Page 1052 - Sports

Lewis Hamilton wins Japanese Grand Prix

Four-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton on Sunday won the 2018 Japanese Grand Prix to take a 67-point lead over Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel in the championship title race.Reflecting on his victory, the 33-year-old stated that it has been an incredible week for him and termed the Suzuka circuit, where the race was held, as "best in the world.""The whole weekend has been incredible... this track is the best in the world - every second is just great fun," Formula One quoted Hamilton, as saying.Last week, the Mercedes racer had won the 2018 Russian Grand Prix.While Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas finished on the second position, Max Verstappen of Red Bull settled for the third spot in the race.

Koreas march together at Asian Para Games opening ceremony

Para athletes from North and South Korea marched together under a single flag for the first time at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Asian Para Games here on Saturday.Participants from the two Koreas walked under the unified Korean flag with the image of a blue Korean Peninsula at Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in the city. This is the first time in the history of para-athletics that the two Korean countries held a joint parade, Yonhap News Agency reported.South Korean wheelchair fencer Kim Sun-mi and North Korean swimmer Sim Sung-hyok were the joint flag bearers of the ceremony. While Sim held the flag, Kim gently pushed his wheelchair.Chief of South Korea's Korea Paralympic Committee (KPC) Lee Myung-ho and North Korea's Korean Federation for the Protection of the Disabled (KFPD) Kim Mun-chol were seen holding hands during the joint march at the opening ceremony. The KPC said that 154 South Korean athletes and 20 North Koreans took part in the joint parade.While North and South Korea

Conor McGregor goes down the Khabib way

The biggest name in the world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Conor McGregor was handed a thumping defeat by Russian fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov.The undefeated Russian, owing to his superior grappling skills, made the Irish fighter tap out in the fourth round of the lightweight Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) match, reported TMZ.According to UFC's official website, in the fourth round, Conor started off with a left cross with Khabib returning an equally strong right hook.As the fighters got on their knees, Khabib briefly held Conor's back and eventually rolled away for a full mount. It is here that Khabib unleashed hell through his ground and pound techniques, in order to assert full dominance over the Irish fighter.Khabib again managed to grab hold of Conor's back and forced the latter to tap out with a rear naked choke.With this win, Khabib now has a remarkable record of 27 undefeated MMA fights; whereas, McGregor's record now stands at 21(wins) and 4(losses).As the match ended, ...

"No decision soon on allowing players' wives to stay during overseas tours"

No decision will be taken in the near future regarding the request to allow wives of cricketers to stay for the entire duration of overseas tours, Committee of Administrators (CoA) sources said on Sunday.This comes after Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli put forth a request before the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to allow wives of players to extend their stay during overseas tours.Reacting to the same, CoA sources told ANI, "Yes he (Virat) had requested, but we are not going to take any decision soon. We have said that we will leave it to the new office bearers. The policy will not change now."Earlier this year, the BCCI had announced that wives and girlfriends of cricketers will be allowed to stay with their partners for a duration of two weeks while the team is touring overseas.

Manchester United coach Jose Mourinho says club's board supports him

Speculation over Mourinho's position mounted before kick-off following United's poor start to the season

Osaka pulls out of Hong Kong Open with back injury

US Open champion Naomi Osaka has pulled out of this week's Hong Kong Open to prevent aggravating a slight back injury, organisers said on Sunday. The Japanese star required treatment to her lower back during her semi-final defeat to unseeded Anastasija Sevastova at the China Open in Beijing on Saturday. Afterwards, Osaka, who turns 21 on October 16, said it was more a case of fatigue than anything more serious, but suggested that she may not make the WTA Hong Kong Open, which starts on Monday. "Unfortunately, I have been playing through pain in my back this whole week," the world number six said in a subsequent statement released by organisers. "The doctors have advised me that I need to rest to ensure the injury is not further aggravated and become more serious." One player who does appear set to play in Hong Kong is China's Wang Qiang, who is in the form of her life. Wang was well beaten by world number two Caroline Wozniacki in the China Open semi-finals, going down 6-1, 6-3, and ..

