Page 1312 - Sports
Modi hails Hima Das, para-athletes in Mann Ki Baat
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday lauded athlete Hima Das and para-athletes Ekta Bhyan, Yogesh Kathuniya and Sundar Singh Gurjar during his monthly radio show "Mann Ki Baat".
PM Modi lauds 'team effort' in Thai rescue operation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday praised the team effort showcased in the Thai cave rescue operation, in which a soccer team, which was trapped inside the cave for days, was saved.Addressing the nation through the 46th edition of his monthly radio programme 'Mann ki Baat', the Prime Minister said that the sense of responsibility displayed during the entire operation was amazing.Lauding the efforts of the rescuers and the authorities in the operation, Prime Minister Modi said that "everyone got involved in the rescue mission like a team"."Government, parents, media, countrymen everyone displayed extraordinary patience. Everyone got involved in the rescue mission like a team. The restrained behaviour, is a lesson for all," he said adding that wonders happen when entire humanity comes together.On July 8, 11 teenage boys and the football coach of the Wild Boars soccer team which was trapped inside Tham Luang cave in Thailand for days, without food and water was rescued.In his ...
Barcelona topple Tottenham on penalties after 2-2 draw
Ernesto Valverde expects a bright future for summer signing Artur after the Brazilian midfielder netted a stunning goal on his Barcelona debut. The La Liga champions have lost the services of experienced midfield duo Andres Iniesta and Paulinho since the end of last season, but splashed out 40 million euros to bring in Artur from Brazilian outfit Gremio. The 21-year-old made an instant impression in Barcelona's opening encounter in the International Champions Cup pre-season tournament yesterday after firing home in a 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur, before the Catalans triumphed 5-3 on penalties. Barcelona boss Valverde has confirmed that he still wants to add to his options in the middle of the park, but was encouraged by the early signs from Artur during an impressive first half display in Pasadena, California. Valverde said: "He is a player that can give us a lot. He can give us possession, goals and he was really motivated today. He had a great game during the minutes that he ..
Bangladesh to unveil new Test venue for Zimbabwe
Bangladesh will unveil a new Test venue in the northern city of Sylhet when they host Zimbabwe there later this year, the Bangladesh Cricket Board said today. The picturesque ground has hosted seven twenty20 internationals but no Test match or one-day international. Bangladesh and Zimbabwe will play the first of two Tests in Sylhet from November 3-7. The second Test will be held in Dhaka from November 11-15. The visitors will also play three one-day internationals. The Zimbabwe tour was brought forward from January 2019 to avoid any potential clash with national elections to be held in Bangladesh at the end of the year. Bangladesh have also announced that West Indies would arrive on November 15 for their first full tour to the country since 2012. Zimbabwe fixtures in Bangladesh: Oct 19: One-day warm-up match vs team to be arranged in Savar Oct 21: First ODI in Dhaka Oct 24: Second ODI in Chittagong Oct 26: Third ODI in Chittagong Oct 29-31: Three-day warm-up match vs TBA in ...
Mustafizur returns to Bangladesh T20 side for W. Indies clashes
Fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman will return to Bangladesh's squad for a three-match Twenty20 series against West Indies next month, the Bangladesh Cricket Board said today. Mustafizur missed the T20 series against Afghanistan in June due to a toe injury suffered while playing for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League in May. He also missed a Test series in the West Indies but played a vital role in Bangladesh's 2-1 win in their one-day series with five wickets in three matches. "He looks fully fit now so we did not consider giving him a rest," said chief selector Minhajul Abedin. Mustafizur replaces Abul Hasan in the squad. The first match will be held in Saint Kitts on August 1, with Florida's Lauderhill hosting the next two matches on August 4 and 5. Bangladesh squad: Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim, Sabbir Rahman, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mosaddek Hossain, Mehedi Hasan, Nazmul Islam Apu, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Haider, Abu .
'Unperturbed' Manu Bhaker seeks to continue golden run in Asiad, Worlds
The stage is getting bigger and the expectations are going higher but Indian shooting sensation Manu Bhaker is grounded as she gears up for another test of her 16-year-old mind and body in next month's Asian Games. "I want to do well in those events (Asian Games followed by World Championships) but, frankly speaking, I am mainly thinking about competing in the next competition and not about medals. Pressure is there, but it's there everywhere," the shooter from Jhajjar, Haryana told PTI as she calmly spoke about the challenges that lie ahead. Bhaker is also least affected by the controversies surrounding her selection in three events for the Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Jakarta and Palembeng from August 18. After taking the shooting world by storm with a plethora of medals, including innumerable gold in top international events, the 16-year-old will next compete in 10m air pistol, 25m sports pistol and mixed air pistol at the Asian Games. In fact, her international gold medal
Sourabh wins Russian Open, Kuhoo-Rohan finishes runners-up
Former national champion Sourabh Verma pulled off a come-from-behind win over Japan's Koki Watanabe in the summit clash to claim his first title of the season at the USD 75,000 Russia Open Tour Super 100 tournament here today. The 25-year-old Indian, who is on a comeback trail after recovering from injuries, overcame world no 119 Watanabe 19-21 21-12 21-17 in the finals that lasted exactly an hour at the Sport Hall Olympic. Second seeded Indian mixed doubles pair of Rohan Kapoor and Kuhoo Garg, however, suffered a 19-21 17-21 loss to Russia's Vladimir Ivanov and Min Kyung Kim of Korea in the finals to settle for a runners-up finish. Sourabh was left to do the catch up act in the opening game as Watanabe slowly and steadily distanced himself after opening up an initial slender lead of 2-0. The Japanese entered the first interval with a healthy 11-5 advantage. The Indian led a fightback to narrow the gap to 11-12 but Watanabe again jumped to a 18-13 lead. Sourabh reeled off five ...
