Page 3 - Sport

India wins first-ever medal in women's sepaktakraw at Asian Games

India clinched their first-ever medal in women's sepaktakraw at the Asian Games with the regu team winning a bronze after losing to powerhouse Thailand in the semifinals here on Friday. The Indian women's team of Ayekpam Maipak Devi, Oinam Chaoba Devi, Khushbu, Elangbam Priya Devi and Elangbam Leirentombi Devi lost 10-21, 13-21 in the semifinals. India had finished second in their group behind Vietnam to make it to the semifinals. Thailand are the defending champions in the event. The two teams took a photograph together after the match. "Our players wanted to have a memory of their semifinal match against Thailand. They are the best players in the world and it was a great moment for our team to play against them," said chief coach Hem Raj who had an argument with the referee during the match. In sepaktakraw, both the semifinalists are awarded a bronze medal each. This was India's first-ever medal in women's sepaktakraw at the Asian Games, and only the second for the country in t

Ghosal progresses into quarterfinals, Joshna exits from Asian Games

Star Indian squash player Joshna Chinappa made a shock exit from the women's singles event but veteran Sourav Ghosal sailed into the quarterfinals of men's singles at the Asian Games here on Monday. Taking the court first, Chinappa lost 1-3 to lower-ranked Heo Mingyeong of South Korea in the pre-quarterfinals. The 37-year-old, who received a first-round bye, went down 4-11, 12-10, 9-11, 8-11 in 37 minutes to the South Korean, ranked 158th, in the round of 16. The result is a major upset as Joshna was a medal favourite. The Chennai player had won a singles bronze in the 2018 edition. She also has two silver medals and as many bronze in team events at the Asian Games, including the one she picked up in this edition last week. She has been hit by injuries recently and lack of game time has pushed Joshna to as low as 70 in the world rankings. The other Indian in the fray, Tanvi Khanna progressed to the quarterfinals with an easy 11-1, 11-3, 11-2 win over Arichaya Chujit of Thailand.

Asian Games: Vithya equals PT Usha's national record in women's 400m hurdle

India's Tejaswin Shankar produced a season best effort in shot put to be placed fifth in the overall standings with two events left in men's decathlon at the Asian Games here on Monday. The 24-year-old, who had won a bronze at the Commonwealth Games in high jump last year, came up with an effort of 13.39m in shot put to be at the fifth place. He also produced a personal best effort of 11.12m to register a fourth place finish in the 100m race, while topping the standings in long jump with an effort of 7.37m. Tejaswin now has 2428 points in the overall standings. He amassed 903 points from long jump, 834 from 100m race and 691 in shot put. He will participate in high jump and 400 race events later in the day. India had a good outing with Vithya Ramraj equalling PT Usha's 400m hurdle national record, which was set in 1984, with a personal best effort of 55.42s to top her heat and directly qualify for the women's final. Ravi Sinchal Kaveram Theetharamada, however, missed out after ..

Asian Games 2023: Parul, Priti bag silver and bronze in 3,000m steeplechase

India's Parul Chaudhary and Priti secured silver and bronze medal respectively in the women's 3000m steeplechase at the Asian Games here on Monday. Parul clocked 9:27.63 sec to claim the silver medal ahead of compatriot Priti, who made a strong finish to clinch the bronze with a personal best time of 9:43.32 sec. Winfred Mutile Yavi of Bahrain won the gold with a Games record timing of 9:18.28 sec. In August this year at the World Championships held in Budapest, Parul registered a national record in 3000m steeplechase with a time of 9:15.31 sec, and in the process qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

India bow out in quarterfinals of women's basketball against North Korea

The Indian women's basketball team lost 57-96 against Noth Korea to bow out in the quarterfinals of the Asian Games here on Monday. The Indian women cagers were no match for North Korea as they lost all the four quarters 20-26, 6-26, 17-22, 14-22 at the Shaoxing Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium. The Indians started impressively and gave North Korea a fight in the first quarter but were completely outplayed in the remaining three quarters. Earlier, India finished second in Group A, beating Indonesia 66-46, Mongolia 68-62 before losing 53-111 against defending champions China. North Korea will play China in the semifinals on Tuesday.

