Page 1667 - Sports
Nivaan is India's youngest rated chess player
Six-year old"Nivaan Khandhadia has become the youngest rated chess player in India. Nivaan, with a rating of 1137 ELO Points, is currently world ranked No 10, according to the May 2018 FIDE rating list released by the World Chess Federation on Tuesday, a media release issued here said today. He had participated in the recently concluded World School Chess Championship held in Albania. Khandhadia, however, did not finish with a high as he scored four points from nine rounds in the Under-7 category. However, he is determined to win the title the next season, it said. Khandhadia trains under coach Vishwanath Sandilya at the South Mumbai Chess Academy (SMCA), the release added.
Rain-affected Delhi-Rajasthan IPL tie reduced to 18 overs-a-side
The Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals has been reduced to 18 overs-a-side after heavy rainfall delayed the start of play at the Ferozshah Kotla here on Wednesday.
Bayern keeper Ulreich 'sorry' for blunder in Madrid
Bayern Munich goalkeeper Sven Ulreich apologised today after his costly mistake led to the Germans bowing out of the Champions League's semi-finals at Real Madrid. With the scores level just after the break in Tuesday's second-leg, Ulreich's blunder gifted Karim Benzema his second goal and Real the lead. Ulreich somehow missed a back-pass from Corentin Tolisso, leaving Benzema to tap into an empty net. Bayern fought back from the blow but fell short. James Rodriguez equalised, but the game finished 2-2 and Real Madrid advanced 4-3 on aggregate. The German giants lost to Spanish opposition in the knock-out phase for the fifth year in a row. "Words can not describe how disappointed I am about exiting the Champions League," wrote Ulreich on his Instagram page. "We really wanted to go to the final, we did our best and then this unnecessary mistake happened - I cannot explain it. "I'm sorry... for my team and for you fans." Ulreich has been Bayern's first-choice goalkeeper since Germany's .
Chennai City FC ropes in two Spanish players " " "
I-League team Chennai City FC has signed Spanish players Sandro Rodriguez Felipe and Roberto Eslava Suarez for the upcoming season. The team had finished eighth in the 2017-18 I-League season. Rodriguez Felipe, a play-maker, has played for UD Las Palmas 'B' and CD Marino (Spanish 2B Division) teams, a press release here said. "CCFC are delighted to reach an agreement for the transfer of Sandro Rodriguez Felipe on a long term contract," the release said. Esalva Suarez, who turned out for Unionistas CF, can play both as left-back and right-back, it said. "CCFC have reached an agreement for the transfer of Roberto Esalva Suarez for the upcoming I-League season," the release added.
Zidane says Champions League is 'in Real's DNA'
Zinedine Zidane said the Champions League is "in Real Madrid's DNA" after his side hung on to deny Bayern Munich and move into their fourth final in five years. Real earned the chance to win their third Champions League in a row after Karim Benzema's double strike and desperate last-minute defending gave them a 2-2 draw on the night and a 4-3 victory over the two legs of the semi-final. Real have already seen bitter rivals Barcelona win the Spanish league this season, but Zidane said Europe's premier competition always brings the best out of his club, who have won it 12 times. "It's in the DNA of the club. We never stop fighting up to the very last minute, just as the Bayern players did tonight." Zidane said Benzema had more than earned his chance to start the match after the French striker was only a substitute in the first leg in Munich. "He deserved to score, he has worked hard and he has never given anything less than his all. "His game is always the same and he is always ...
Costa Rican striker Urena to undergo facial fracture surgery
Costa Rican striker Marco Ureña will undergo surgery on Friday for a facial fracture he suffered during a Major League Soccer game last weekend, his club team said.
