Page 1907 - Sports
Fiorentina's Astori died of natural causes, says DA
Fiorentina's captain Davide Astori died of natural causes, according to the district attorney of the northern Italian city of Udine, where the Serie A club had been holding their camp ahead of a league match.
Neymar leaves hospital to spend 1st phase of recovery
Brazilian football great Neymar was released from the Mater Dei Hospital in Belo Horizonte to take part in the first phase of his post-surgery recovery here, the official sources said.
In-form Australia await winless India in Azlan Shah
Winless so far, India face an uphill task as they take on in-form world champions Australia in a crucial match of the Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament, here tomorrow. After one loss and a draw, India are currently placed fourth in the six-team tournament with just one point. Australia, on the other hand, are positioned atop the table with two wins from as many games. And come tomorrow India cannot afford another loss if they wish to stay afloat in the tournament. But it would be easier said than done as Australia have fielded a strong squad and are in red-hot form while the Indians have come here with an inexperienced team under the leadership of Sardar Singh. While India lost 2-3 and drew 1-1 against Olympic champions Argentina and England in their first two games respectively, Australia defeated England 4-1 before getting the better of hosts Malaysia 3-1. The Indians looked lacklustre in the opening two games and wasted numerous chances, including as many as nine penalty corners ...
Hockey India congratulates Rani on completing 200 international caps
Hockey India on Monday congratulated Indian women's team captain Rani for achieving the milestone of playing 200 international matches for the country.Rani acheived the feat during her side's opening match of the five-match series against Korea, which begun today.Born to an economically weak family in Shahabad Markanda, a small town in Kurukshetra district of Haryana, Rani's rise in hockey has been meteoric. She first took to the field in 2003, trained at the Shahabad Hockey Academy.She made her international debut in 2008 at the Olympic Qualifiers held in Kazan, Russia. After representing India at 2010 Commonwealth Games and 2010 Asian Games, Rani was included in the FIH Women's All Star Team of 2010. She was also included in the All Star team of the Asian Hockey Federation based on her performance in 2010 Asian Games at Guangzhou, where the Indian team had finished fourth.Her on-field exploits were significant in India's Silver Medal win in the Asia Cup in 2009. At 15, she was the ..
ISSF WC: Manu Bhaker shoots gold in 10m Air Pistol
Manu Bhaker, who recently earned a quota place for the Beunos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games scheduled for October, bagged a gold medal in the women's 10m Air Pistol event, to put India firmly on top of the medals tally in the year's first International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup here in Mexico's Guadalajara last evening.Manu beat the host country's Alejandra Zavala, a two-time World Cup finals winner, with a 10.8 in the last shot of the 24 shot final, to come out on top with a score of 237.5.Zavala ended at 237.1 while Celine Goberville of France won the Bronze with a score of 217.0. India's Yashaswini Singh Deswal missed out on a medal, finishing fourth with 196.1.At the end of competition on Day Two, India's medal tally now stands at five and their two Gold and three Bronze medal have perched them on the very top with no country managing to win more than one medal so far.Reacting after winning the medal, Manu Bhaker said, "I am extremely happy at winning Gold, ...
Tata sets up Naval Tata Hockey Academy in Jamshedpur
Tata Trusts and Tata Steel have joined hands to make a foray in hockey with the establishment of the Naval Tata Hockey Academy (NTHA), a high performance residential training facility, here. The Academy for 14 to 16 year-old boys, was inaugurated on the eve of the Founders Day celebration on March 2 by Tata Trusts Chairman Ratan Tata. The Academy was established keeping with the Tata groups founder, Jamsetji Tatas vision for Jamshedpur to reserve large areas for football, hockey and parks. The Academy is named in honour of Naval H Tata to commemorate his contribution to the game in India, his achievements as an outstanding sports administrator and passion for sports. Naval Tata held prestigious positions and was the President of the All India Council of Sports (AICS), President of the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) for 15 years and Vice Chairman of the International Hockey Federation (FIH). The Naval Tata Hockey Academy brings world-class facilities, including an FIH global quality .
'Desire to excel' prime reason for Gokulam Kerala's I-League success: Coach
After a disappointing start to the season at the I-League, Gokulam Kerala FC turned around with a vengeance beating the likes of Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Minerva in consecutive matches to double their points tally.And Gokulam Kerala FC coach Bino George attributes "the desire to prove" as the reason behind their success this season."The desire to prove oneself is a prime reason for our success. Our team showed that desire to fight and win and we simply did. You can call that the magic formula if you want to," he said.Having collected just four points from their first nine games, Gokulam have added 16 more in their next seven games, with 10 of them coming in the last four games itself.This rich vein of form is no flash in the pan says the coach. "Our team has some players who have no previous experience of playing in the I-League. They were a bit overwhelmed and took some time to settle down," he added."What you have seen in the second half of the season is what they are truly ...
