Page 1603 - Sports
The Army Man: Alchemist Rana stands tall among Indian boxing's 'Guru Cools'
Indian boxing's unparalleled medal haul at this year's Commonwealth Games had a lot to do with the Indian Army, more specifically Subedar Major Narender Rana. A former Asian Championships bronze-medallist and a four-time national champion, the 46-year-old Rana is among the backroom brains of Indian boxing -- the rarely talked about crucial cogs who only the boxers know and acknowledge. "Our Commanding Officer had asked me before the Games 'how many medals do you think the Services boxers will win?'. I had told him the results will be 100 percent, he said 'we will nominate you for Dronacharya (award) if that happens'," Rana recalled in an interview with PTI. His prediction sure did come true. Of the eight medals the Indian male boxers claimed in the CWG, five came from pugilists of the Army. Gaurav Solanki (52kg) won the gold medal, Amit Panghal (49kg) and Manish Kaushik (60kg) fetched silver, while Mohammed Hussamuddin (56kg) and Satish Kumar (+91kg) settled for bronze ...
Bhutan calling: Indian runners to train in Himalayan kingdom ahead of Asiad
Indian athletics is entering an uncharted territory as the country's middle and long distance runners will be in Bhutan for four weeks for high altitude training as part of preparations for the upcoming Asian Games. A 17-member Indian team, along with three coaches and a masseur, will train at the Thimphu Athletics Track and Field Centre from May 21 to June 20. They are flying into Bhutan today from Bagdogra airport in West Bengal. The Indian team comprises the likes of Sudha Singh, P U Chitra, L Suriya, Lakshmanan Govindan, Gopi Thonakal, Ajoy Kumar Saroj and Jinson Johnson. They are the second batch of Indian track and field athletes who left the country for foreign training. A 14-member team of quartermilers (both men and women) left for Spala in Poland on May 14. Bhutan has no athletics credentials -- not even in Asia -- and is a minnow in South Asia also, but the height of the training centre (above 2500m from sea level), its good synthetic track and the low cost, have attracted .
Dhoni gifts signed bat to Srikkanth, courtesy Prasad
Ace shuttler Kidambi Srikkanth is a big fan of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and he was in for a pleasant surprise when he received a cricket bat signed by the former India captain from BCCI selection committee chairman MSK Prasad. Srikanth, who was briefly World No. 1 recently but is currently ranked No. 4, had asked Prasad for a gift from Dhoni. Srikanth's father KVS Krishna had introduced Prasad to wicket-keeping. "I would like to inform you that Kidambi Srikanth is the son of my childhood ideal from Guntur who introduced me to cricket, i.e. Kittu uncle. "Srikanth is a big fan of MS Dhoni. One fine day he has asked me a gift from MS Dhoni. I told if he can reach the top level in badminton, then he will get his gift," Prasad said after handing over the bat to Srikkanth at the Pullela Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad yesterday. Prasad said when he told Dhoni about Srikkanth's desire, the former captain was more than happy to oblige. "I have spoken about Srikanth's wish to MSD. He was more than .
KKR's Gill credits team's death bowling for win against Sunrisers
Through to the play-offs after registering a five-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders young batsman Shubman Gill said brilliant death bowling led by Prasidh Krishna turned the match in their favour. KKR defeated Sunrisers by five wickets last night to seal their berth in the play-offs. After restricting Sunrisers to 172 for nine, KKR chased down the target with two balls to spare and become the third team to make it to the next stage of the ongoing IPL. I think the way we bowled at the death overs that was the turning point of the match. Prasidh (4-0-30-4) bowled really well. All the bowlers bowled really well at the death, Gill said at the post-match press conference. KKR will now play their eliminator at home ground at the Eden Gardens on May 23 and Gill said it will work in their advantage. "It's always an advantage to play at home. It's beneficial to play match at home. The crowd is very supportive. We will also have a better idea of the wicket compared to .
India lose to France in Thomas Cup Final
Young Indian male shuttlers made a disastrous start to their campaign at the Thomas Cup Final as they suffered a 1-4 loss to France in a group A opening match to jeopardise their chances of qualifying for the knockout stage, here today. World no 18 B Sai Praneeth gave India a positive start, defeating France's Brice Leverdez 21-7 21-18 to take a 1-0 lead but none of the other players could step up when it mattered. In the second match, world no 38 Arjun MR and Ramchandran Shlok wilted under pressure, losing 13-21 16-21 to Bastian Kersaudy and Julien Maio, ranked 47th. Swiss Open champion Sameer Verma, ranked 21, was then handed the responsibility of bringing India back in the contest but he went down 18-21 22-20 18-21 to Lucas Corvee, ranked 43rd, in the second singles as France grabbed a 2-1 lead. World no 70 Arun George and Sanyam Shukla then took the field in the second doubles match but they were no match for 103 ranked Thom Gicquel and Ronan Labar, losing 10-21 12-21 in a ...