Death bowling a major area of concern for RCB, says Mark Waugh
Former Australian batsman Mark Waugh has attributed the poor performance of the Virat-Kohli led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the ongoing edition of the IPL to their death bowling. RCB are currently on the fifth spot, having won three of their eight games and lost five in the Indian Premier League. Last night, RCB defeated defending champions Mumbai Indians by 14 runs in Bengaluru. "Death bowling is a major area of concern for RCB currently as their bowlers are too expensive towards the end," Waugh, a Star Sports Select Dugout expert, was quoted as saying in a media release. "They have had chances to win games but they just can"t find the right set of combination in the last couple of overs which is affecting the team's results," added Waugh, who played 128 Tests for Australia and scored 8,029 runs. India and RCB pace spearhead Umesh Yadav conceded 59 runs in 4 overs against Rajasthan Royals " most by any bowler this season - while Kiwi Corey Anderson in the same .
Djokovic in high hopes over upcoming clay tournaments
Novak Djokovic, former number one tennis player, revealed on Wednesday that he has high hopes from the continuation of the clay season and that now he is fully recovered from elbow surgery and trains hard to return to the top.
Rain delays start of Delhi-Rajasthan IPL clash
The start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) clash between Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals at the Ferozshah Kotla was delayed due to rain and thunderstorm here on Wednesday.
Shooter Rizvi becomes world number one in 10m air pistol
World record holder Shahzar Rizvi has risen to the top of the world rankings in men's 10m air pistol in the latest International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) charts. The Indian Air Force man won a gold in the first ISSF World Cup stage in Guadalajara, Mexico, in March with a world record score of 242.3 in the finals. He followed it up with a silver in the recently concluded second World Cup stage in Changwon, Korea to ensure his elevation as the world's number one shooter in the men's 10m air pistol Olympic discipline. There were as many as nine Indians in the top 10 including Rizvi, spread across six of the 15 Olympic shooting disciplines for which updated rankings were published yesterday. Jitu Rai, who won a gold in the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games was at sixth in the men's 10m air pistol rankings while Ravi Kumar and Deepak Kumar were at fourth and ninth in men's 10m air rifle. Akhil Sheoran and Sanjeev Rajput were at fourth and eighth respectively in men's 50m rifle 3 ...
Rana down with back spasm, skips training
Kolkata Knight Riders middle-order batsman Nitish Rana was down with a lower back spasm as the team think tank today refused to give a clear picture on his availability for their match against Chennai Super Kings here tomorrow. One of their most consistent middle-order batsmen, Rana walked off the field while on 17 during their six-wicket win at Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 29. "He's lower back spasms. The medical team will take a call tomorrow morning," a team official said today as Rana did not attend their full-fledged training session ahead of their match against CSK. Rana, who has 188 runs from eight matches at 31.33, has two man-of-the-match awards to his name and his part-time off-spin has also come in handy for the team to give crucial breakthroughs. Talented batsman Shubman Gill, who batted at No 7, may get a promotion if Rana fails to make cut, while the team think tank may also consider Ishank Jaggi as his replacement. Meanwhile, an MS Dhoni-less team CSK had an ...
Putin to discuss World Cup preparations on May 3
Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a meeting of the supervisory council of the Russia 2018 Local Organising Committee on May 3 in Sochi.
Dhomi, Bravo and watson have lot to offer: Fleming
Chennai Super Kings' coach Stephen Fleming is happy that pivotal role played by veteran trio of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Shane Watson and Dwayne Bravo have shut the sceptics, who termed the team as Dad's Army. Dhoni and Watson are months shy from being 37 while Bravo is in his 35th year. However all three have made major contribution CSK's six wins out of eight. Dhoni has three half centuries while Watson has a century and a half-ton. Bravo has played a blinder at the start and been mostly economical with the ball. "Age isn't really a barrier. I still think the big guys are still have a lot to give. The calmness around the group plays a big part. Yes, we have some youngsters around but under pressure experience counts. There's not many games where you don't have pressure," Fleming told reporters on the eve of their return leg fixture against Kolkata Knight Riders here. CSK have put up 200-plus totals four times this season and Fleming said it would have been a concern if they were not ...
IPL: The big guys still have a lot to give, says Fleming
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming feels the older guys in his ranks have shown that they still have a lot to give to the Indian Premier League (IPL) and it is their presence in the dressing room that brings about a calmness to the side.
