Page 1336 - Sports
Kenya's Chepkoech eyes African 3000m steeplechase title
Kenya's Beatrice Chepkoech has warned her rivals she plans to run even faster at the Africa Championships in Asaba, Nigeria, just weeks after breaking the world record in the 3,000m steeplechase.
India have form problems going into first Test (Column: Just Sport)
Indian cricketers have been in England for over a month, the senior team playing in the shorter formats and Rahul Dravid's 'A' squad helping out some seniors in getting a knock before the Test series. Yet there is no clarity on the ideal eleven for the first Test.
India beat New Zealand 4-0 in third hockey Test, complete series whitewash
The Indian men's hockey team thrashed New Zealand 4-0 in the third and final Test to complete a series whitewash at the Sports Authority of India centre, here today. Rupinder Pal Singh (8th minute), Surender Kumar (15th), Mandeep Singh (44th) and Akashdeep Singh (60th) scored the goals for India. India took a 1-0 lead in the first quarter after Rupinder found the net with a low flick from the home team's second penalty corner, thus taking his personal goal count to four in the series. Then Surender scored from a field effort after receiving a clever assist from Rupinder from the top of the striking circle. Veteran Sardar Singh and Simranjeet Singh then combined on the left flank to set up Mandeep for India's third goal in the 44th minute past New Zealand goalkeeper George Enersen. Striker Akashdeep added salt to New Zealand's injury by scoring India's fourth goal just at the stroke of the final hooter. India's chief coach Harendra Singh expressed satisfaction with his team's ...
Rathi, Deepak win gold on concluding day at Junior Asian Wrestling
Sachin Rathi scripted a sensational turn around in the final bout while Deepak Puniya asserted his supremacy without fuss as India won two gold and as many bronze medals in the freestyle competition on the concluding day of the Junior Asian Wrestling Championship, here today. On the last day of the championship, four of the five Indian wrestlers reached the medal round with Suraj Rajkumar Kokate (61kg) and Mohit (125kg) winning bronze medals. The only one to miss out was Somveer Singh in the 92kg category. India, with 173 points, finished second in the team championship behind Iran (189 points). Uzbekistan finished third with 128 points. Rathi won the first gold of the day for India in the 74kg with a sensational turn around against Mongolia's Bat-Erdene Byambasuren in the gold medal match. Rathi trailed 2-5 after the first period and then lagged behind 2-9 in the second but from there he turned the bout on its head and pinned his opponent to claim the gold. I knew I could win. My ...
Iniesta's Japanese debut falls flat in 3-0 reverse
Spanish legend Andres Iniesta's Japanese debut ended on a flat note today as Vissel Kobe crashed to an embarrassing 3-0 home defeat by J-League strugglers Shonan Bellmare. The former Barcelona playmaker came off the bench after 58 minutes with Kobe already trailing by two goals and, despite one or two trademark flicks, failed to inspire a comeback in front of a crowd of 26,000. Meanwhile, Iniesta's one-time Spain teammate Fernando Torres also tasted defeat in his J-League debut for Sagan Tosu, who flopped 1-0 at home to Vegalta Sendai. Expectant fans, many of them clutching Spain flags, were disappointed to learn that Iniesta had been named among the substitutes for his first game since joining Kobe in the summer. The 34-year-old's first touch was a silky turn on the halfway line, releasing teammate Takuya Yasui, who promptly gave the ball straight to an opponent, underlining the gulf in class between the J-League and La Liga. Visiting Bellmare, who began the day two spots above the ..
Sri Lanka close in on whitewash of S. Africa
Sri Lanka closed in on a series whitewash against South Africa today, leaving the visitors five down and with a mountain to climb after the third day of the second Test. By stumps the spinners had ripped their way through the Proteas batsmen yet again to leave them reeling on 139 for 5 in pursuit of an impossible-looking 490 victory target in Colombo. Against batsmen who clearly decided that attack was the best form of defence, off-spinner Akila Dananjaya and left-arm spinner Rangana Herath took two wickets apiece, with off-spinner Dilruwan Perera also dismissing Dean Elgar. The wickets fell despite repeated errors from Sri Lanka, who dropped two catches and could have had Elgar out twice beforehand had Perera not overstepped when bowling the delivery that dismissed him. But this will likely have only delayed the South Africans' first series defeat by Sri Lanka since 2006. There are only three recognised batsmen remaining and two full days left to survive. By stumps, number three ...