Asian Games 2023: China is relentless in its domination of medal tally

China is simply relentless in its domination of the Asian Games. At the games five years ago in Jakarta, Indonesia, the country won 132 gold medals and 287 medals overall. This time, into Day 9 with five full days remaining, China has already broken its mark for gold medals and is very close to matching the overall total from five years ago. With 290 gold medals awarded, China has won almost half 141. Its overall total stood at 255, just short of the 287 mark set in 2018. Host nations typically get a home field bounce when hosting the Olympics or a large multi-sport event like the Asian Games. ROLLER SKATING Skater Jung Cheolwon crossed the line in Monday's 3,000-meter relay and began to celebrate thinking he'd won the gold medal for South Korea. But he was shocked when the scoreboard showed South Korea had finished second to Taiwan, which clocked 4 minutes, 05.692 seconds. South Korea finished in 4:05.702. Jung apologized to his teammates for his costly error. I made a rather

Asian Games: Three Gold, 15 total; India fourth in medals tally on day 8

India won 15 medals across sports on the day, their biggest haul in a single day of the Asian Games over all editions and athletics was the biggest contributor in that

PM Modi congratulates Asian Games medal winners, praises their performance

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday congratulated Asian Games medallists, praising the performance of "phenomenal" Tajinderpal Singh Toor and "unstoppable" Avinash Sable in shot put and steeplechase events respectively. While Toor defended his title with an amazing final throw to beat back the challenge from his Saudi Arabian rival, Sable became the first Indian man to win the gold medal in 3000 m steeplechase at the Asian Games. "The phenomenal @Tajinder_Singh3 at his best. Congratulations on a consecutive Gold Medal in the Shot Put event at the Asian Games. His performance is exceptional, leaving us all spellbound. All the best for the endeavours ahead," Modi said in a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter. Congratulating Sable, he said the "outstanding champion" has made India proud again. Modi also congratulated Indian men's trap team, comprising the triumvirate of Prithviraj Tondaiman (119), Kynan Chenai (122) and Zoravar Singh Sandhu (120), for winning the gold medal with

We need to play as cohesive unit against Saudi Arabia, says Sunil Chhetri

Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri feels they will have to play as a "cohesive unit" if they are to challenge the mighty Saudi Arabia in their round of 16 match at the Asian Games here on Thursday. Chhetri is aware of the problems India is facing during their current campaign in Hangzhou. He is also conscious of India's dismal track record against Saudi Arabia and the strength of the West Asian side. He believes that if India can stick to the right strategies and his young teammates continue to play as a cohesive unit as they did in the three earlier outings, then the pre-quarter-final battle could be a tantalising one. "We were shown a lot of clips from the Saudi games by our coach, not only the ones that they played here but also a few of their matches from the recent past. He spoke about different ways in which we go out and apply ourselves. "On the face value, they are a very good side with a lot of good, decent players, who are good with the ball...a lot of quality in

Hriday to enter individual dressage final, Anush, Divyakriti make the cut

India's Hriday Vipul Chheda, Anush Agarwalla and Divyakriti Singh continued their fine show and moved into medal contention after qualifying for the individual dressage final of equestrian at the Asian Games here on Wednesday. Astride his horse Chemxpro, Hriday topped the qualification round with total score of 73.883, while Anush, riding Etro, finished fourth with score of 71.706. Riding Adrenalin Firfod, Divyakriti Singh finished 11th with score of 67.676, while Sudipti Hajela was eliminated. The top 15 riders in qualifying progress to the final. The quartet of Hriday, Anush, Divyakriti and Sudipti on Tuesday claimed a historic team dressage gold, breaking a 41-year-old jinx at the continental event.

Anurag Thakur launches several digital initiatives on National Sports Day

On the occasion of National Sports Day 2023, honourable Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur launched the third edition of the Fit India Quiz

More than 700 para shooters caught in crossfire between PCI and NRAI

More than 700 para shooters have been caught in the crossfire between the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) and the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), and are unable to decide which tournament to participate in following different sets of competition circular being issued by the respective bodies. PCI secretary general Gursharan Singh issued a warning on Saturday, saying NRAI inviting para shooters in its competitions was an "unauthorised" act. Para shooting in the country is governed by PCI, which in turn is affiliated to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). At the international level, para shooters compete under the aegis of World Shooting Para Sport (WSPS). NRAI, on the other hand, is affiliated to the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), which in turn is governed by International Olympic Committee (IOC). PCI was taken by surprise when the NRAI issued a series of circulars calling on para shooters to participate in the Zonal/GV Mavlankar Championsh

Asian Champions Trophy Hockey 2023: India to face China today at 8.30 pm

India is ready to face China in its first Asian Champions Trophy 2023 to be played today, August 3, at 8.30 pm IST. The match will be played at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai, Tamil Nadu

