Page 1943 - Sports
Athlete Sergeeva tests positive for doping at Winter Olympics
Bobsleigh athlete Nadezhda Sergeeva tested positive in a doping test at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games, the Russian Bobsleigh Federation said on Friday.
Sharmila lone Indian to make cut in Australian Ladies Classic
Sharmila Nicollet was the lone Indian to make the cut despite a 4-over 76 in the second round of the Australian Ladies Classic Bonville here today. Sharmila had a superb eagle on Par-5 seventh, but she also dropped a double on par-3 third besides four other bogeys. The Hero-supported Indian golfer is now tied-32nd and will look forward to a strong finish in the third and final round. The other three Indians in the field, Gaurika Bishnoi (79-74), Amandeep Drall (73-81) and Vani Kapoor (79-82) failed to make the 36-hole cut. England's Holly Clyburn played what she called was a 'game of two halves' after she recorded a second round of 69 to keep her two-stroke lead. The 27-year-old carded six birdies and three bogeys on a day of mixed weather conditions at Bonville Golf Resort. She is now eight-under-par and two clear of Celine Boutier (70-68). Holly was three-under and flawless for the front nine, but was even par with three birdies and three bogeys on the back nine. The bogeys came in .
Vikas, Gaurav enter semis of Strandja Memorial boxing
Former Asian Games gold-medallist Vikas Krishan (75kg) and the unheralded Gourav Solanki (52kg) advanced to the semifinals to assure themselves of medals at the 69th Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament for men and women here. While Gaurav pummelled Kyrgyzstan's Azat Usenaliev, Vikas edged past Kazakhstan's Tursynbay Kulakhmet in a split verdict late last night to make the last-four stage. It is a significant victory for Vikas, who is returning to action after recovering from a hand injury, which forced him out of the national championships as well as the India Open last month. Their victories took the total number of male boxers in the semifinals to four. Earlier, India Open gold-medallist Amit Panghal (49kg) also made the semifinal stage along with last edition's silver-medallist Mohammed Hussamuddin (56kg). India are now assured of nine medals in the tournament, five of them courtesy women boxers M C Mary Kom (48kg), L Sarita Devi (60kg), Seema Punia (+81kg), Saweety Boora (75kg),
La Liga calls for minute of silence to honour police agent
La Liga on Friday called for a minute of silence to be observed in all the weekend's matches to honour a local police officer who died following a heart attack amid clashes with fans of home side Athletic Bilbao and Spartak Moscow in Spain's northern Basque region.
I-League: Churchill aim to end Gokulam's fairy-tale run (Preview)
Churchill Brothers will have their task cut out against giant-killers Gokulam FC -- one of the most in-form teams in the I-League -- when the two sides lock horns at the Tilak Maidan here on Saturday.
Lahiri slips at the end with two bogeys in first round; Tiger shoots par
Anirban Lahiri had a tough time on a windy day at the Honda Classic on the PGA Tour as he ended the birdie-less first round at three-over 73, here. Lahiri had three bogeys, two of them on the last two holes. He was Tied-69th and left himself some work to do to ensure a stay for the weekend. It was the kind of a day when even par looked like a great score and Tiger Woods shot just that to be Tied-21st. Swede Alex Noren, who came close to a PGA Tour title, when he lost in a play-off at Torrey Pines, fired a four-under 66 to be one shot clear of the field at Palm Beach Gardens. PGA champion Justin Thomas, Daniel Berger and Morgan Hoffmann opened with 67 each. Thomas had a run of four straight birdies around the turn on a day when nine players broke par from the early part of the draw. Lahiri missed a few birdie putts. He did well to keep his slate clean except for the bogey on sixth till all the way to the 17th tee. Then he went into the rough on 17th and came out with a bogey and on ...
Gursimar rallies to win fifth leg, moves to top of Order of Merit
Gursimar Badwal returned a second sub-par card of 70 to claim the fifth leg of the Hero Womens Pro Golf Tour as she zoomed to the top of the Hero Order of Merit, here today. The 24-year-old Kapurthala golfer, who earlier won the third leg at Poona Club Golf Course, became the first multiple winner of the season. Gursimar, played flawless golf and had three birdies against no bogeys when she arrived on the 18th tee. She bogeyed the 18th as overnight leader Neha Tripathi, playing behind her, birdied the 17th. That meant Neha needed a birdie on the closing hole to force a play-off. However, she managed only a par and had to settle for the second place. Gursimar, who started the final day in fifth place and three shots behind Neha (74), totalled even par 216 for 54 holes and won by one shot despite a closing bogey on 18th. Neha paid a heavy price for her scratchy front nine where she not only bogeyed three times but also dropped a crippling triple bogey on the Par-3 fifth hole. Neha, who .