Badminton: Thomas cup tournament begins today
Thomas cup Badminton tournament is set to begin today in Thailand, Bangkok.Thailand is hosting the tournament for the first time.In Group A, India has been clubbed with Australia, France and China.In the last three editions of the tournament, India has not been able to make it to the knockout stageThe last time India played the quarterfinals was in 2010 at Malaysia.HS Prannoy, Sameer Verma and Lakshya Sen will lead the challenge in the singles, while national champions double pair of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy and young combo Arjun MR and Ramchandran Shlok will have the responsibility of secure wins in doubles.
Leganes beat Real Betis 3-2 in La Liga clash
Leganes pulled off a 3-2 win against Real Betis in a La Liga match here.
Rebic ruins Heynckes farewell as Frankurt shock Bayern in cup final
Ante Rebic ruined Jupp Heynckes' farewell as Bayern Munich coach with the Croatia striker scoring twice as Eintracht Frankfurt claimed an upset 3-1 win in the German Cup final. The victory yesterday gave Eintracht boss Niko Kovac his first trophy as a coach in his final match before leaving to take over from Heynckes at Bayern. After Rebic's opening goal, Robert Lewandowski equalised for Munich early in the second half. However, Rebic added his late second before substitute Mijat Gacinovic tapped into an empty net just before the whistle to delight Frankfurt fans and break Bayern's hearts. This was supposed to be Heynckes' farewell party with Bayern sending their 73-year-old head coach into retirement with the German cup and league double having wrapped up a sixth straight Bundesliga title. Instead Rebic and Frankfurt grabbed the glory at Berlin's Olympic Stadium. Bayern made a bright start in the capital when Lewandowski hit the underside of the Frankfurt bar with just eight minutes
"Serial winner" Conte hits back by beating Mourinho to FA Cup
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte insisted he is a "serial winner" after ending a difficult season on a high by beating Manchester United 1-0 to lift the FA Cup thanks to Eden Hazard's penalty at Wembley. In what is still widely expected to be Conte's final game in charge, the Blues withstood a second-half onslaught from United yesterday after Hazard's 22nd-minute spot-kick to ensure Jose Mourinho's men end the season trophyless. A year on from winning the Premier League in his debut season in English football, Conte failed to even qualify Chelsea for the Champions League as they finished fifth in the Premier League. "I am the first to understand because I am the coach of an important club in England, in the world, and it is right the club demands of me a lot," said the Italian on the constant speculation over his future. But Conte defended his record after winning a knockout competition for the first time in his managerial career. "Also in a difficult season, I have showed I am a serial .
Ronaldo and Bale score in Real draw as Zinedine son makes debut
Real Madrid's final Champions League rehearsal was running perfectly until Cristiano Ronaldo was substituted and Villarreal scored twice to snatch a 2-2 draw. Gareth Bale and Ronaldo put Real in cruise control at the Estadio de la Ceramica yesterday but the Portugese, along with Luka Modric, was taken off shortly after the hour and Villarreal came surging back. It was two substitutes that did it, Roger Martinez unleashing a stunning strike into the top corner before Samu Castillejo struck the equaliser five minutes from time. Castillejo took advantage of some hesitation from Luca Zidane, Zinedine Zidane's 20-year-old son, who was making his debut for Real in goal. "I am happy for his debut, it is an important day for him and his coach," Zidane senior said afterwards. "For his father, we will see what he says at home." The draw means any hopes Real had of snatching La Liga's runner-up spot off city rivals Atletico are ended but their attention will quickly turn to Liverpool and next ...
Frankfurt upset Bayern 3-1 to clinch German Cup
Eintracht Frankfurt clinched their fifth German Cup after beating Bayern Munich 3-1 by courtesy of Ante Rebic's brace in the final at outsold Berlin Olympia stadium.
Real Madrid draw 2-2 in prelude to Champions League final
Real Madrid showed both sides of their game as they warmed up for next Saturday's Champions League final with a 2-2 draw away to Villarreal.
Germany wants to strengthen multilateralism with China: Merkel
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said her country wants to strengthen multilateralism with China and she is looking forward to her visit to China next week.
