championships in July. Uttar Pradesh's Prachi got the approval of AFI selection committee to compete in the women's 4x400m relay, while Borgohain will compete in the men's 200m. The sports ministry has already announced a 65-member athletics team for the Asian Games last month. Monday's inclusion of three athletes will make it a 68-member ...

Vithya Ramraj misses PT Usha's record in 400mh by 1/100th of a second

Tamil Nadu's Asian Games-bound R Vithya Ramraj came agonisingly close to breaking the legendary PT Usha's 39-year-old women's 400m hurdles record as she clocked 55.43 seconds during the Indian Grand Prix 5 here on Monday. The 24-year-old Vithya's time was just one hundredth of a second less than Usha's 55.42 which she had clocked while finishing fourth in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. It's the second longest standing national record. Usha is currently serving as the president of Indian Olympic Association (IOA).