Fringe Benefits: India's young turks ready for Tri-Nation test
The aim would be to stay on the selectors' radar for next year's World Cup when India's second-string team, led by Rohit Sharma, begins yet another Sri Lankan sojourn by taking on the islanders in the opening match of the Tri-Nation Nidahas Twenty20 Cup, here tomorrow. Having faced Sri Lanka in 18 international matches this season (6Tests, 8 ODIs and 4 T20 Internationals) on home and away basis, another face-off can only add to the players as well as viewers' fatigue due to lack of context. Bangladesh is the third team in this series and though the sprightly bunch is known to add excitement, the series itself is not exactly an anticipated event after a rather exhausting trip to South Africa. However, for a bunch of youngsters, who will get to wear the India blues with as many as six top players being rested, would consider this a god-sent opportunity. At this point in time, the senior national team has only that many specific roles but the enormous supply line means that the queue ...
Anand wins Tal Memorial Rapid Chess
World rapid champion Viswanathan Anand continued his fine run in the faster version of the game and annexed the Tal Memorial rapid chess title here after an easy final round draw against Boris Gelfand of Israel. Anand finished with six points out of a possible nine, scoring four wins and four draws. His solitary loss came at the hands of Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan in the third round but thereafter the Indian ace showed his superb form. Anand defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi, Alexander Grischuk and Daniil Dubov of Russia and Hikaru Nakamura of United States enroute to his final score. The most crucial was his victory over Grischuk in the penultimate round that sealed the title for Anand. It was a Sicilian defense where Anand employed the Rossolimo variation with his white pieces. The players castled on the opposite wing and the king hunt was on from the early middle game stages. Anand sacrificed a pawn to open up the position and Grischuk erred by going for counter attack when he .
Shubhankar finishes Tied-9th at WGC Mexico Championship
Overnight leader Shubhankar Sharma struggled with his putts on the decisive final day to fall short of scripting history but the rapidly-rising Indian managed a creditable tied ninth finish at the USD 10 million WGC - Mexico Championship, here. Going into the final day with a two-shot lead in the star-studded field, Sharma, playing his first PGA Tour and WGC event, posted a three-over-74 to end the week with a total score of 10-under-274. He made four bogeys on the last six holes. With his top-10 finish at the event that featured an elite field of 64 and the whos who of international golf, the European and Asian Tour Order of Merit leader has now moved up from 75 to 66th in the world rankings. Sharma (65-66-69-74), a two-time European Tour winner, became the talk of the golfing world after emerging as the solo leader after 36 and 54 holes. Sharma led by two shots going into the final round with the chasing pack consisting of the worlds best such as Major winners Phil Mickelson, Sergio
IPL: Venkatesh Prasad thanks Kings XI for showing confidence in him
Venkatesh Prasad, who was recently named as Kings XI Punjab's bowling coach for the upcoming 11th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), said that he is hoping to have a delightful season with the Punjab-based franchise.The 48-year-old's appointment came barely a couple of days after the former India medium pacer resigned from the post of chairman of the Indian cricket team's junior selection committee.In a telephonic conversation with ANI, Prasad insisted that it is 'wonderful' to be a part of Kings XI Punjab, adding that he is very much looking forward to the challenge ahead."I am very much looking forward to this coaching assignment and it is wonderful to be a part of Kings XI Punjab. I want to thank the team for showing confidence in my ability. I just hope I live up to their expectations and have a good 2018 session," Prasad said.Prasad's resignation as Chairman of Junior Selection Committee came less than a month after India won the U-19 World Cup. The reason for his ...
Warner, de Kock engage in dressing room altercation
Australian swashbuckling batsman David Warner and South African wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock were engaged in a brawl at tea session on the fourth day of the Durban Test on Sunday.The CCTV footage, which was taken from the players' tunnel at the Kingsmead, showed the players from both the teams making their way to the respective dressing rooms during the tea session.Subsequently, Warner and de Kock could be seen involving in a heated exchange.The confrontation was so severe that Australian wicketkeeper Tim Paine had to calm Warner down, while batsman Usman Khawaja held him back. Ultimately, skipper Steven Smith had to whisk him away from the scene.It is yet to be ascertained as to what caused the provocation.A Cricket Australia (CA) spokesperson was quoted by news.com.au as saying, "CA is aware of reports of an incident between players in Durban. CA is working to establish the facts of what has occurred and will not be commenting further until that has been done."It was the ...
I-League: Lajong confident to dent East Bengal's title hope
Shillong Lajong will look for the big win when they take on Kingfisher East Bengal in their final I-League match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong here on Monday.Fresh from their win against current champions Aizawl FC in their previous match, Shillong Lajong are looking forward to end their season on a high note as they will be trying to carry on their winning momentum against East Bengal heading into the match.Meanwhile, East Bengal are showing no lack of confidence as their 7-1 drubbing of Chennai City in their previous game has provided the East Bengal with renewed vigour and determination.East Bengal coach Khalid Jamil said, "We will be playing freely in tomorrow's match. We are under no pressure whatsoever."Asked about what are their plans for this match particularly, Jamil said, "We are not thinking about the points or our position in the standings. We are only focusing on the game and we are going to go all out for the win.""Lajong is a very good team and they will ..
