Page 1594 - Sports
World Cups are 'important check points' on way to Olympics: Heena
The ISSF World Cups are "important check points" on the way to the Olympic Games, said India's pistol ace Heena Sidhu, who is geared up to compete in the year's final World Cup for rifle and pistol shooters, starting here on Thursday. The former world number one is hoping to test her skills and score consistently in the build-up to the World Championships in September, which will also be the first quota event for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. "The World Cup in Munich is extremely important to figure where I stand before going into the first Olympic qualifiers that will start from the World Championship in September," Heena said on tournament eve. "We have experience of two Olympic cycles and we are using it to improve our preparations. The CWG, these World Cups are very important check points on our way to the Olympics. These competitions will show the true effects of our training and based on my results we can amend our preparations." The Commonwealth Games and World Cup Final gold ...
Veteran South Korean forward ruled out of World Cup
Gangwon FC forward Lee Keun-ho has been ruled out of next month's FIFA World Cup with a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee, the Korea Football Association (KFA) said on Tuesday.
Srinath Narayanan is Kolkata Open chess champion
Srinath Narayanan registered a quick draw against Shyam Sundar M to become champion in LIC 3rd Kolkata Open International Grandmasters Chess Tournament here today. Srinath took just 27 moves in Sicilian Scheveningen opening in the final round to emerge winner and clinch a prize purse of Rs 3 lakh. In the second board, GM Nigel Short drew with Erigaisi Arjun, who made his maiden GM norm against the FIDE Presidential candidate. Arjun kept pushing to gain advantage but Short did not budge in Reti Opening to finish third. Deep Sengupta's woes continued as he lost to Deepan Chakkravarthy who devastated Deep's defenses and rendered his King motionless at the center of the board in English Opening to finish second. Chakkravarthy took home Rs 2 lakh followed by Short who was richer Rs 1.6 lakh. The meet also saw Priyanka Nutakki score her maiden Women International Master norm.
IPL: Team character should hold KKR in good stead, says Katich
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) assistant coach Simon Katich on Tuesday hoped the team's new-found confidence after stringing together a hat-trick of wins should hold them in good stead when they take on Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) eliminator here on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka hikes cricket wages by 34 percent
Sri Lanka's cricket board today increased wages for national players by more than a third after making record profits in 2017. A total of 33 players under contract to Sri Lanka Cricket will also see match fees increase substantially despite dismal results on the field last year. "Sri Lanka Cricket raised the wages of national players by 34 percent for the period of 2018/19, following strong results achieved during the concluded financial year," it said in a statement. It did not give a breakdown of individual salaries, but they are known to be among the highest paid individuals in Sri Lanka. Last week, SLC announced a record annual profit of 2.12 billion rupees ($14 million) for 2017, 33 times what it made the year before. Revenues of six billion rupees were roughly double 2016 figures. Official sources attributed the sharp profit rise to a packed 2017 calendar which featured home series against Bangladesh, India and Zimbabwe. Broadcasting earnings from an India tour were thought to ..
Bangladesh hire Kirsten to find new coach
South African great Gary Kirsten, who coached India to World Cup success, said today he is helping rudderless Bangladesh quickly to find a coach ahead of a looming tour. Bangladesh have not had a coach since Sri Lankan Chandika Hathurusingha stepped down in October after a successful three-year stint. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has appointed Kirsten as a consultant to help find a coach before a tour of the West Indies in July and August. Kirsten arrived in Bangladesh on Sunday and has already met players, BCB officials, selectors and local coaches. "I know Chandika did a great job with the team. I just want to understand what that was about and what made the team do well in that time," said Kirsten, 50. "Hopefully in a couple of weeks I will have someone in place to take the team forward." Under Hathurusingha, Bangladesh reached the World Cup quarter-finals in 2015 and the Champions Trophy semi-finals in England last year. Bangladesh also won one-day series against Pakistan, ..
Buffon to make a decision on PSG within week
Juventus legend Gianluigi Buffon said that he will make a decision this week on whether he will be joining Paris Saint-Germain. Buffon, 40, played his final game for the Italian giants in a 2-1 win over Verona on Saturday, capping a 17-year career in Turin that harvested seven consecutive Serie A titles. "PSG? I need a week to be calm and analyse everything. These aren't simple choices. At 40, you can't make decisions in the heat of the moment," Buffon told Sky Sports Italia after playing in former Italy team-mate Andrea Pirlo's testimonial at the San Siro on Monday. "Do I speak French? No," he added. Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi earlier in the day poured cold water on suggestions Buffon could step in to replace the French club's number one goalkeeper, Alphonse Areola. Al-Khelaifi told L'Equipe sports daily: "He (Buffon) is a fantastic goalkeeper, he's very charismatic and is a true gentleman. I'm sure all the clubs want him.
