Page 1938 - Sports
ISL:FC Goa look to keep semi-final hopes alive
FC Goa will look to keep their semi-final hopes alive when they take on a FC Pune City in their crucial Indian Super League (ISL) clash at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex here on Sunday.Sergio Lobera's men will be hoping to turn their luck around and win the next three games and qualify for the playoffs after being winless in their last five encounters.They have also scored only one goal in their last three games, with Spanish striker Ferran Corominas on a mini goal drought.FC Pune City took all three points from FC Goa when they visited two days before Christmas and will be hoping to secure their qualification by doing the double over the Goa-based franchise.Naveen Kumar has established himself between the sticks after replacing Laxmikant Kattimani and has put in some good performances, despite FC Goa not winning.He looks set to continue in goal behind a central defensive pairing of Ali Mohammad and Bruno Pinheiro. Sergio Juste started the match against Chennaiyin FC and ...
Vikas, Amit enter final at Strandja Memorial Boxing
Former Asian Games gold-medallist Vikas Krishan (75kg) and the fast-rising Amit Panghal (49kg) advanced to the finals with tactically contrasting wins in the Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament for men and women here today. Amit, a gold-medallist at last month's India Open, defeated Russia's Soian Artysh to make the summit clash where he will be up against Morocco's Said Mordaji. Vikas, on the other hand, defeated China's Tuohetaerbieke Tanglatiha in his semifinal contest. The former World Championships bronze-medallist produced another calculated performance, continuing a fine comeback from a hand injury. The seasoned boxer was savage with his uppercuts and hardly committed any defensive errors to thrash out a facile win. However, last edition's silver-medallist Mohammed Hussamuddin ended with a bronze this time after going down to Russian Shakhrier Ahmedov in a fiercely-contested semifinal bout. In a fast-paced slugfest, Amit, also an Asian Championship bronze-medallist, showed ...
Dimitrov becomes top seed and top draw as Federer skips Dubai
With the withdrawal of Roger Federer, Grigor Dimitrov will be thrust into the favourite's role when the Dubai Championships start on Monday. The Bulgarian is ranked No. 4 in the world and won the season-ending ATP Finals in November, but he lost to Federer in the Rotterdam final a week ago, at the end of a tournament in which the 36-year-old Swiss regained the No. 1 ranking. Tournament officials waited hopefully all week for Federer, but he finally decided to skip the event. He informed organisers that he would head to the US next week to begin preparation for title defences at the Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami. The 20-time Grand Slam winner did offer to make himself available for Dubai in 2019. "I believe whatever's good for him is good for us. You can't really push him more," said Dubai tournament director Salah Tahlak. "Had he not won in Rotterdam he would have definitely come here. I really respect him, as a professional and as an athlete. "He's so classy and has ..
SA Conquered: Indian women beat hosts 3-1 to win T20 series
Indian women accomplished a 'historic double' as they outclassed South Africa women by 54 runs in the fifth and final Twenty20 International to clinch the series 3-1, here today. After Mithali Raj led the side to a 2-1 series win in the ODIs, it was Harmanpreet Kaur's turn to lift the trophy as they become the first cricket team to win two formats in the Rainbow nation. It was Mithali's (62 off 50 balls) experience complemented by youthful exuberance of Jemimah Rodrigues (44 off 34 balls) that enabled India to register par score of 166 for four in 20 overs. South Africa were never in the match as they were skittled out for 112 in 18 overs with veteran Rumeli Dhar (3/26 in 4 overs) making a mark in the very second match on her return to the side after six years. Shikha Pandey (3/16 in 4 overs) was certainly the best bowler on view while left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad (3/26 in 3 overs) had an easy job with the top half blown away by the seamers. The win also showed that Indian ...
Onyeama Frincis saves Churchill from defeat
Debutant Onyeama Frincis' stoppage time goal helped Churchill Brothers hold Gokulam Kerala FC to a 1-1 draw in their I-League match here today. After a barren first half, Gokulam scored through Henry Kisekka in the 72nd minute. But Churchill, who failed to trouble the rival defence for most part of the match, restored parity in the stoppage time through Frincis (90+3). The draw kept Churchill above the relegation zone as they now have 17 points from 16 matches and moved to eight place above Chennai City. Gokulam Kerala take their tally to 20 points from 16 matches. In-form Gokulam Kerala looked the better of the two sides in the first half as they controlled the midfield and posed a constant threat to the home side. Churchill lacked urgency in their attack and received a set back midway in the first half when their captain Osagie Monday got injured and was replaced by Pawan Kumar. But their defence did well to deny Henry Kisekka who posed a constant threat whenever he received the .
Strong field for New Delhi Marathon
Defending champion T. Gopi, Nitendra Singh Rawat and Kheta Ram will be the favourites in the mens category while Monica Athare and Jyoti Gawate will headline the women's section at the New Delhi Marathon here on Sunday.