Fresh Russian doping case overshadows Zagitova magic
A fresh Russian doping case overshadowed the team's first gold medal at the Pyeongchang Winter Games on Friday and could lower the country's chances of an early return to the Olympic fold. Russia's bobsleigh federation said female pilot Nadezhda Sergeyeva had tested positive for a "heart medicine" which is on the World Anti-Doping Agency's list of banned substances. Russia's second doping case in Pyeongchang, after curler Alexander Krushelnitsky was stripped of his mixed doubles bronze medal, comes as Olympic officials consider whether to lift Russia's suspension following a major drugs scandal. "A doping test by the pilot of the Russian team Nadezhda Sergeyeva on 18 February gave a positive result for a heart medicine that is on the banned list," a Russian bobsleigh federation statement said. Sergeyeva placed 14th in the women's bobsleigh on Wednesday, partnered by brakewoman Anastasia Kocherzhova. She is among 168 Russians who passed extended vetting to compete as neutrals in ...
Desperate EB hope to snatch full points against Chennai
After a wait of 14 years, East Bengal finally see a realistic chance to win the I-League and they will be desperate to snatch full points against Chennai City in a vital fixture here tomorrow. Bitter rivals Mohun Bagan have won the league in 2015 but the red-and-gold brigade still await the coveted trophy. It was under Subhas Bhowmick that East Bengal had won the erstwhile National Football League way back in 2004 before it was rechristened as I-League in 2007. Neroca FC may be sitting at the top of the table, but realistically it seems to be a fight between the two second and third placed sides -- Minerva Punjab and East Bengal. Both Neroca and East Bengal have three matches in hand but the former have a three-point advantage. In such a scenario, East Bengal will have to win their remaining three matches -- the next being at Shillong Lajong and the final round here against Neroca FC on March 8 -- and pray that Minerva drop points in one of their three matches. With the likely ...
New-look Churchill hope to end Kerala's fairytale run
A new-look Churchill Brothers will have their task cutout as they take on giant-killers Gokulam FC with an aim to end their winning run in the I-League here tomorrow. The two come face-to-face at Churchills home turf, the Tilak Maidan, in an evening fixture. The 3-2 victory that Churchill Brothers recorded in the reverse fixture in January had helped them turn around their season. The Goan club was beginning to climb up the ladder with a string of wins before hitting a rough patch which saw them lose three straight games. "We are in such a position that the reputation of the club and the players are at stake. We are in a hole which we ourselves have created. All the remaining three matches are literally like final for us," Churchill Brothers coach Alfred Fernandes said on the eve of the match. The deflating defeat against Indian Arrows was followed by losses against Neroca FC and Chennai City. "The three games were a lesson to us and we know what we have to do now starting tomorrow," .
Mapuia's brace ends Aizawl's winless run
Defending champions Aizawl FC finally got back to winning ways as they blanked Indian Arrows 3-0 in the I-League, ending a run of eight winless matches here today. In a game that offered a plethora of chances to both sides, Aizawl ran away with 3 points as they scored three goals against Arrows. Romanian midfielder Andrei Ionescu (7th minute) opened the scoring having netted his third goal of the season, Hero of the Match Lalkhawpuimawia (16th, 87th) scored a sublime brace at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium. Arrows right-back Boris' backpass was tracked by Dodoz but the Ivorian forward could not open the scoring. Aizawl needed only seven minutes to score the first goal. Mapuia skipped past Stalin in the byline and sent a teasing ball towards goal, and Arrows goalkeeper Sukham failed to grab the ball as it found its way to Ionescu, who easily found the back of the back form three yards out. Luis Norton de Matos' players settled into the game and were enjoying a lion's share of the possession.
BCCI reacts strongly after COA vetoes proposed D/N Test
The BCCI has reacted sharply to the Committee of Administrators red-flagging a proposed Day/Night Test match against the West Indies in October despite positive feedback from national chief coach Ravi Shastri. The proposed match became a contentious issue after COA chief Vinod Rai complained of being kept in dark about the plan. BCCI Acting Secretary Amitabh Chaudhary, CEO Rahul Johri and GM (Cricket Operations) Saba Karim were in touch with Shastri regarding the Test match. Shastri has told the Board that he would ideally like a tier II team (West Indies) to be hosted in a tier II city and one session be played under lights to counter the dew factor in early winter. Rai's angry missive, directed at Chaudhary, for not keeping COA in the loop has raised eyebrows about the scope and role of the Supreme Court-appointed committee. When senior officials in BCCI were asked about Rai's letter, there were mixed responses. "Mr Rai is correct when he is talking about the process of taking ...