36-member aquatics squad to represent India in Asian Games announced

A 36-member aquatics squad including former bronze medallist Virdhawal Khade will represent India at the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou in September-October. The Swimming Federation of India (SFI) on Saturday announced the squad which includes 21 in swimming, three in diving and 13 members in waterpolo. The 12-member men's swimming squad includes the star duo of Sajan Prakash and Srihari Nataraj along with veteran Khade, who won a 50m butterfly bronze at the Guangzhou 2010 edition. Teenagers Aneesh Gowda and Aryan Nehra who broke four records and were adjudged the best swimmers in the Senior Nationals this year were also picked in the squad. India squad: Swimming, Men: Aneesh Gowda, Advait Page, Aryan Nehra, Anand A S, Kushagra Rawat, Likith S P, Sajan Prakash, Srihari Nataraj, Tanish George Mathew, Utkarsh Patil, Vishal Grewal and Virdhawal Khade. Women: Anannya Nayak, Dinidhi Desinghu, Hashika Ramchandran, Linyesh A K, Maana Patel, Nina Venkatesh, Palak Joshi, Shivangi Sarma

Robust system to address gender-based misconduct imperative: SC judge

It is imperative to establish a robust mechanism to address gender-based misconduct as the creation of an inclusive environment sends the message that women in sports deserve respect and protection from discrimination and harassment, Supreme Court judge Hima Kohli said. Justice Kohli spoke at a national seminar on 'Women Empowerment through Sports' on Friday. She called for policy reforms to promote women's empowerment through sports and said such policies should establish mechanisms to address gender-based violence, discrimination and harassment in the field of sports. "While judicial pronouncements serve as guiding lights, effective policy reforms are equally essential in promoting women's empowerment through sports," she said in her inaugural speech at the event organised by the Campus Law Centre, University of Delhi. "These policies should examine various facets, including ensuring equal opportunities, providing financial backup and establishing mechanisms for reporting and ...

India beat Iran to defend men's Asian Kabaddi Championships title in Busan

The Indian men's kabaddi team beat Iran 42-32 in a high-voltage final to defend its Asian Championships title, here on Friday. It was India's eighth title in the continental championships. Iran started aggressively, but the Indians were up to their tasks. Captain Pawan Sehrawat helped India inflict the first All-Out with two touch points and gave his side a 10-4 lead. India kept building pressure on the Iranians and produced another All-Out. India were leading 23-11 at half time. Iranian all-rounder Mohammadreza Chiyaneh tried to lead his side make a comeback but they ended up conceding another All-Out to trail 14-33. India maintained their stranglehold and sealed the issue. "With the score of 42-32 in the final match against Iran, Team India retains the Asian Kabaddi Championship Title! Kudos to the entire team. Well played boys," the Sports Authority of India tweeted. India had beaten arch-rivals Pakistan in the final in the last edition held in Iran in 2017.

Olympians, medal winners to return awards if peace not restored in Manipur

Golmei appealed to the Prime Minister and Home Minister to bring back normalcy in the state at the earliest

Indian archer Prathamesh wins World Cup gold; Ojas-Jyothi reign supreme

Teenage Indian archer Prathamesh Jawkar produced the biggest upset of his rising career, stunning world number one Mike Schloesser of the Netherlands to grab a maiden World Cup gold medal in the men's individual compound section here on Saturday. India bagged two gold in the non-Olympic compound section with the mixed team duo of Ojas Deotale and Jyothi Surekha Vennam opening the country's tally by upsetting top-seeded Koreans in the Stage 2 of the World Cup. This was a successive World Cup gold medal for the mixed pair duo that had also won in the Antalya leg last month. Prathamesh, who had earlier eliminated the Korean duo of Kim Jongho and Choi Yonghee, continued his giant-killing act to defeat the Dutchman 149-148 in the men's compound individual final. That the 19-year-old dropped just one point from 15 arrows en route to defeating the two-time former world champion showed his incredible shooting at the highest level. The one-point miss came in the first end as both the arche

Wrestlers' protest turns the spotlight on sexual harassment in sports

Instances of sexual harassment don't get spoken about enough, say players

Archery World Cup: Indian men team wins silver, Dhiraj won bronze

The Indian men's recurve team clinched a silver medal after losing to China by the thinnest of margins in a shoot-off at the Archery World Cup Stage 1 here on Sunday. In pursuit of their first World Cup gold medal since 2010, the men's recurve team, comprising Tarundeep Rai, Atanu Das and Dhiraj Bommadevara, bounced back from 0-4 deficit to level the scores and force a shoot-off. But the Indian trio went down 4-5 (54-55, 50-56, 59-58, 56-55, 28-28*) with the Chinese team of Li Zhongyuan, Qi Xiangshuo and Wei Shahoxu hitting an X (closer to the centre) in the shoot-off in a dramatic finish. Dhiraj then went on to grab a second medal in his World Cup debut when the 20-year-old Army man defeated Ilfat Abdullin of Kazakhstan 7-3 (28-28, 29-26, 28-29, 29-27, 29-27) to bag the bronze in individual recurve section. Dhiraj would regret missing out on a silver as he squandered a 4-0 lead against Dan Olaru of Moldova to go down 6-4 (27-26, 28-27, 28-29, 26-28, 28-30) in the semifinal. India