Aditi falls back on a windy day at Gullane
Aditi Ashok had a nightmarish back nine with six bogeys in last eight holes as she fell to four-over 75 in the third round of the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open. The Indian slipped from T-17 to T-45 on an extremely windy day at the Gullane Golf Club. Overall she had seven bogeys and three birdies and she is now one-over 214 for 54 holes. Ariya Jutanugarn and Amy Yang lead the pack at eight-under par through 54 holes after facing extremely windy conditions yesterday. Playing in the final group, both players shot two-over par 73 in the third round to hold a one-stroke advantage over Minjee Lee (-7), with fellow LPGA winners Haeji Kang (-6), So Yeon Ryu (-6) and Carlota Ciganda (-5) close behind. Only 18 of the 80 players in the field shot under par in the third round at Gullane Golf Club. The third round scoring average (73.180) was nearly two strokes higher than the second round (71.217) and almost a full stroke above the first round (72.309). No players in the ...
Olympic champ Biles victorious in return to gymnastics competition
Olympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles made a triumphant, if imperfect, return to competition, winning the senior all-around crown at the US Classic in Columbus, Ohio. Biles, who tied an Olympic record with five medals, four of them gold, at the Rio Games, hadn't competed since 2016 and she showed some signs of nerves with a fall and a few uncharacteristic wobbles. Nevertheless, Biles took the senior all-around title with a total of 58.700 points. Riley McCusker of Brielle, New Jersey, tallied 57.500 for second, with 2017 World all-around champion Morgan Hurd rounding out the top three at 56.350. Biles won two of the four event titles: balance beam and floor exercise as she qualified for the US championships next month with the World Championships coming up in October. "I feel pretty good with where I'm at in this time of the year, and even from Rio I feel like I've improved," said Biles, who is already looking ahead toward the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. "I'm pretty proud of myself at ...
Buttler wants to draw inspiration from Kohli and use IPL experience in Test series
England wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler is hoping to draw inspiration from Virat Kohli and use the Indian Premier League experience to earn his maiden Test ton during the five-Test series against India starting on Wednesday. "Someone like Virat Kohli is an immensely talented guy but also watching him go about it you see that mentality of getting to the top. They seem to make the right decision a lot of the time. That is a skill," he told reporters at The Oval. "The hunger to do it day in day out...that hunger really shines through in those top players." Buttler played for the Rajasthan Royals during this year's IPL scoring 548 runs at an average of 54.80 with the help of five half centuries including two unbeaten 90s. "The biggest thing I have learnt from the IPL is that it's obvious what the best players do and why they are the best players and standouts," said Buttler. "They just have a different mentality, a winning mentality in every game and the consistency to do that. I feel ...
Baker breaks 100m backstroke world record
Kathleen Baker set a world record of 58.00sec to win the 100m backstroke at the US swimming championships. Baker, silver medalist in the event at the 2016 Rio Olympics, improved on the world record of 58.10 set by Canadian Kylie Masse at the World Championships in Budapest on July 25 of last year. Baker, who tied for first with Regan Smith in the 200m backstroke this week, clocked a blistering 27.90sec over the first 50m and held on for the victory. She notched the first world record of the championships, the selection meeting for next month's Pan Pacific Championships in Tokyo. The two meets together are the qualifiers for the World Championships in South Korea next year. The top three finishers all broke 59 seconds, with Olivia Smoliga second in 58.75 and Smith third in 58.83.
Isner outlasts Ebden to set up all-American Atlanta rematch
Top seed John Isner booked his spot in his eighth Atlanta Open final, defeating Aussie Matthew Ebden 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 6-1 in the semi-finals. The hard-serving Isner avenged his only loss to Ebden in five career ATP Tour meetings when the Aussie beat him earlier this year at the Australian Open. "It was tough," Isner said. "Just like yesterday, I was able to get out early in the third set and that definitely took some pressure off. "I'm very happy to be back in the final here." In the final the 33-year-old Isner will face fellow American Ryan Harrison, who beat Britain's Cameron Norrie 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. Isner has won eight of his nine semi-finals in Atlanta, and will look to improve his record of 13-12 in finals. Isner appeared to be cruising to victory, leading by a set and up by a break, when the wheels almost fell off. The fourth-seeded Ebden broke back in the second and then saved one match point in the ensuing tie-break when Isner flubbed a backhand return. Isner rebounded by breaking
Ton-up Tamim leads Bangladesh to record 301 total against Windies
Tamim Iqbal's second hundred of the series and a quickfire unbeaten half-century by Mahmudullah paced Bangladesh to a formidable 301 for six against the West Indies in the decisive third and final one-day international at Warner Park in St Kitts today. It is Bangladesh's highest total in an ODI against the West Indies. With the series all-square following the hosts' thrilling three-run win in the second match under lights in Guyana on Wednesday, the tourists have set the pace in this fixture with their top-order batting justifying the decision by captain Mashrafe Mortaza to bat first after he won the toss for the third consecutive time. Tamim's confident 103 off 124 balls with seven fours and two sixes again provided his team with a solid foundation in pursuit of their first series win away from home in nine years. His innings lifted his tally in the three matches to 287 runs at an outstanding average of 143.5. As in the first two ODIs he found a reliable partner in Shakib Al Hasan, ..