Indian girl Keerthana wins IBSF world U-16 snooker title

India's Keerthana Pandian has won the girls' title in the IBSF World Under-16 Snooker Championships, her maiden international crown. In the corresponding boys category, Ben Martens of Belgium clinched the title in St Petersburg, Russia, according to information received from the media cell of International Billiards & Snooker Federation (IBSF). Keerthana won the girls' title by outclassing Belarussian rival Albina Leschuk 3-1 in the final. After qualifying for knockout stage as seed 4, Keerthana knocked out her compatriot Manasvini Sekar and Russian girl Alina Khairulina in straight frames 3-0 before meeting the defending champion and countrymate Anupama Ramachandran in the semis. Keerthana had lost the first frame, but after that she played flawlessly to win next three frames and defeated Anupama 3-1. Similarly, in the final, Keerthana went down after winning the first frame, but with scoreslevel at 1-1, she geared up and played with full control to win next two ...

Deborah, Savanur win gold in Saksham Pedal Delhi

Deborah Herold and Shreedhar Savanur Sunday won the gold medals on offer in the elite women's 40km and men's 50km competitions respectively, at Saksham Pedal Delhi, India's Premier Cyclothon. Both were criterium races at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Rounding off the elite men's podium were Manjeet Singh and Krishna Nakaodi while Sonali Chanu and Swasti Singh finished with silver and bronze respectively in the women's elite race. To mark the occasion, Cycling Federation of India's secretary general Onkar Singh said, "The 2018 edition had a strong field of the best 160 elite cyclists in the country and continues to showcase the quality of competitive cycling in India. Both M1 and F1 are deserving Champions in the criterium race. I would also like to thank PCRA & DO IT Sports for driving the sport of cycling via a fantastic platform like Saksham Pedal Delhi.

Strong finish keeps Snedeker in Safeway Open lead

Brandt Snedeker closed with three straight birdies in a three-under par 69 to maintain his three-shot lead at the Safeway Open, the first event of the US PGA Tour 2018-19 season. As Saturday afternoon winds made for tough going on the Silverado Resort course in Napa, California, Snedeker came alive late. Even for the round through 15 holes after two birdies and two bogeys, he roared home with a three-foot birdie at the par five 16th and a seven-footer at 17. At 18, his putt from off the green left him a tap-in for his fifth birdie of the day and a 16-under total of 200. American Kevin Tway was alone in second on 203 after a bogey-free four-under 68. Tway's back-to-back birdies at seven and eight included a hole out from the bunker at the eighth. He added birdies at 16 and 18 to edge ahead of South Korean rookie Im Sung-jae, who claimed the last of his six birdies at the 18th for a 69 that put him on 204. He was one stroke in front of American Bill Haas, who carded a 67 for 205. "I ...

Nzonzi, Dzeko score as resurgent Roma move third in Serie A

Steven Nzonzi and Edin Dzeko scored in either half as resurgent Roma won their fourth consecutive game to move third in Serie A with a 2-0 win over promoted Empoli in Tuscany. Eusebio Di Francesco's side had slumped to ninth after a four-game winless streak, but jumped into the top three with a win over second-from-bottom Empoli. French World Cup winner Nzonzi headed in his first goal for Roma since his move from Sevilla in the 36th minute, with Bosnian ace Dzeko following his midweek Champions League hat-trick against Viktoria Plzen by wrapping up the points five minutes from time. Roma are now ten points behind leaders Juventus -- who have a maximum 24 points after eight games -- and one point adrift of Carlo Ancelotti's Napoli who host Sassuolo on Sunday. "The main thing is we're back winning," said Dzeko. "It wasn't an easy period but we worked our way through it, we have now won four games in a row heading into the international break and we have fixed things a bit." Teenage ...

