Page 1816 - Sports
World Champions Sakshi, Boro enter youth boxing nationals semis
AIBA World Youth Boxing Championship gold medallists, Sakshi of Haryana and Ankushita Boro of Assam, romped past their respective opponents to book semifinal spots at the 2nd Youth Nationals here today. Pugilists from Harayana riding on the advantage of playing in their own backyard had an easy outing in the quarterfinals as four pugilists from the women's category and three from the men's class advanced to the semifinals. After gathering experience from the World Youth Championships, Boro (60 kg) didn't even let her opponent breathe as she blitzed her opponent with vicious hooks which prompted the referee to halt the contest in the first round itself. In the 57kg category, Sakshi brushed aside the challenge from Kerala's Sinsha with ease as the judges scored the bout 4-0 in favour of the local boxer after three gruelling rounds. Shivani (54 kg), Anamika (51 kg) and Nitu (51 kg) also breezed past their opponents and advanced to the semifinals. Anamika and Nitu registered identical ...
Kenya's Kamworor to focus on Diamond League challenge
World Half Marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor will now target winning the IAAF Diamond League meeting, which starts in Doha on May 4.
Ball tampering incident a reality check: Amla
South African batsman Hashim Amla said Wednesday that the controversy over ball tampering in the third Test against Australia "gives every team in the world a reality check". Amla was responding to the bans imposed on Australia's Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft. He said that the events of Cape Town should lead cricketers to ask: "What kind of cricket do you want to play? It has probably given the ICC a lot more headaches and the opportunity now is for the governing bodies to show us, where is this line?" He was referring to frequent comments by Australian cricketers about the limits of acceptable behaviour and "not crossing the line". Amla said South Africa's focus, ahead of Friday's fourth and final Test, was on preparing to clinch a Test series which they lead 2-1. "With all the distractions, there is not much we can do from our perspective," he said. "I am grateful that we are sitting in the South African change room without the shadows hanging over us. For us it is .
Santosh Trophy: Karnataka-Bengal, Mizoram-Kerala in semis
Karnataka will clash with defending champions Bengal after registering a 1-0 win over Mizoram in the national football championship for the 72nd Santosh Trophy here on Wednesday.
Santosh Trophy: It's Karnataka vs Bengal, Mizoram vs Kerala in semis
Karnataka set up a semi-final date with defending champions Bengal beating Mizoram 1-0 in the National Football Championship for the 72nd Santosh Trophy here today. The win helped Karnataka go past Mizoram and top group B on head-to-head as both the teams sealed their last four berth. In the semi-finals slated for March 30, Mizoram will face group A toppers Kerala at the Mohun Bagan ground, while Karnataka will lock horns with hosts Bengal at the Howrah Maidan. Having already sealed a semi-final berth, Mizoram rung in nine changes to test their bench against Karnataka. Defenders Buanga and Zomuana were only players, retained from their 2-1 win over Punjab. Both the teams had their chances and it was only in the 74th minute Rajesh S scored the winner from from a goalmouth melee. Karnataka's win also dashed hopes of a resurgent Goa, which signed off with a 4-1 win over Punjab at the Rabindra Sarovar Stadium. Mackroy Peixoto (25th) scored from the spot while Victorino Fernandes doubled ..
Fleming looks to rekindle magic in CSK
Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming is a man on a mission as he looks to rekindle the magic that turned the team into one of the most successful ones in the opening decade of Indian Premier League. "We will try and recreate some of the success that CSK had in the first eight years," the affable Kiwi was quoted as saying by the CSK website. "Everything is very familiar...right back to the first hotel where we formed our friendships and got a lot of success as a team. 10 years on there is a lot of history," added the 44-year-old. He also praised skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, for whom Chennai and CSK have been a big part of his career. "Chennai and CSK have been a big part of his career," Fleming added. "And his determination now to recreate what was very special for us in the first eight years is high on his motivation. A great player to be involved with, we do have a good relationship born out of the time together, successes and experiences as well," he said ...