Ibrahimovic sent off as Galaxy end losing streak
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sent off for the first time in his Major League Soccer career before the Los Angeles Galaxy ended a four-match losing streak with a 1-0 victory over Montreal Impact. Ola Kamara's 75th-minute winner sealed the badly-needed points for Galaxy, who have slipped to mid-table in the Western Conference as the euphoria of Ibrahimovic's debut in March has faded. But the major talking point after the Galaxy's vital away win was Ibrahimovic's sending off in the 41st minute at Montreal's Saputo Stadium. Ibrahimovic reacted angrily after Montreal's Michael Petrasso appeared to tread on his foot as he backed into the former Manchester United striker. The 36-year-old striker responded with a slap to the side of Petrasso's face. Both players slumped to the turf following the incident, but after a review of the incident via VAR, Ibrahimovic was given his marching orders for violent conduct. Petrasso was shown a yellow card for his role in the clash. Montreal dominated the game ..
Real as desperate as ever to win the Champions League
Zinedine Zidane has told Liverpool his Real Madrid team are hungrier than ever to win the Champions League, despite clinching the title in three of the last four years. Real are gunning for an unprecedented third consecutive success in the competition on Saturday while Liverpool have reached the final for the first time since 2007. "No one can tell us we are less hungry," Zidane said. "I can't speak for our opponents but we want to stress we will always have the same motivation, the same as always, no one can tell us we are less hungry than the rest. "We are Madrid and despite what we have, we always want more, and we will give everything to get even better." Real's experience at the deep end of the Champions League dwarfs that of this Liverpool team, who do not have a single player to have made it this far before. Zidane also has his own personal achievements to draw upon, having won the most coveted prize in club football three times as a player and manager combined. "It's true I ...
Tenulkar comparison big thing, Ponting's advice helped: Ptithvi Shaw
The 'big' comparison with Sachin Tendulkar and counselling from Ricky Ponting have motivated and toughened up the supremely talented Prithvi Shaw for anything top-flight cricket could throw. Having reminded Mark Waugh of Tendulkar's technical proficiency, Shaw today said he would try to live up to the Australian batting great's words. Mumbai boy Shaw, who led India to the U-19 World Cup triumph in New Zealand, has made a mark while turning out for Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League. "Obviously it feels good. I can't compare myself to Tendulkar, because he has already played and done with his 25 years of international career and scored 100 hundreds. So, it's not easy. I've not even stepped in international cricket. So, it's obviously a big thing for me. I hope to make his words come true and keep scoring runs," Shaw said. Waugh had recently said, "His grip, his stance, he stays very still at the crease and plays all his shots around the wicket. He plays the ball quite late ..
Last three wins have prepared us well for playoffs: Katich
Kolkata Knight Riders assistant coach Simon Katich today said his team is looking to ride the new-found momentum when it takes on Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League Eliminator here tomorrow. Kolkata suffered back to back losses to Mumbai Indians that included their heaviest defeat in the IPL when they were humiliated by 102 runs at home to slip out of top-four. But the Dinesh Karthik-led side scripted a remarkable turnaround posting the highest total of the season -- 245/6 -- en route to winning three on the trot to clinch a playoff berth for the sixth time. "To be able to put that behind mentally, go back and be able to regroup is testament to the group and character of the team. We would like to think that it would hold us in good stead tomorrow night," Katich told reporters at Eden Gardens today. "It's always a different feeling in the playoffs because you know there's no tomorrow. We can't afford to have a bad night. But we have been in that situation in last three ...
Sharma joins Lahiri on PGA Tour this week
Buoyed by a good finish in Dallas, Anirban Lahiri will have fellow Indian Shubhankar Sharma for company on the PGA Tour here this week. Lahiri, who finished tied-26th on Sunday to equal his best finish in 2018, has now fallen outside top-100 of World Rankings after being in it for more than 200 weeks. Sharma is currently the highest ranked Indian at 74. Some of the big names in the field this week include the PLAYERS champion Webb Simpson, Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm, Rickie Fowler, Justin Rose, Jimmy Walker and Jason Dufner among others. It is a golf course I like and I have done well at it. The same goes for the memorial, which we play the week after, said Lahiri referring to the Colonial Country Golf Club. Interestingly, Lahiri was tied-6th at the Colonial in 2016 and tied-2nd at the Memorial last year, which to date is his best finish on the PGA Tour. My game is trending in the right direction. It is a question of being better on the greens. I need to tighten up my game a bit of the ..
No smiling matter: Athletes' Asiad accreditations rejected for toothy grin
Unusual as it may sound, but flashing a wide smile while getting clicked proved costly for several Indian track and field athletes, as their accreditations for the upcoming Asian Games were rejected by the organisers. Nineteen athletes and two officials have been told by the Indian Olympic Association to resend their photos in proper format immediately to process their accreditations. The deadline for applying for accreditation is over but the IOA has assured that the organisers will consider these cases if the mistakes are rectified. Getting accredited does not mean that the concerned athlete will be selected for the Asian Games but under normal procedure, accreditations are done for all the athletes included in a provisional list sent by the national sports federations. Later, whoever gets selected will leave for the Games. Officials of Athletics Federation of India said that strict guidelines are in place regarding the photos and passport of athletes to be uploaded for ...
IPL play-offs: Chennai to field vs Hyderabad
Chennai Super Kings won the toss and elected to field against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the first qualifier match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Tuesday.
