Page 1356 - Sports
Okuhara stands in Sindhu's way again at World Championship
India's premier shuttler P V Sindhu might have to upstage defending champion and familiar foe Nozomi Okuhara as the two finalists of the previous edition are drawn to meet in the quarterfinals of the World Championship, to be held from July 30 to August 5 in Nanjing, China. Memories of Sindhu and Okuhara battling in one of the greatest matches of all time during the summit clash in Glasgow last year is still fresh in the minds of badminton aficionados. Okuhara, who was bothered by a knee injury in the latter half of last season, outplayed Sindhu last week in the finals of Thailand Open and the Indian will have her task cut out as she is expected to meet the world no 8 again in the quarterfinals in Nangjing. According to the draw announced today, Sindhu is likely to meet Korea's Sung Ji Hyun in the third round. The Indian has received a bye in the opening round, while she will face either Indonesia's Fitriani Fitriani or Linda Zetchiri in the second round. Two-time Commonwealth Games .
Egypt expected to dominate World Junior Squash in Chennai
Egypt's Marwan Tarek and compatriot Rowan Redy Araby will start favourites in the men's and women's event respectively at the WSF-World Junior Squash Championship, which will see the cream of budding talent from 28 countries including host India. The individual events will run from July 18 to 23 while the team event for men will be held from July 24 to 29. The matches will be held at Indian Squash Academy courts and the Express Avenue mall (from quarterfinals onwards). The formidable Egypt team, which was beaten by Pakistan in the previous edition in Poland, is expected to be the top contender for the title. The Egyptian team is stronger this time and should be the frontrunner to win the title, tournament director Cyrus Poncha said. The Egyptians dominate the seedings in the individual events with four of the top eight in the men's section and an equal number in the women's event. The home team, fielding a number of newcomers, will face a huge challenge in retaining the sixth place ...
Players always had last laugh: Vinod Rai
Committee of Administrators (CoA) chairman Vinod Rai claimed that it is not a new thing in Indian cricket for players to have an upper hand over their coaches.The comment came after Indian women's cricket team coach, Tushar Arothe, resigned from his position, reportedly after having hot talks with senior members of the women's team.To support his argument, Rai gave an example of the rift between former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly and former Indian coach Greg Chappel.He further stated that ultimately, it was the coach who had to leave the job, even in the case of Anil Kumble, who resigned from the position of head coach of the Indian team following "untenable" relations with Captain Virat Kohli.Reflecting on the dope test issue, the chairman said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will hold a technical committee meeting where the dope test will be one of the main agendas.In the past, the BCCI has clarified that it will not come under National Anti Doping Agency ...
Asian school chess: Jaivardhan, Aryaveer win medals
City-based chess players Jaivardhan Raj and Aryaveer Agarwal clinched a gold and silver medal, respectively, in the 14th Asian Schools Blitz Championship 2018 held in Sri Lanka. Jaivardhan won the gold medal in the boys under-7 rapid chess completion. He produced some steady consistent performances and finished with a tally of 6.5 points out of 7 to emerge champion, a media release issued here said today. Meanwhile, Aryaveer with a score of 5.5 points out of 7, managed to win the silver medal in the boys' under-7 blitz chess event. Aryaveer, a trainee from the South Mumbai Chess Academy, did well to force a draw with higher ranked and top-seed Tulendinov Dinmukhammed in the final round. The half point ensured Aryaveer finished tied for the second spot with four other players. However, Aryaveer, with a better Buchholz tie-breaker score, claimed the silver medal. A total of 450 players from 17 countries had participated in different events and age categories.