Uganda's Chesang targeting 2020 Olympic gold medal
After bagging gold at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, Uganda's star Stella Chesang is now targeting gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Jr NBA National Finals winners announced
The National Basketball Association (NBA) on Wednesday announced Delhi (boys) and Bengaluru (girls) as the winners of the Reliance Foundation Jr NBA National Finals. The two teams will next represent India at the first Jr NBA World Championship later this year in the U.S.While Bengaluru (girls) team beat Chennai (girls) 41-38 in the first final, the second finals saw Delhi (boys) beating Kolkata (boys) 81-71.Both the teams received their winner's trophies from Los Angeles Lakers' Brook Lopez.The competition brought together eight boys and eight girls teams composed of the top 10 players from each Jr NBA City Tournament in Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kerala, Kolkata, Mumbai and Punjab.The Jr NBA World Championship will run from August 7 to August 12 in Orlando, Florida.
Atletico Madrid gears up for Europa League clash vs Arsenal
Atletico Madrid players took part in one last training session on Wednesday, a day before facing Arsenal in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League semi-finals.
Malaysian badminton pair banned 20, 15 years for match-fixing
Two Malaysian badminton players have been hit with career-ending bans of 20 and 15 years respectively after being found guilty of corruption and match-fixing, the sport's governing body said Wednesday. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) said former world junior champion Zulfadli Zulkiffli, 25, was banned for 20 years and fined USD 25,000, while Tan Chun Seang, 31, was barred for 15 years and fined USD 15,000. The were found guilty of breaching the BWF code of conduct in relation to "betting, wagering and irregular match results", said a statement from the body. A BWF ethics panel, which held hearings in February in Singapore into the case, found both players "engaged in corruption offences over a significant period and a significant number of tournaments" dating back to 2013. Zulfadli committed more violations over a longer period and it was proven he had manipulated the results of four matches, the BWF said. Norza Zakaria, president of the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), ..
Heynckes, 72, bows out in Europe after Bayern 'adventure'
Jupp Heynckes bowed out with Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals with the head coach admitting not many 72-year-olds get to experience "such an adventure". Heynckes, who turns 73 next Wednesday, took charge of his final European match in Tuesday's 2-2 draw at Real Madrid before he steps down at the end of the season. "Of course I know now, it's final that I'll never go back to the bench in a Champions League game - and I think that's a good thing," he said as Bayern bowed out 4-3 on aggregate. "Not many people get to go on such an adventure at the age of 72. "I don't feel the emotion 'yes, now it's over', I'm just disappointed with the result, especially for the players. "I have to compliment my team, I have not seen FC Bayern in form like that for many years, it was football at its best." When Carlo Ancelotti was sacked last October, Heynckes returned to Bayern after four years in retirement since leading Bayern to the 2013 treble of Champions League, Bundesliga and ...
Lakshya to meet Lin Dan, Sai Praneeth, Jayaram advance at NZ Open
Indian teenager Lakshya Sen is set to play the biggest match of his nascent career when he will lock horns with legendary Lin Dan in the second round of the New Zealand Open Badminton Championship tomorrow. The Indians had a field day during the opening round of the tournament with the likes of B Sai Praneeth, Ajay Jayaram and Sameer Verma also recording victories in their respective matches. Seventeen-year-old Lakshya defeated June Wei Cheam of Malaysia 21-11 21-16 to enter the second round where he will face top seed Dan. The Chinese legend got the better of Takuma Ueda of Japan in straight games 21-13-21-12. India's top ranked player in the tournament, third seeded Praneeth made short work of Israel's Misha Zilberman 21-11 21-19 in just 41 minutes. Fifth seeded Indian Verma put up an authorative display beating Indonesia's Sony Dwi Kuncoro 21-8 21-10 in less than half an hour. Jayaram was the most impressive among the Indians as he upset fourth seeded Hsu Jen Hao 21-23 21-12 21-18 .