Girona floor Kerala Blasters, lift Toyota Yaris La Liga World trophy
La Liga side Girona FC put up up yet another clinical performance to thrash Kerala Blasters FC 5-0 and lift the Toyota Yaris LaLiga World trophy here on Saturday.
Even groundsmen don't know how pitch will behave: Broad
England pacer Stuart Broad today said even the groundstaff won't be able to predict how the 22-yard strip would behave during the first Test against India, as searing heat soaked all the moisture from the Edgbaston pitch. "It will be a really exciting series as both teams don't know what the pitch will do neither the groundsmen really know because probably they haven't experienced this sort of weather in England for a long time. The lack of moisture that has been around, players will have to adapt," Broad told 'ESPN Cricinfo' ahead of first Test, starting August 1. For Broad, every ground from Trent Bridge (Nottingham) to the Lord's will pose different challenges, and the bowling unit that adapts quickly will have the upper hand. "The bowling side that can quickly adapt will have more success. (Need to) realize what's the threat. Is it spin, reverse swing, or knee roll seam? We will be discussing all the way through. "Each ground will be different. Trent Bridge might be very different
Thomas virtually secures Tour de France title
Britain's Geraint Thomas virtually secured his maiden Tour de France triumph after finishing third in the penultimate stage time trial in the Basque country today. Thomas, of Team Sky, held a 2min 05sec overnight lead on Dutch rival Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) ahead of the 31km race against the clock from Saint-Pee-Sur-Nivelle to Espelette. Dumoulin is the world time trial champion, and he stayed true to form by powering over the technical course in a time of 40 min 50sec to leave Thomas 14secs in arrears. But it was only enough to secure his virtual runner-up place in the race, Dumoulin's second in a Grand Tour this year after he finished runner-up to Chris Froome at the Giro d'Italia in May. Froome, the defending and four-time Tour de France champion, produced the second best performance of the day, finishing just one second behind Dumoulin to move back up to third place overall. Froome had been pushed down to fourth, and off the podium, when Primoz Roglic's attack and consequent stage ...
Girona FC thrash Kerala Blasters 5-0, win inaugural LaLiga World meet
Girona FC gave football lessons to Kerala Blasters as the Spanish top division side thrashed the ISL outfit 5-0 to win the inaugural Toyota Yaris LaLiga World tournament here today. Blasters looked a much-improved side, starting the final fixture with a 4-4-2 formation, and tightening the defence with their wingers sitting deep. On the other hand, Girona's strategy was no different from their first game as they looked to attack from the word go. The home side managed to hold fort till the half hour mark, making all the necessary interceptions and keeping Girona forwards at bay. The Spanish side kept pressing with more possession through the first half, but the defensive formation worked well for David James' side. Three minutes before half time, a rare defensive lapse by the Blasters backline led to Eric Montes scoring the first goal of the match, amazingly against the run of play. The Spanish right back made a run down the right to find the back of the net from a very tight ...
Russia could be reinstated in December, says IAAF
Russia could be provisionally reinstated to worldwide track and field competition in December if it meets certain conditions, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said. Track and field's governing body suspended Russia in November 2015 after a World Anti-Doping Agency report detailed widespread, state-sponsored doping in the sport. "They have made significant improvement in meeting the outstanding requirements," Rune Andersen, the IAAF's Russia task force head, said during a two-day meeting in Argentina's capital. "In fact, in some cases, they have gone above and beyond what is required." Andersen, however, said three conditions had to be met before Russia could be readmitted to international competition. Firstly, RUSAF (the Russian Athletics Federation) has to pay for costs incurred by the IAAF as a result of the scandal. The WADA must also reinstate the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), which depends on the country acknowledging the findings that ...
Neeraj, Hima among 7 Indians named for IAAF Continental Cup
The Asian Athletics Association (AAA) on Saturday named seven Indian athletes including star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and sprint sensation Hima Das to represent Asia-Pacific Team in the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) Continental Cup to be held in Czech Republic's Ostrava on September 8-9.
Hamilton nabs pole position for Hungarian F1 GP amid heavy rain
Britain's Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes on Saturday won the pole position for the Hungarian Formula One Grand Prix amid heavy rain, winning his 77th career pole.