Want to break CWG jinx against England: Sharath Kamal
Pointing to the lack of success against England in past Commonwealth Games, India's most experienced paddler and eight-time national champion, Achanta Sharath Kamal, is hoping to break the jinx next month and cull the coveted gold medal in Gold Coast, Australia. "I would be disappointed if we don't get the men's team gold. We are a fantastic side and are doing very well. We are pretty confident. At the moment England are No. 1 and we are No. 2. "We have not beaten England even once in CWG although we had beaten them in World Championships. Hopefully, we will break the jinx," said Sharath here today ahead of his departure to Australia for the Games with other Indian table tennis team members. "Then there is men's doubles; me and (Gnanasekaran) Sathiyan have been doing very well. Then in singles Sathiyan will be No. 2 and I probably will be No. 4. "We should be making it to the semis. The probability is very high and we will be very happy if we could equal the 2010 medal .
Smith and Warner's one-years bans too harsh: Warne
Spin legend Shane Warne feels that the punishment handed out to the captain Steve Smith and his two teammates after their involvement in ball tampering was a bit too harsh. Cricket Australia today banned Smith and David Warner for one-year while Cameron Bancroft was given a nine-month ban after the board completed its investigation into the ball-tampering scandal. "I am still trying to wrestle with what I think the punishment should be. They have to be harsh, but if they are rubbed out for a year, the punishment does not fit the crime," Warne wrote in his column for The Herald Sun. Warne said that the players' embarrassing act called for a hefty fine but not a 12-month ban. "Let's take the emotion out of it. We are all feeling angry and embarrassed. But you need a level head and you shouldn't destroy someone unless they deserve to be destroyed. Their actions were indefendable, and they need to be severely punished. But I don't think a one-year ban is the answer. "My punishment would
Cillessen, Gomes rejoin Barcelona training
Netherlands goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen and Portugal midfielder Andre Gomes on Wednesday returned to training at their La Liga home, Barcelona.
UTT: Yoddhas take Kamal; foreign women paddlers in demand in player draft
Triple Commonwealth Games gold medallist Sharath Kamal is set for a new challenge in the second season of the Rs 3 crore Ultimate Table Tennis League, with the Yoddhas swooping on him in the player draft here on Wednesday.
Disgraced Aussie cricketers handed bans, also barred from IPL 2018 (Roundup)
Four days after they were exposed, Cricket Australia (CA) on Wednesday suspended disgraced captain Steve Smith and vice captain David Warner for 12 months each and opener Cameron Bancroft for nine months over a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa. Subsequently, Warner and Smith were also banned by the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the upcoming edition of the Twenty20 cash-rich franchise-based meet.
Hold your Horses: Steve Smith ain't no criminal
Steve Smith may or may not have heard of Fyodor Dostoyevsky or his acclaimed novel 'Crime and Punishment'. If he had, he could probably relate to his current situation with these apt lines: It takes something more than intelligence to act intelligently. Smith allowed a rank junior to tamper with the cricket ball -- an act that has been carried out on a sly by some illustrious names during earlier times but a risky proposition with over 100 cameras capturing every angle. He then admitted to having 'Brain Fade 2.0' and all hell broke loose as if the most ghastly act has been carried out by a hard-core criminal. Shamed by country's cricket establishment, vilified by the media and a cricket enthusiast Prime Minister joining the chorus, life would never be the same for the 28-year-old now former Australian captain. People have come back from harsher punishment and graver acts of transgression but very few times have one seen such public outrage at something that everyone knew was happening
Sharath Kamal to play for Yodhas in UTT
Eight-time national men's champion and triple Commonwealth Games gold medallist Achanta Sharath Kamal was today snapped up by Yodhas in the player draft for season 2 of the Rs 3 crore prize money Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) League commencing on June 14 in Pune. The Yodhas targeted Kamal, a strong contender for gold in next month's CWG in Gold Coast, Australia, in round 3 of the player draft after first picking their foreign male and female players - world No. 18 Chuang Chih-Yuan of Chinese Taipei and Sofia Polcanova of Austria, the women's world no. 21. The teams had the option of retaining one Indian player before the draft pick, and defending champions Falcons and Dabang Smashers chose to hold on to Sanil Shetty and Gnanasekaran Sathiyan, India's top-ranked player at No. 49, respectively. In all, 50 players were in the pool for the franchises to pick their eight-member squads. Vita Dani, promoter of the league and chairperson of 11sports, refused to divulge financial .