Shreya ousts Bhakti at Ramesh Desai U-16 tennis tourney
UnseededShreya Chakraborty of West Bengal created the biggest upset of the event as she knocked out top-seeded Bhakti Parwani of Gujarat 6-2, 4-6, 7-5to enter the third round of the girls' eventat the 12th Ramesh Desai MemorialTennis Nationals for boys and girls under 16. The tournament is being hosted by the Cricket Club Of India (CCI). Ten upsets were recorded with as many as six coming in the girls' event. Maharashtra girlAkanksha Nitture accounted for fifth-seeded Lakshmi Vutukuru6-2, 6-7(4), 6-4while Telangana'sSanjana Sirimallaout-rallied sixth seededBela Tamhankar4-6, 6-0, 6-2, a media release issued here said. RutujaChaphalkar (13) of Maharashtra outwitted seventh seededSrujana Rayarala of Telangana 6-2, 6-1. Vipasha Meheraousted eighth seeded Gargi Pawar 6-3, 6-1, whileGujarat'sunseededBhakti Shah got past sixteenth seeded Hrudaya Shah of Maharashtra 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, it said. In the Boys category, unseeded Nishant Dabas thrashed fifth seeded S Boopathy of Tamil ...
Spain coach Lopetegui extends contract to 2020
Spain coach Julen Lopetegui has extended his contract until 2020 in a pre-World Cup boost for one of the tournament favourites. "We are going to sign a contract for two additional years," said the president of the Spanish football federation (RFEF), Luis Rubiales. It is a clear sign of confidence from the Spanish federation in the 51-year-old former goalkeeper as he goes into his first major tournament in charge of the side. "It was very simple because we have immense admiration and respect for Julen and all his team," added Rubiales. "He is the best person to lead the national team." The new deal takes Lopetegui through to the next European Championships, which will be held across the continent in 2020. The contract renewal comes a day after Lopetegui announced his 23-man squad for the World Cup. Lopetegui was appointed to the role in the wake of Spain's poor showing at Euro 2016 in France, when they were eliminated in the last 16. He succeeded Vicente del Bosque, who had overseen ..
Hotspur's Harry Kane to lead England in World Cup 2018
Ending long-standing speculation as to who will be England's captain at next month's World Cup, Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane is all set to lead the Gareth Southgate's squad in Russia.Announcing the news, Southgate insisted that Kane possesses outstanding leadership qualities and that he is always ready to challenge people."For me the key for a captain is that you set the tone every day in everything that we do, the way we train, the way we prepare and the professionalism towards the task. Harry is an exemplary model of that. He is a meticulous professional and is prepared to challenge people," news.com.au quoted Southgate, as saying.Meanwhile, Kane described the opportunity as a 'massive honour' while adding that it would be quite special to lead the boys at the World Cup."Now is a moment in his life where he is prepared to bring that into the team environment. I'm very excited for the World Cup, can't wait. Leading the lads out is going to be special," Kane said.Kane, who ...
Chance for England to dethrone Kiwis in Test Rankings
England would be looking to close in on fourth-placed New Zealand in the ICC Test Team Rankings in a two-match Test home series, beginning at the Lord's from May 24.Meanwhile, Pakistan could overtake England if they pull off victories in both matches.A 2-0 win for England will lift them to 101 points and within one point of New Zealand, with Pakistan losing six points with such a verdict and slipping to 81.A 1-0 series win will see England gain one point and reach 99 while Pakistan will be on 83 points, four points below their present tally of 87 points.A drawn series will see England lose one point and Pakistan gain one point, while Pakistan will improve substantially if they win the series. A 1-0 series win will lift Pakistan by six points to 93 points and just one point below England while a 2-0 result will see them overtake England to reach 95 pointsIn the ICC Test Player Rankings, England captain Joe Root is the leading batsman from either side at third position and would be ...
Lucien Favre appointed head coach of Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund appointed Lucien Favre as their new head coach, signing a two-year contract until June 30, 2020, the Bundesliga club said on Tuesday.
Indian shooters set to compete in ISSF World Cup in Munich
Commonwealth Games gold medallists Manu Bhaker, Heena Sidhu and Jitu Rai will spearhead India's challenge at the ISSF World Cup -- the final competitive outing for rifle and pistol shooters before the Asian Games and World Championships -- starting here on Wednesday. Preceding the tournament proper will be the Grand Prix events in 50m rifle prone, where the likes of Olympic medallist Gagan Narang, Sanjeev Rajput, Chain Singh in men and Anjum Moudgil, Tejaswini Sawant and Shreya Szxena in women will compete tomorrow. On the first day of tournament proper, Rajput, Swapnil Kusale and Akhil Sheoran will be in action in the men's 50m rifle 3 position, while in the women's 10m air rifle, Glasgow CWG gold medallist Apurvi Chandela, Gold Coast Games silver winner Mehuli Ghosh and Anjum Moudgil will carry India's hopes. The prestigious tournament, held in the city where the International Shooting Sport Federation is headquartered, will also see other top Indian shooters such as Ravi Kumar, ...