Neha, Tvesa resume battle for Order of Merit honours in ninth leg
Neha Tripathi and Tvesa Malik, the top two in the Hero Order of Merit on the Women's Pro Golf Tour, will resume their battle when the ninth leg of the Tour starts tomorrow. The ninth leg of the Hero WPG Tour, being played at the Eagleton Golf Resort, will see the duo crossing swords with just a mere Rs.3,600 separating them on the money ranking. Not too far behind them is Gursimar Badwal, the only multiple winner on the Tour this season. Both Neha and Tvesa have won once each. The field also has Amandeep Drall, who won her first title of the season in the previous event held on the calendar in the last week of June. The two stars Vani Kapoor and Sharmila Nicollet, have played just two and one event respectively. Vani won on her first start, while Sharmila won the only event she has played in. As many as four amateurs will feature in the field that also has strong contenders in Gaurika Bishnoi and Trisha Sunil. In the first round, Neha has been paired with Gursimar and Anisha Padukone .
Delhi pacer Awana announces retirement from all forms of cricket
India and Delhi pacer Parwinder Awana today announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, having played his last first-class game back in November 2016. "Representing India and DDCA has been a matter of great pride for me. I feel that it's the right time to pass the baton to the younger guys. I thank to all DDCA selectors and senior players for providing me the platform to show my skills," Awana, who will soon be turning 32, wrote on Twitter. Awana represented Delhi for nine years and played two T20 Internationals for India in the 2012 home series against England but failed to pick up a wicket. The pacer also played for Kings XI Punjab for three seasons from 2012-2014. Awana played 62 first-class games, taking 191 wickets at 29.23 besides featuring in 44 List A and 61 T20s. He did not do any noticeable in his first-class debut against Himachal Pradesh in 2007 but attracted attention in the following game against Maharashtra by picking up a hat-trick. In his message on social ...
India U-16s rally to hold Bangkok Glass FC U-17
India's U-16 football team struck twice in the last 10 minutes to erase a two-goal deficit and hold Bangkok Glass FC U-17 side in Bangkok today. Trailing for a better part of the match, the Colts put up a superb attacking performance in the final moments and scored through Ricky (83rd minute) and Ravi (86th). Coming on the back of a 2-0 win over Buriram United U-17, the Indian Colts were slow off the blocks and the opponents capitalised on that. As early as the 3rd minute, the opponents tested the Indian custodian and once again hovered around the box in the 11th minute when a free-kick was thwarted by the Indian wall. In the 21st minute, Bangkok Glass FC took the lead and doubled it shortly after in the 24th minute to make the scoreline read 2-0. Stunned, the Indian colts looked to minimise the deficit and in the 30th minute, Harpreet's rasping header missed the goal by inches. Four minutes later, Bhuvnesh failed to make the most of a Ridge D'Mello cross. The half-time scoreline read
Pacer Awana retires from all forms of cricket
Former India paceman Parvinder Awana on Tuesday announced his retirement from all formats of the game with immediate effect.
India U-20 to play Argentina counterparts in COTIF Cup
The India U-20 national team will be crossing swords with U-20 teams of Argentina, Venezuela and Mauritania when the boys travel to Spain to participate in the COTIF Cup -- the Mini Mundial Sub U-20 mens football tournament.
England wins toss, opts to bowl first against India
England has won the toss and opted to bowl first against India in the final game of the three-match one-day international (ODI) series here at Headingley Carnegie Stadium on Tuesday.Earlier, the Virat Kohli-led side had started the series on a winning note after registering a thumping eight-wicket victory over the hosts. They, however, lost their second match after English batsman Joe Root's smashing knock of 113 runs followed by an impressive bowling performance by Liam Plunkett who took four wickets conceding 46 runs.With the win, England levelled the three-match series at 1-1.Kuldeep Yadav, who single-handedly took the first ODI away from the grip of Englishmen, will be crucial for India in the final match as well.On the England side, bowling all-rounder Ben Stokes and in-form batsman Joe Root are more likely to create an impact for their team.After the ODI series, India are slated to play five-match Test series against England, beginning August 1.