I have been framed, will appeal: Jithin
Quartermiler Jithin Paul, who has been handed a four-year suspension for possessing banned drug Meldonium, today said he will appeal against the sanction as he has been "framed". In a first in Indian athletics, Paul, a 400m hurdler and 400m relay runner, was banned by the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel of the NADA for possessing Meldonium. "I am going to file an appeal to the Anti-Doping Appeal Panel very soon. We have got 21 days from the date of the order," Paul told PTI. The banned drug was recovered from Paul's room during a surprise raid on the hostel premises of a few athletes and coaches at NIS Patiala on April 17 last year. The 27-year-old Kerala athlete, however, claimed that NADA had fabricated the case as he was not in possession of any substance which has Meldonium in it. "NADA has framed me by fabricating a case. Only Carnitine injection was recovered from my room and I have admitted it. This Mnaapohat (chemical formula of Meldonium) was never recovered from my room. I ...
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City golfers Sunil Sharma and Dinesh Gogna qualified for the National Finals of MercedesTrophy on day 3 of the Chandigarh leg qualifier held at the Panchkula Golf Course here today. Sunil and Dinesh clinched the final two qualification spots available from the leg by carding a nett. score of 71.8 and 72.4 respectively. The MercedesTrophy 2018 has so far seen 31 qualifiers who will be competing in the National Finals to be played at the Oxford Golf Resort in Pune from April 4-6. Winner of CAT A Sunil Sharma said, "This is my first time at the National Finals and I am very happy about it. My family is also elated by the news. Last time I was really close but couldnt grab the spot but I believe efforts never go in vain." Winner of CAT B Dinesh Gogna said, "I am really excited as I have been participating in various competitions but this is my first time at MercedesTrophy and it really gives me immense pleasure that I could make it to the finals." The best Gross Winner of the day was ...
Defeat for Bopanna and Sharan on ATP Tour
Both Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan exited from their respective ATP World Tour events following contrasting defeats. Second seeded Bopanna and Edouard Roger-Vasselin lost their Open 13 Provence semifinal 1-6 4-6 to the fourth seeded combination of Marcus Daniell and Dominic Inglot in just 51 minutes. Bopanna was the only Indian at the Euro 718,810 hard court event in Marseille, France. Meanwhile, at the USD 622,675 Delray Beach Open in the US, the unseeded team of Divij Sharan and Scott Lipsky went down fighting 6-3 3-6 5-10 to third seeds Ben McLachlan and Hugo Nys. Leander Paes and Divij Sharan had lost in the opening round itself.
KKR's Aussie batsman Lynn will not need surgery
Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) can breathe easy after their star player Chris Lynn was told he does not need surgery following the latest shoulder injury the big-hitting batsman suffered in Australia's T20 tri-series final in New Zealand.
I-League: Mapuia's brace ends Aizawl's winless run with win over Arrows
After eight winless games, finally Aizawl FC got back to winning ways on Friday defeating Indian Arrows 3-0 at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here.
Italy to meet the Netherlands in football friendly on June 4
Italy will meet the Netherlands in a friendly on June 4 at the Juventus Stadium in Turin, the Italian football federation, FIGC, said on Friday.
Winter Olympics: South Korea take bronze in men's speed skating
South Korean speed skater Kim Tae-yun captured bronze in the men's 1,000m discipline in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics here on Friday.
T20 is must for game of cricket, says Ganguly
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly today batted for Twenty20 tournaments, saying without it, the game of cricket could not survive. Replying to a specific question on cricketers playing continuous matches without any rest and also different formats, Ganguly told reporters here "Twenty20 is must for cricket. Without T-20, cricket cannot survive," Asked about the Indian team's performance in South Africa, he said it has been a good tour for them so far. They played very well in the one-day series, he said. "I hope they win the match (T20) on Saturday," Ganguly said. To another question on selection policy then and now, he said it was the same transparent one. "It is the best of Indian selection policy." On curtailing the tenure of coaches abruptly, he expressed hope that it may not happen in future. When asked about young players getting an opportunity in Indian cricket, Ganguly said a lot of young players represent the country. "We have Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya and ...