Taiwan's Chou storms to Singapore Open win
Taiwanese badminton star Chou Tien-chen stormed to a 21-13, 21-13 win over compatriot Hsu Jen-hao to clinch the Singapore Open men's singles title today. Serving deep, cross-court smashes at high speeds, the world number seven easily claimed the first game. Hsu initially looked stronger in the second game, taking an 8-4 lead, but Chou bounced back impressively by winning seven consecutive points. The 28-year-old went on to win easily at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, sealing victory in 43 minutes. "I felt like I had good control at the start," Chou, the top seed in the tournament, said after the match. "There were several times that Hsu took the lead, but I managed to fight back and I knew when and how to take charge of the game." The win follows his German Open triumph in May and serves as a confidence boost for the upcoming World Championships in Nanjing. Chou acknowledged that he will face stiff competition from top players, such as Danish world number one Viktor Axelsen and rising
Chhetri wins 2017 AIFF player of the year award
Inspirational captain Sunil Chhetri was today named as the 2017 All India Football Federation (AIFF) Player of the Year by the national body here. Chhetri recently became the second Indian footballer to play 100 international games after Baichung Bhutia. Chhetri is a star striker for both India and Bengaluru FC. While Chhetri was declared the 2017 AIFF Player of the Year in the men's category, Kamala Devi was adjudged the 2017 AIFF woman Player of the Year. Young Anirudh Thapa, who had impressed everyone with his performance in the four-nation Intercontinental Cup which India won, was declared as the 2017 Emerging Player of the Year. E Panthoi was named as the 2017 woman Emerging Player of the Year, an AIFF statement said. 2017 AIFF Award winners: 2017 AIFF Award for Best Grassroots Development Programme: Kerala FA. 2017 AIFF Award for long-time contribution to Indian Football: Hero Motocorp. 2017 AIFF Award for Best Assistant Referee: Sumanta Datta (Assam). 2017 AIFF Award for Best ..
Bangladesh crackdown to boost ailing Test squad
Bangladesh plans to crack down on players who use "pretexts" to avoid playing domestic first-class cricket in an effort to boost its woeful Test squad, an official said today. Bangladesh have won just 10 out of 108 games since getting Test status in 2000, losing six of their last seven, including a thrashing by the West Indies this month. They failed to score 200 runs in any of their last six innings and were bowled out for 43, their lowest-ever total, in the Caribbean in the first Test. According to Bangladesh Cricket Board officials, a major reason for the crisis is players' lack of interest in playing Test and first-class cricket. "We have got a long-standing policy that the players will not be considered for the national team unless they play domestic first-class cricket. But whenever it comes to playing National Cricket League or other first-class matches our players show family reason or other pretexts to avoid it," said BCB spokesman Jalal Yunus. "So far we have shown a soft ...
Ozil defends controversial picture with Erdogan
Footballer Mesut Ozil said today he had no regrets about his controversial photograph with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that sparked questions about his loyalty to Germany's national squad ahead of the World Cup. Breaking his silence over the snapshot that caused outrage during the tournament, the Arsenal midfielder said in a statement on Twitter that he was loyal to both his Turkish and German origins and insisted he did not intend to make a political statement. "Like many people, my ancestry traces back to more than one country. Whilst I grew up in Germany, my family background has its roots firmly based in Turkey," he said. "I have two hearts, one German and one Turkish." Ozil said he had first met Erdogan in 2010 after the president and German Chancellor Angela Merkel watched a Germany-Turkey match together. "Since then, our paths have crossed a lot of times around the globe," he said. "I'm aware that the picture of us caused a huge response in the German media, and ...
India lose to China in U-17 football tournament
The Indian Women's Team lost to China in their last match of the BRICS U-17 football tournament here on Sunday.The Indian team gained the initial lead but could not continue with the momentum as they were thrashed 1-2 by the Chinese side.Indian midfielder Manisha Panna put the team ahead in the 25th minute when she capitalized on a free-kick to give India the advantage of one point. The team had a chance to double their lead before half-time in the 42nd minute but they failed to make the most out of it as the shot was placed wide of the goal.In the second half, the Indian goalkeeper Archana Arumugam made some good saves to keep India in the match but in the 74th minute, China equalized their deficit and scored from the penalty spot to make the scoreline read 1-1.Eight minutes later, the Chinese opponents found the net once again and scored to take a lead of two points.The Indian Women could do little to muster the equalizer and failed to make the most of their opportunities.The ...
Cornet wins Swiss Open title at Minella's expense
Top-seeded Alize Cornet of France on Sunday defeated Mandy Minella of Luxembourg 6-4, 7-6 (8-6) in the Swiss Open final, earning her sixth career title.