Vijender hints at September fight, opponent yet to be decided
Indian boxer Vijender Singh today said his much-awaited fight for the Commonwealth super middleweight title could be held in September after being cancelled earlier this month, but the opponent has not yet been finalised. "Perhaps it will be in September, the Commonwealth committee will decide the opponent," Vijender said at a promotional event here. The 32-year-old, who is now fourth in the latest WBO rankings for the super middleweight category, was to fight for the Commonwealth title on July 13 against Lee Makhram but the fight was cancelled after the British boxer pulled out citing injury. "Not all the boxers go to the Olympics and the Asian Games. They can come to pro boxing. I am not saying the cream should opt for pro boxing, but those who feel they can do well at pro level should come," Vijender, who holds the WBO Oriental and Asia Pacific titles, said. Busy training but with enough time in hand to catch up on the heroics of Hima Das, the latest sensation to light up Indian ...
England put India in to bat in ODI series decider
England skipper Eoin Morgan won the toss and put India in to bat in the series deciding third and final One-day International (ODI) at the Headingley cricket ground here on Tuesday.
India's football exports up 15% in 2017-18
India's football exports grew by over 15 per cent to USD 10.33 million (about 70.5 crore) in 2017-18 on account of growing demand in the markets of South America and Europe. "Around 60 countries from across the globe imported India-made footballs in 2017-18. The potential is much higher with the country's craftsmen manufacturing footballs of global quality," the department of commerce said in a tweet. It said inflatable balls, particularly football, are the top exported items in the sports goods and toys sector from India. The top 10 export destinations for Indian footballs were the UK, Australia, Germany, Ireland, UAE, Argentina, Spain, France, the US and Chile. The exports in 2016-17 stood at USD 8.93 million, as against USD 12.8 million in 2015-16.
Hima Das should be given financial support, says Vijender
Indian boxing star Vijender Singh on Tuesday hailed athletics' latest golden girl Hima Das' performance, saying the Assamese lass should be supported financially from here on and not just eulogised.
Iceland coach steps down after 7 years in charge
The coach that led Iceland to its first World Cup has stepped down. The Icelandic Football Association says Heimir Hallgrimsson has decided to leave at his own request, ending seven years in the role. Hallgrimsson was the co-coach with Lars Lagerback of Sweden at the European Championship in 2016, when Iceland reached the quarterfinals after beating England. After Lagerback left, Hallgrimsson assumed sole control of the national team, which became the least populous team to ever play at a World Cup. Iceland drew with Argentina in its opening group game but failed to advance to the knockout stage. Hellgrimsson is a part-time dentist.
Man United sells Blind back to Ajax for $18.75 million
Manchester United has sold Netherlands defender Daley Blind back to Ajax for 16 million euros ($18.75 million), four years after signing him from the Dutch club. The clubs announced the move Tuesday after Blind signed a four-year contract. Ajax said the fee could rise to 20.5 million euros ($24 million) through bonuses. Blind was one of the first signings made by Louis van Gaal when he took charge of United in 2014. A versatile player capable of playing at center back, full back or in midfield, Blind rarely played last season under Jose Mourinho.
Indian hockey team jumps to fifth in FIH rankings
The Indian hockey team's silver medal-winning effort at the Champions Trophy in Breda, the Netherlands, earlier this month has propelled them to the fifth spot in the world rankings, released by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) on Tuesday.
Its's just the beginning, Hima will touch the sky: Coach Nipon Das (IANS Interview)
New Delhi, July 17 ( IANS) Till a few days back, the world hardly knew about this rice farmers daughter from Dhing who had her goals set for a big win.
England win toss, invite India to bat in series decider
England captain Eoin Morgan won the toss and elected to bowl first in the series-deciding third and final ODI against India here today. England have made one change to their playing eleven bringing in James Vince for an injured Jason Roy. India, on the other hand, have made three changes, replacing Umesh Yadav, Siddharth Kaul and KL Rahul with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur and Dinesh Karthik respectively. Teams: India: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Hardik Pandya, Shardul Thakur, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal. England: Eoin Morgan (Captain), James Vince, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, Mark Wood.
Simeone, Guardiola among coaches Argentine fans want for team, press says
A number of high-profile coaches, including Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone and Manchester City's Pep Guardiola, are being mentioned by fans and media as the best candidates to take the helm of the Argentine national football team, which had a disappointing World Cup, according to media reports.