Gopi aims to qualify for CWG at New Delhi Marathon
Reigning Asian champion Gopi Thonakal today said that the weather conditions here will help him qualify for both the Commonwealth and Asian Games when he takes the field to defend his title at the 3rd IDBI Federal Life Insurance New Delhi Marathon here tomorrow. Gopi, who won the Asian Marathon title in China in Novermber last year, is expected to face tough challenge from Olympian Nitendra Singh Rawat and Kheta Ram in the mens category. Monica Athare and Jyoti Gawate are among the top title contenders in the womens category. All the four races will be flagged off by face of the event and cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, with the full marathon scheduled to start at 4.30am. In all, 65 elite Indian athletes will take part in the full marathon. Running for the second consecutive year here, Gopi said, "I've practised a lot for the New Delhi Marathon. Since, I was no't able to give my best timing in Mumbai Marathon, I will try hard to achieve my best timing ...
ISL:Jamshedpur face Bengaluru challenge in quest for play-off spot
Having crawled their way into the top-four places after a slow start in the Indian Super League (ISL),Jamshedpur FC have a chance to take another giant leap when they take on league leaders Bengaluru FC at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar, on Sunday.With just two games left for them to play, a win over Bengaluru FC may not lock the spot for Jamshedpur FC in the playoffs as yet, but it will give them some respite approaching the final game and put pressure on the chasing pack of Kerala Blasters and FC Goa, both of whom will be keeping a keen eye on game.Even though recognizing the importance of the game at hand, Jamshedpur head coach Steve Coppell, however, feels it is not a "do or die" situation for his team."We have been in that situation for the last five games where people have said it is, and we have done fairly well in such situations. So, we are looking forward to the game and relishing the challenge," he said.Steve Coppell's men have been in red-hot form in recent weeks ...
National Inclusion Cup: Kerala, Chhattisgarh emerge champions
Kerala and Chhattisgarh emerged victorious in the men's and women's categories respectively in the 2018 National Inclusion Cup football tournament which was held here. The tournament was organised by Slum Soccer. Kerala beat Vidarbha 8-3, while Chhattisgarh took the top honours in a closely fought encounter beating Uttarakhand 5-3. Kerala, who entered the finals beating West Bengal on Thursday, rode on four goals from Praveen. The womens final was a closely fought contest in which Chhattisgarh prevailed thanks to Pranshus hat-trick.
From back at work to Olympic podium - Norwegians return to collect medals
The Norwegian couple who won Olympic curling bronze after their Russian rivals were disqualified for doping were flown back to Pyeongchang for free in first class so they could finally get their medals. Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten, partners on and off the ice, initially fell short of mixed-doubles bronze after losing to a husband-and-wife team from Russia. But Alexander Krushelnitsky later tested positive for the banned substance meldonium, and he and wife Anastasia Bryzgalova were stripped of their medals. By then, however, the 32-year-old Skaslien was back at her desk in Oslo, where she is an operations analyst at a major maritime company. "I had been back at work for three days when I got an email with plane tickets, almost getting back into everyday routines," she said. "I sent my boss a text message telling him, 'I've got first-class tickets to South Korea, I'll be back by Tuesday'." So back to Pyeongchang she and Nedregotten went to finally collect their bronze in a .
Eyeing ISL semis, Jamshedpur face Bengaluru (Preview)
Debutants Jamshedpur FC will hope to take a big step towards the semi-finals of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) when they face top-placed Bengaluru FC at the Kalinga Stadium here on Sunday.
Nita Ambani presents Alpine Skiing medals at Winter Olympics
International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Nita Ambani today presented medals to the top two finishers of the Alpine Skiing team event at the Winter Olympics here. Ambani gave away the gold and silver medals to Switzerland and Austrian teams. Switzerland won the inaugural Alpine Skiing team event by defeating Austria 3-1 at Jeongseon Alpine Centre. Ambani is Indias first woman IOC member. She is also a member of two important global commissions of the IOC, including the Olympic Channel.
Karnataka thrash Maharashtra to enter Vijay Hazare final
Karnataka hammered Maharashtra by nine wickets in a semi-final of the Vijay Hazare 50-over domestic cricket tournament here on Saturday.
Bengaluru challenge for Jamshedpur in quest for play-off spot
Having made their way to the top four places after a slow start to the Indian Super League, Jamshedpur FC have a chance to take another giant leap when they take on leaders Bengaluru FC at the Kalinga Stadium here tomorrow. With just two games left to play in the league stage, a win over Bengaluru FC may not lock the spot for Jamshedpur FC in the play-offs as yet, but it will give them some respite approaching the final game. Even though recognising the importance of the game at hand, Jamshedpur head coach Steve Coppell feels it's not a "do or die" situation for his team. "We have been in that situation for the last five games where people have said it is, and we have done fairly well in such situations. So, we are looking forward to the game and relishing the challenge," he said at the pre-match press conference. Coppell's men have been in red-hot form in recent weeks picking up 10 out of possible 12 points in their last four games. Commenting on his side's good form Coppell said, ..