Guardiola rates City star Aguero ahead of Salah

Pep Guardiola insists Liverpool's Mohamed Salah has lost none of his goal-scoring prowess, but the Manchester City boss claims the Egyptian must repeat last season's prodigious feats before he can match Sergio Aguero. City forward Aguero, the club's all-time record scorer, has opened the new campaign in predictable fashion, scoring eight times in 10 games already this season. Liverpool winger Salah has made a more modest start to 2018-19, certainly in comparison to last season's 44-goal campaign, with just three goals to date. And, while Guardiola has no doubt that Salah remains a lethal threat, the City manager believes the Egypt star must score prolifically over a period of multiple years to match Aguero's achievements. "He (Salah) is younger and it was his first year back in England since his time at Chelsea, so we will see in the future," said Guardiola, talking ahead of City's visit to Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday. "But a guy who has the quality to score 50 goals in .

Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn to play Hero Challenge in London

Ryder Cup winning captain Thomas Bjorn and a member of his European team Thorbjorn Olesen will join four others, including Justin Rose, for the Hero Challenge at Canary Wharf on October 9. The one-hole shootout will be the prelude to the Sky Sports British Masters at Walton Heath Golf Club and hosted by world number two Rose. Joining Bjorn, Olesen and Rose at Canary Wharf will be English duo Andrew Johnston and Matt Wallace as well as the Irish star Paul Dunne. In July, Matt Kuchar triumphed at the last Hero Challenge in the historic setting of Edinburgh Castle on the eve of the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open. Bjorn, who led Team Europe to a stunning 17 - 10 victory at Le Golf National last week, will return to the golf course in a playing capacity for the British Masters and will be making his debut at the Hero Challenge. "The last week has been an incredible one, and a busy one, after The Ryder Cup but I've enjoyed every minute of it," said Bjorn. "I'm now looking ...

Lopetegui dismisses uncertain future after Madrid hit 33-year drought

Julen Lopetegui insisted it is too early to be questioning his future despite Real Madrid suffering a shock defeat by Alaves to make it four games without a victory. It is four games without a goal too for the European champions, their longest scoring drought since 1985, as Manu Garcia headed home in the 95th minute to send the Mendizorrotza Stadium wild. It is the first time they have beaten Madrid at home in 87 years. Alaves fans ran onto the pitch to celebrate their stunning 1-0 win and the chants continued long after the final whistle. For Real, this was another body blow and to make matters worse, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema, their chief attacking threats, were both forced off injured. Bale had missed the Champions League loss to CSKA Moscow on Tuesday with a groin strain. It means Barcelona can go three points clear if they win their game in hand against Valencia on Sunday while Alaves' excellent start to the season continues. They move up to third, level on points with ...

Portugal PM defends Ronaldo amid rape accusation

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa has spoken out in defense of soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been embroiled in a rape accusation. Speaking to television on the Spanish island of Lanzarote on Saturday, Costa made an appeal to the presumption of innocence, as well as Ronaldo's successful career. "People need to understand one and for all that there's one thing that is presumption of innocence," Costa said. "It is not enough for someone to be accused of something to be guilty of it." Costa added: "If there's something we have proof of is that he is an extraordinary professional, an extraordinary sportsman, an extraordinary footballer, and someone who has honored and given prestige to Portugal, and certainly what we all wish for is that nothing can ever stain that record of Ronaldo." Last week, Kathryn Mayorga filed a civil lawsuit in the U.S. saying she was raped by Ronaldo in Las Vegas in 2009. Police have re-opened an investigation. Ronaldo has denied the ...