Dravid backs Pant to succeed in Test cricket
Fast-rising wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has the required temperament and skills to transfer his shorter format success to the red ball cricket, India Under-19 and 'A' squads head coach Rahul Dravid said on Sunday.
Need to work on my physique to do well in senior circuit: Lakshya
Newly-crowned Asia Junior badminton champion Lakshya Sen believes he needs to work a lot on his physical strength to take on the big guns in the senior circuit. The 16-year-old from Uttarakhand today became only the third Indian to win a gold at the prestigious tournament after he beat top seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand 21-19 21-18 in the finals in Jakarta. Lakshya participated in both the team event (July 14-17) and individual event (July 18-22) of the Asia Junior Championships and the teen shuttler said it was physically demanding. "This Asian Junior gold is precious to me. It was a long tournament, so the focus was on recovering quickly after each match. It was not easy as ahead of the tournament I had to tweak my training a bit as I had suffered a shin splint. During the tournament I had to take pills sometimes to curb the pain," he told PTI. "Once I return to India, I will have to discuss with my coach and see what would be my training sessions. But I know I have to work on .
Aviles Hurtado leads Monterrey to 1-0 win over Pachuca
Colombian Aviles Hurtado scored a goal in the 65th minute to lead the Monterrey Rayados to a 1-0 win over the Pachuca Tuzos in Liga MX Apertura tournament action.
AIFF condemns IOA's decision to exclude football teams from Asiad contingent
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) today condemned the Indian Olympic Association's (IOA) decision to drop the national football teams from the upcoming Asian Games contingent. "The Committee strongly condemned Indian Olympic Association's decision to debar football teams from participating in the forthcoming Asian Games scheduled to be held in Jakarta," the AIFF said in a statement after its executive committee meeting here today. The meeting was chaired by AIFF president Praful Patel and attended by top office bearers including secretary Kushal Das. The IOA, earlier this month, omitted the men and women's football teams from the Asian Games contingent, stating that they don't stand a chance to win medals in the continental event to be held in Indonesian twin cities of Jakarta and Palembang. Among other decisions, the committee unanimously ratified the 2018-19 club licensing regulations. Meanwhile, in a further effort to curb age-fraud, the TW3 test, which has been accepted by .
BAI announces Rs. 10 lakh cash reward
Badminton Association of India (BAI) today announced a cash reward of Rs. 10 lakh for young shuttler Lakshya Sen, who became only the third Indian to win a gold medal at the Asia Junior Championship in Jakarta. The 16-year-old from Uttarakhand took just 46 minutes to beat top-seeded Kunlavut Vitidsaran of Thailand 21-19, 21-18 in the final to win his maiden gold in the prestigious tournament. He had won a bronze in the last edition. An elated BAI president Himanta Biswa Sarma lauded Lakshya's historic feat, saying: Lakshya has done the country proud. We have been investing on youngsters and we are happy seeing the dividends. Ajay K. Singhania, BAI General Secretary, also congratulated the shuttler's efforts. It was a great occasion for all of BAI family and officials to celebrate. Winning a medal in Asia is always good, but winning gold is even better. We are really proud of the teenager, said Singhania.
Pacers can win series for India vs England, feels Ishant
Ahead of the five-match Test rubber against hosts England, fast bowler Ishant Sharma believes the current Indian pace attack carries the ability to lead the visitors to a series win against the Joe Root-led England.
Will know by end of series whether rest from County stint helped Virat: Stewart
Virat Kohli's much-hyped maiden county stint for Surrey had to be called off due to a neck injury post IPL but how much has the rest helped the Indian captain will only be discovered after the end of the Test series, said former England captain and county's Director of Cricket Alec Stewart. Interestingly, Stewart, who is the Director of Cricket for Surrey County had played a pivotal role in getting Kohli to sign his maiden county contract, where he was supposed to play three four day games during the months of May and June. However a neck injury in IPL and prescribed rest meant that Kohli didn't play for Surrey as he wanted to remain fresh for the gruelling two and half month UK tour that had five Test matches. Virat has played only a limited number of (Test) matches in England and his record is nowhere near the high quality he has achieved everywhere else around the world. So only he can answer (if rest helped him more) and we will know at the end of this series, Stewart told PTI ...
Narendran on top at national racing tourney
Arjun Narendran of Coimbatore underlined his dominance by achieving a double in the premier Indian Touring Cars category while Goutham Parekh and Raghul Rangasamy split the two races in the MRF F1600 class as the third round of the Indian National Racing Championship concluded here on Sunday.