Amit enters final at Strandja Memorial Boxing
The fast-rising Amit Panghal (49kg) advanced to the final along with Seema Punia (+81kg) in the Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament for men and women here today. Amit, a gold-medallist at last month's India Open, defeated Russia's Soian Artysh to make the summit clash where he will be up against Morocco's Said Mordaji. In a fast-paced slugfest, Amit, also an Asian Championship bronze-medallist, showed commendable ring craft to dodge his sprightly rival's attacks. The Indian connected well on counter-attack and didn't give Artysh a clear shot despite his perilously low guard. Earlier, Asian Championships bronze-medallist Seema Poonia (+81kg) entered the finals, while two other women boxers settled for bronze medals. In the final session late last night, Seema, who got a bye into the semi-finals, defeated Bulgarian Mihaela Nikolova 5-0 to make the summit clash along with M C Mary Kom (48kg) among others. Settling for bronze medals were World Championships silver-medallist Saweety Boora .
Canadian PM Trudeau participates in Delhi hockey event
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today participated in a road hockey event here. Trudeau, along with his wife Sophie Gregoire, presented Canadas ice hockey jerseys to the budding Indian girls during the event at the Canadian High Commission. Canadian ice hockey player and Olympian Hayley Wickenheiser was also present during the event and she shared her knowledge of the game with the young Indian girls. Wickenheiser had won four gold and one silver medal for Canada in the five appearances at the Winter Olympics. India's six time Winter Olympian Shiva Keshavan was also present at the event.
Cape Town T20I: Indian eves set 167-run target for Proteas
Opener Mithali Raj struck a quick-fire half-century while Jemimah Rodrigues well supported her as the Indian women's cricket team set a target of 167 runs for South Africa in the fifth and final T20I of the five-match series here at Newlands Stadium here on Saturday.After being asked to bat first, India lost opener Smriti Mandhana cheaply for 13 runs.Subsequently, opener Mithali Raj struck a 50-ball 62 runs besides also joining forces with Rodrigues (44) to notch up a 98-run partnership for the second wicket.Meanwhile, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur remained unbeaten on 27 as India posted 166-4 in their stipulated 20 overs.For South Africa, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka and Shabnim Ismail all bagged a wicket each.At the time of filing of this report, South Africa had started their innings and were batting at 12-0.The Indian women's cricket team are looking to create history by winning two series in a single tour to South Africa for the first time ever.They had earlier clinched the ...
India's Aruna Reddy scripts history, bags bronze at Gymnastics WC
Aruna Budda Reddy scripted history at the ongoing Gymnastics World Cup on Saturday in Melbourne when she became the first Indian gymnast to bag an individual medal in the tournament.Aruna left an inedible mark in the annals of Indian sports history by winning a bronze medal in the women's vault event of Gymnastic World Cup.The 22-year-old finished third with an average score of 13.699 following her two attempts in the women's vault event. Slovenia's Tjasa Kysslef picked gold with a score of 13.800 and Emily Whitehead of Australia took home silver after her best score of 13.699.Pranati Nayak, another Indian in the fray, finished at the sixth place with an average score of 13.416.Aruna, who is also a part of the Indian gymnastics contingent, which will participate in the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia in April, won her first National medal in 2005.Subsequently, she made a 14th-place finish in the qualification round of the vault apparatus at the 2014 Commonwealth Games
Lahiri at tied 49 in tough conditions; resurgent Woods at 14th
Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri carded three bogeys in a span of four holes towards the end of his second round but eventually made the cut at the Honda Classic here today. After starting from the tenth, Lahiri was two-under through 13 holes before he dropped the bogeys on fifth, seventh and eighth. The birdie in between on sixth was some consolation as he ended at one-over 71 and a total of four-over, which for long time looked the cutline. Eventually, the cut fell at five-over and Lahiri made it comfortably and was tied 49th with the prospect of improving it over the weekend. The difficulty was the wind, which blew hard not just in the morning but also the afternoon. In addition, the greens were bare, firm and crusty which meant event three-footers were not easy given-ins. Lahiri opened the day with a bogey on 10th and added a second bogey on 13th, but a birdie on 18th, where he holed a 13-footer for birdie, saw him turn in one-over. Good birdies on first and third meant he was now ...
Pherwani upsets Damani for snooker crown
Sparsh Pherwani caused a surprise by outsmarting Indian Oil teammate Brijesh Damani 3-2 to lift the individual snooker title in the 14th PSPB Inter Unit billiards and snooker tournament that concluded here today. Pherwani was the steadier of the two players to chalk out a 64-24, 61-52, 54-66, 14-57, 72-62 victory over Damani who came into this tournament after clinching the title in the star-studded CCI Open prize money event last week in Mumbai. In the semi-finals, Damani got past Rupesh Shah of ONGC, who had won the billiards crown earlier, 3-0 while Pherwani ousted hosts Bharat Petroleums S Shrikrishna 3-2. Results: Snooker Open: Final: Sparsh Pherwani (IOC) bt Brijesh Damani (IOC) 3-2 (64-24, 61-52, 54-66, 14-57, 72-62); 3/4 place: S Shrikrishna (BPCL) bt Rupesh Shah (ONGC) 3-1 (73-1, 61-16, 8-58, 64-32). Semi-finals: Brijesh Damani (IOC) bt Rupesh Shah 3-0 (75-13, 82-1, 73-40); Sparsh Pherwani (IOC) bt S Shrikrishna 3-2 (80-6,16-69, 65-13, 36-58, 76-56).