Muskan wins gold as India finishes second in medals tally
Muskan clinched the gold medal in the women's 25m pistol as India finished right behind toppers China in the medals tally at the ISSF Junior World Cup here today. The 16-year-old Indian bested China's Qin Sihang and Thailand's Kanyakorn Hirunphoem, who respectively took silver and bronze in the pistol event, the tournament's penultimate on the final day. The team gold was won by Muskan, Manu Bhaker and Devanshi Rana, adding to India's rich medal haul. India thus ended with 22 medals, matching China's nine gold but slipped to second in the overall medal count. India also secured five silver and eight bronze medals. Muskan's medal was India's fourth individual gold in the prestigious tournament. Muskan who finished 4th at last year's ISSF Junior World Championship in Suhl, Germany -- took the lead at the end of the sixth round when she nailed a perfect 5-hit series and found herself sitting on a 3-point advantage over her closest rival, China's Qin Sihang (16). Muskan successfully ...
Lehmann to continue as Australia coach: James Sutherland
After former Australian skipper Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner were handed one-match suspension, Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland has reiterated that the coach Darren Lehmann would continue to remain at his position as he was not involved in massive ball-tampering scandal.Speaking to the media, Sutherland said the investigation carried out by head of integrity Ian Roy has found that Lehmann in no way was familiar with the plan."Darren is the coach and was not involved in the incident. He continues as coach under his current contract. He sent a message to say 'what in the hell is going on?' He didn't use hell he used another word. Darren made those comments and Ian was satisfied he knew nothing of the plan," Sutherland said.Sutherland further said that he is regretful to find himself in this situation while adding that the word 'cheating' would be appropriate in the circumstances."As you know we have offered sanctions to the three players that I advised ...
7 Indian karate players to compete at US Open
Seven karate players from Gurugram are all set to represent India in the US Open Karate Championships in Las Vegas from March 30 to 31.
Lehmann one of the good guys of Australian cricket: Allan Border
Former Australia captain Allan Border on Wednesday backed under-fire coach Darren Lehmann saying he is one of the "good guys" in the country's cricketing culture.
Need to improve my death bowling: Pooja Vastrakar
Indian women's cricket team all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar today admitted that she needs to work on her death bowling. Eighteen-year-old Vastrakar made her T20 debut versus South Africa at Potchefstroom last month. She has grabbed six wickets in seven T20 internationals. "In the death overs, I need to improve on my fuller length deliveries, because I go for runs on length balls. So I need to improve on yorkers and slower ones," Vastrakar told reporters here on the eve of team's clash against England in the T20 tri-series. The game tomorrow is a dead rubber as India have already been knocked out of the tournament, having lost all their three games. "In the team meetings, we often speak that we have to attack on stumps. If they (batters) get a mis-hit, then they can get bowled," she said. Vastrakar had returned with figures of two for 28 in the game against Australia, but the team eventually lost the encounter. The player said that after she got picked up as a bowler for Madhya Pradesh, ...
Real's Zidane has no faith in me, says hat-trick hero Isco
Hat-trick hero Isco said it was a relief to play for Spain as he feels Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has no faith in him. Spain destroyed Argentina, who were without Lionel Messi, 6-1 in a friendly on Tuesday as Isco stole the show with his triple at the Wanda Metropolitano. The 25-year-old has become a key player under coach Julen Lopetegui and is expected to start at this summer's World Cup in a front three alongside Diego Costa and David Silva. But Zidane has not shown the same faith in him at Real Madrid, where Isco has often found himself on the bench behind the likes of Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez. "Lopetegui gives me confidence with minutes, with games," Isco said. "With Madrid I do not have the confidence that a player needs, maybe the problem is me, that I have not won Zidane's confidence with the good players there." Isco signed a five-year contract with Real in September last year but there would be no shortage of suitors should he decide his future lies ...
Lopetegui pleased but cautious as Spain thrash Argentina
Spain head coach Julen Lopetegui was full of praise for his side after they thrashed Argentina 6-1 in a World Cup warm up game here.