Blind Football match hosted in Delhi

A Blind Football Demo Game was on Saturday held between the Delhi Blind Football Team and the National Institute for the Visually Handicapped (NIVH) Dehradun team at the Adidas the Football Base Plaza venue at Chattarpur here.The visiting side triumphed over the home team 1-0, with a goal in the first half by scored by India International Pankaj Rana. The session was co-hosted by Indian Blind Football Federation (IBFF) and the Delhi Dynamos FC as a part of an effort to develop blind football in Delhi.Blind Football is a five-a-side game played with four players being completely blindfolded and a sighted goalkeeper with the balls having bells inside played on an artificial turf ground with the long sides covered by side boards.The IBFF has been developing Blind Football from the grass-root level since 2013 across the country and is affiliated with the Paralympic Committee of India and the Indian Blind Sports Association, Delhi. The national side is ranked 29th in the world and the IBFF

Hendricks, Klaasen lead South Africa to ODI whitewash over Zimbabwe

Reeza Hendricks and Heinrich Klaasen advanced their claims for long-term places in the South African squad as they hit half-centuries in a four-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the third and final one-day international at Boland Park on Saturday. South Africa completed a 3-0 sweep in a series which was as much about giving opportunities to fringe players as it was about beating their neighbours. "Our main focus was to keep looking at players and we tried to give everyone good game time," said South African captain Faf du Plessis. "Australia is our next tour (at the end of October). It will probably be a bit tougher than this and we will be closer to our best 15 or 16 players for that tour." Hendricks made 66 and Klaasen 59 as South Africa chased down a Zimbabwe total of 228 with 4.1 overs to spare. Hendricks hit a century on debut against Sri Lanka in August but scored only eight runs in his next four innings. Opening the batting, he helped Aiden Markram put on 75 for the first wicket and .

South Africa complete 3-0 sweep of Zimbabwe

South Africa beat Zimbabwe by four wickets in the third and final one-day international at Boland Park on Saturday. The victory gave the home side a 3-0 sweep of the series. Scores in brief: Zimbabwe 228 in 49.3 overs (S Williams 69, B. Taylor 40) v South Africa 231-6 in 45.5 overs (R Hendricks 66, H Klaasen 59, A Markram 42).

ISL: Brilliant Goa gun down champions Chennai

FC Goa notched their first win of this Indian Super League season after a convincing 3-1 result over defending champions Chennaiyin FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Saturday.

Hazare Trophy: Vidarbha, K'taka notch up wins

In rain-truncated Elite Group A matches of the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, Vidarbha defeated Railways by 15 runs while Karnataka went past Himachal Pradesh by 35 runs, both via the VJD method. Put into bat by Vidarbha, Railways were restricted to a modest 226/8 in their 50 overs with their number 10 Madhur Khatri top-scoring with 58. Railways skipper Saurabh Wakaskar, who opened the innings, scored a patient 57, but was devoid of partners at the other end. Manish Rao, who came in at number 4, made 30, but failed to convert it to a big score. The other Railways batsmen had a bad time at the crease as they fell cheaply. But it was Khatri who made a quick fire 58 in 43 balls which helped his side breach the 225-run mark. For Vidarbha, Darshan Nalkande returned with fine figures of 3-42. Vidarbha were cruising towards the target and were 176/3 in 37 overs when rain stopped the play and eventually they were declared winners. For Vidarbha, Ganesh Satish (53 not out) and Akshay

Australia field 3 Test debutants against Pakistan

Donning the whites for the first time after the ball-tampering fiasco in South Africa in March this year, all eyes will be on a revamped Australian side that will be without the services of banned batsmen Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, as well as injured seamers Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.Aaron Finch, the Twenty20 International captain, and Travis Head have been inducted into the playing XI for the first Test, reported International Cricket Council (ICC). Along with the duo, batsman Marnus Labuschagne will also be handed his first Baggy Green in Dubai, confirmed captain Tim Paine.However, they will have to bank on the experienced bowlers like Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc. Lyon will be pivotal on the slower surfaces of UAE, having returned figures of 8/103 against Pakistan A in a tour match earlier this week. "The pacers will be playing a supporting role and then "watch the world's greatest [spinner] do his thing from the other end," said Mitchell Starc.Australia