Bhaker shoots gold, bronze for Ravi Kumar
India jumped to the top of the pecking order as young Manu Bhaker clinched a gold medal while Ravi Kumar bagged a bronze in the ISSF World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico. Bhaker beat the host countrys Alejandra Zavala, a two-time World Cup Finals winner, with a 10.8 in the last shot of the 24 shot final, to come out on top with a score of 237.5. Zavala ended at 237.1 while Celine Goberville of France won the bronze with a score of 217.0. Indias Yashaswini Singh Deswal missed out on a medal, finishing fourth with 196.1. An 11th standard student, Bhaker, who recently secured a quota place for the 2018 Buenos Aires Youth Olympic Games, won a sensational gold to continue India's surge in the season's first World Cup. Earlier, Ravi Kumar won his first World Cup medal- a bronze in the Mens 10M Air Rifle event. Ravi had made it to three finals last year, including in the World Cup Finals, without winning a medal. He shot 226.4 and had to beat compatriot Deepak Kumar in a shoot-off for third and .
Paes returns to top-50, singles players slid
Leander Paes returned to top-50 with a six-place jump following his runners-up show at the ATP Dubai event while India's top singles players slid in the latest rankings, issued today. Paes, who reached the final in Dubai with Jamie Cerretani last week, jumped to 46, two places behind Divij Sharan (44), who gained one place. Rohan Bopanna was unchanged at number 20. Purav Raja was next best at number 62 (loss of one place) while Vishnu Vardhan reached a career-best doubles rank of 99 as he gained one place. In the singles, Yuki Bhambri lost five places to slide to 110 and was followed by Ramkumar Ramanathan (135, -2), Sumit Nagal (223, -3) and left-handed Prajnesh Gunneswaran (235, -3). In the women's rankings, Ankita Raina also lost five places to be placed 255 and was followed by Karman Kaur Thandi, who moved up three places to career-best 278. In the doubles, injured Sania Mirza was unchanged at number 13 while Prarthna Thombare dropped two places to 141.
Conte 'not stupid' enough to open up against Man City
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte defended his cautious approach despite his side failing to register a shot on target as they went down 1-0 to Premier League champions-elect Manchester City. The Italian's tactics were lambasted by pundits and Chelsea fans alike as he started without a recognised striker by leaving club-record signing Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud on the bench. City moved 18 points clear at the top of the table, and 25 ahead of Chelsea in fifth, as Bernardo Silva's goal 35 seconds into the second half broke the visitors' resistance. However, Conte claimed it would be "stupid" to open up against the runaway league leaders, citing criticism of Arsenal's back-to-back 3-0 defeats to City in the League Cup final and Premier League in the past week. "I'm not so stupid to play against Man City open and lose 3-0 or 4-0," said Conte. "If I remember well, Arsenal three days ago played against them and you criticise (Arsene) Wenger because they concede three goals. "I think the ..
Khan bemoans conditions after Scotland stun Afghanistan
Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan bemoaned having the worst of the conditions, after Calum MacLeod struck a magnificent 157 not out to lead Scotland to a surprise seven-wicket win in their opening 2019 World Cup qualifier at Bulawayo. Afghanistan, one of the pre-tournament favourites to qualify, made 255 all out batting first, but MacLeod hammered 23 fours and a six in his blistering 146-ball knock to lead Scotland to victory with 16 deliveries remaining. "The wicket was difficult to bat on, it wasn't coming good onto the bat," said 19-year-old Khan, the first-ever teenager to skipper a men's international side. "Later on when the sun came out, it was totally different and it was quite easy to bat on. The toss is really important in these games, but that's not in our hands, there's nothing we can do about that." Hosts Zimbabwe lead the early Group B table, though, after their 116-run thrashing of Nepal, while the United Arab Emirates and Ireland got off to winning starts in Group A ...
Australia on verge of victory as South Africa reel at 293/9
Australia are on the brink of taking the lead in the four-match Test series after reducing South Africa to 293/9 at the end of day four's play at Kingsmead in Durban.After being assigned a mammoth target of 417, the South African top order collapsed spectacularly and were reduced to a lowly 49/4.Opener Aiden Markram's brilliant knock of 143, almost outscoring the home side's entire first innings total, along with useful contributions from Theunis de Bruyn (36) and Quinton de Kock (81) provided some stability to the Proteas' innings.However, it did little to scare the Aussies, who were back in the game after Hazelwood sent de Bruyn on his way and Mitchell Marsh scalped Markram's wicket.The opener tried to guide a ball down to third man, but got a faint touch on it and sharp reflexes by wicketkeeper Tim Paine sent him back to the pavilion.Mitchell Starc then took three quick-fire wickets in one over and sent Vernan Philander, Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj back to the pavilion. The ...
Levante fire coach MuAiz, hire Lopez
Spanish football club Levante has sacked chief coach Juan Ramon MuAiz shortly they played a 1-1 draw with Espanyol in the La Liga action. Francisco Jose Lopez Fernandez would replace Muniz.
Tennis: Fognini beats Jarry in Brazil Open final
Italy's tennis player Fabio Fognini rallied to beat Chile's Nicolas Jarry 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 on Sunday in the Brazil Open final here.