Heena Sidhu undergoes ammunition testing ahead of ISSF World Cup
Indian shooter Heena Sidhu underwent an ammunition test in a bid to fine tune her preparations ahead of the upcoming ISSF World Cup in Munich."We underwent testing of 19 different batches with different velocities that were available as pistol ammunition at the Eley ammunition testing facility in Fellbach and found something that consistently offered high accuracy from the barrel of Heena's 25m pistol," Coach Ronak Pandit said.It took four hours and 520 shots to find the best batch for Heena. The batch number has been reserved for Heena and she will now be coordinating with the Eley company in the United Kingdom to import it with the financial support for the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme and administrative support from the National Rifle Association of India."We use the best ammunition, Eley Tenex, which is also the most successful ammunition brand in the world. But even in the brand there are different batch numbers which give varying accuracies," Heena said."So despite using ..
Chelsea win FA Cup, beat Manchester United 1-0
Eden Hazard first-half penalty helped Chelsea to end its lackluster season ended on a high note by securing the FA Cup in a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the final on Saturday.After being brought down by center back Phil Jones during a tackle, Hazard netted from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute at Wembley Stadium.Chelsea failed to even qualify for the Champions League after finishing fifth in the Premier League this year."This was to save our season, we haven't had a magnificent season by any stretch," Sport24 quoted Chelsea captain Gary Cahill as saying."We are used to winning, I'm not saying that in an arrogant way. We had a lot of defending to do, they pushed us until the very end. We are buzzing. We got the job done," Cahill added.Manchester United were playing without top-scorer Romelu Lukaku from the start as the Belgian was only fit enough for a place on the bench against his former club due to an ankle injury.Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho felt his side was
KKR enters playoffs with five-wicket win over SRH
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) booked their place in the playoffs of the Indian Premier League (IPL) with a five-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in a neck-to-neck encounter at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Saturday.With 16 points, KRK is now place third in the points table from their full quota of 14 games.Electing to bat first, SRH managed 172/9, riding on Shikhar Dhawan's half century. Shreevats Goswami (35), skipper Kane Williamson (36) and Manish Pandey (25) added some valuable runs to the total.The KKR bowling attack was led by Prasidh Krishna (4/30). He did well in the middle and death overs. Andre Russell (1/31), Sunil Narine (1/23), Kuldeep Yadav (1/35) and Javon Searles (1/24) were among the other wicket takers.In the second innings, KKR never looked in trouble while batting as Chris Lynn (55), Sunil Narine (29) and Robin Uthappa (45) starred for the visitors to make light of the 173-run target. KKR put up 173/5 in 19.4 overs.Bangladesh all-rounder
We are peaking at the right time, says Dinesh Karthik
Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Dinesh Karthik feels the team is peaking at the right time after making the playoffs by beating Sunrisers Hyderabad in a must-win IPL game here.
IPL-2018: KKR seal playoffs berth with five-wicket win over Sunrisers
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) booked their place in the playoffs of the Indian Premier League with a five-wicket victory over table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in a crunch game at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Saturday.
Clinical KKR beat SRH by 5 wickets, enter play-offs
Kolkata Knight Riders made the play-offs of the Indian Premier League with a five-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad here tonight, rising to the occasion and displaying in abundance the quality that sets apart a two-time champions. Opting to bat, hosts SRH were restricted to 172 for nine after a flying start at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Playing in their crucial final league game, KKR held their nerves to chase down a target of 173 with two balls to spare. If young medium pacer Prasidh Krishna's three wickets in the last over was highlight of KKR's rally with the ball, openers Chrish Lynn and Sunil Narine's scintillating start, scoring 52 runs in 3.4 overs, headlined the two-time winners' response with the bat. While Lynn struck a brisk 55 off 43 balls with three sixes and four boundaries, Narine smashed 29 in just 10 to set up KKR's chase. Robin Uthappa, who got a life early in his innings, contributed 45 off 34 balls, as the visitors became the third team to qualify ...
KKR in IPL play-offs after five-wicket win over SRH
Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by five wickets to make the play-offs of the Indian Premier League here tonight. Batting first, Sunrisers Hyderabad scored 172 for nine, only for KKR to chase down the target with two balls to spare. Brief scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad: 172/9 in 20 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 50, Kane Williamson 36, Shreevats Goswami 35; Prasidh Krishna 4/30). Kolkata Knight Riders: 173/5 in 19.4 overs (Chris Lynn 50, Robin Uthappa 45, Sunil Narine 29).