Page 1952 - Sports
Mayank, Samarth power Karnataka to Hazare semis
Mayank Agarwal's dream run in domestic cricket continued as his power-packed 140 off only 111 balls was the cornerstone in Karnataka's crushing 103-run victory over Hyderabad in the quarter-final match of Vijay Hazare Trophy here today. Along with Ravikumar Samarth (125 off 124 balls), Mayank added 242 runs for the second wicket as Karnataka piled up a huge 347 for 8 in 50 overs and then bowled out Hyderabad for 244 in 42.5 overs with Shreyas Gopal picking up 5 for 31. The day certainly belonged to Agarwal, who had scored more than 1000 runs in Ranji Trophy this season. Post match, he was asked if he had a point to prove to Rahul Dravid, who in 2015-16 had said that Agarwal needed to be more consistent. "I am not out here to prove any point to anyone. In the past one and half years, my consistency has improved and I am more aware about my strengths and weaknesses. I am grateful to my coach Mr RX Murali, who has worked with me extensively on my game. He helped me evolve as a player," ..
Zagitova, 15, smashes skate record as Bjoergen makes history
The 15-year-old Alina Zagitova stole the show in figure skating today as American skier Lindsey Vonn took bronze in her final Olympic downhill and Norway's Marit Bjoergen became the most successful athlete in Winter Games history. Zagitova was breathtaking in the Russian-dominated short programme, breaking the world record set just minutes earlier by her team-mate, 18-year-old Evgenia Medvedeva. It put the Russian starlets top of the standings ahead of Friday's free skate, where Zagitova will attempt to become the youngest women's singles figure skating champion since Tara Lipinski in 1998. They also look set to win the first gold of the Games for the Olympic Athletes from Russia, who are competing as neutrals after Russia's national team was banned over a major doping scandal. "We are friends, we are young girls, we can talk about anything with each other," said Medvedeva, who like Zagitova is making her Olympic debut. "But on the ice, we must fight, I feel like it's a little war, ...
AC Milan owner Li dismisses bankrupt reports as 'fake news'
AC Milan owner Li Yonghong has dismissed reports that he has been declared bankrupt in China as "fake news". Chinese businessman Li -- who purchased the Italian club for 740 million euros ($911 million) in April 2017 -- was responding to reports that he has been ordered to auction off his assets to repay unpaid loans to two banks. Italian daily Corriere della Sera claimed that the 48-year-old entrepreneur was already insolvent at the time he purchased the club from Italian media tycoon and former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. "I have seen that over the past 48 hours, some media have irresponsibly reported fake news that has damaged the club, my companies, my family and myself," Li said in a statement on AC Milan's website. "We do not understand the purpose of these allegations but they have now reached the point where the club is severely damaged by them and so are my companies and my family. "I want therefore to take the opportunity to explain -- hoping this will be the last time
Mueller swaps shirts with Olympic skier Dressen
There was a shirt swap with an Olympic twist after Bayern Munich's 5-0 thrashing of Besiktas when Thomas Mueller met Germany's alpine skiing star Thomas Dressen. Having finished fifth at the men's downhill last Thursday at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Dressen was at Munich's Allianz Arena to see Mueller score twice in the Champions League last-16 first-leg clash on Tuesday. The Olympics in South Korea close on Sunday, but Dressen is already home in Germany after also finishing 12th in the Super-G and ninth in the combined. The Bayern fan, who comes from the Bavarian ski resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, presented Mueller with his Super-G racing bib from last month's World Cup race in Kitzbuehel. In return, Bayern's captain Mueller handed over his playing shirt from the Champions League victory. "It was fantastic night, Bayern left themselves in a great position," said Dressen, with Besiktas facing a near impossible task in the return leg on March 14 in Istanbul. "I am a big fan
Trickless Swaney just like Eddie the Eagle, says IOC
Freestyle skier Elizabeth Swaney was compared to Eddie the Eagle today as an Olympics official defended her trickless performance in the halfpipe at the Pyeongchang Winter Games. American-born Swaney, representing Hungary via her mother, turned heads when she performed only basic turns without attempting any tricks in qualifying runs on Monday, when she finished dead last. Swaney's showing raised questions about her qualification for the Olympics via a loophole. But International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams said the 33-year-old deserved her place at the top table of winter sports. "If you're British you'll know the story of Eddie the Eagle, who soared into everyone's hearts," said Adams. "Not making the best sporting performance but he took part in an elite competition. "There is a proper system for qualification and we'll continue to keep that, but we also need to leave the door open for universality because that's what separates this event from a normal sporting ...
McFlurries for breakfast for North Korean Olympians
North Korea's women hockey players are not averse to enjoying a McDonald's fast-foot breakfast, according to their South Korean teammates. The North Koreans are part of a unified Korean team playing at the Winter Olympic Games and are staying in the Athletes Village. "Two days ago, I saw the North Koreans in line at McDonald's (in the Athletes Village dining hall) and I was also in line at McDonald's," said Randi Griffin, one of the unified Korean team players. "They were getting Oreo McFlurries for breakfast and so we all laughed about that and had McFlurries together," chuckled Griffin, an American of Korean heritage drafted in to bolster the Korean side. The team was hastily assembled after a landmark deal between the two Koreas, forcing the South's team to add a dozen North Koreans only two weeks ahead of the Olympics. It was a surprise for the South Korean players, but one that was quickly accepted after they met their new teammates. "As a player, it is true that I was taken ...
Australia join Pak in ICC T20I rankings
After defeating New Zealand by 19 runs to win the Trans-Transman tri-series, Australia have joined Pakistan on 126 points in the ICC T20I Team Rankings.However, Pakistan still remain the number one team, ahead on decimal points.Although both Australia and Pakistan are on 126 points but when the points are rounded off, the Kangaroos finish on 125.65 points, 0.19 points behind Pakistan who aggregate 125.84 points.Australia defeated New Zealand in the final at Eden Park in Auckland on Wednesday after having won all their league matches in the tournament which was played in a double-league format with England as the third team.On the other hand, New Zealand, who were placed second with 123 points before the tournament, have lost seven points and slipped to the fourth position with 116 points.England have lost five points to slip from the fourth to the sixth position and now have 114 points.Meanwhile, India, who currently lead a three-match series against South Africa 1-0 and are in the ...
The brand Olympics: getting attention without getting in trouble
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea, Feb 20 (Reuters) - In packing for the Winter Olympics, Canadian entrepreneur Domenico Ciarallo stuffed his bags with hats and t-shirts bearing the logo of his company, which makes locker-room dryers.
3rd GAIL India Speedstar to culminate on Thursday
The third season of GAIL India Speedstar, a nationwide grassroots athletics programme, is set to culminate on Thursday at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex here.
Gursimar, Sonam share first round lead in 5th leg of WPGT
Gursimar Badwal lived up to her billing as a favourite as she picked a share of the opening rounds lead in the fifth leg of the Women's Pro Golf Tour here today. Gursimar shot two-under 70. The surprise co-leader was Sonam Chugh. One shot behind them was Neha Tripathi, still in search for her first title of the season. The top three are the only players with sub-par rounds on the opening day. Amateur Tanirika Singh (73) shared the fourth place with Anisha Padukone. Ayesha Kapur and Saaniya Sharma carded 74 each to be tied-sixth. Last weeks winner and runner-up, Tvesa Malik and Suchitra Ramesh were tied-eighth at 75 each, alongside Afshan Fatima. Gursimar, who has finished in top-5 in each of the first four legs, bogeyed the second hole but quickly made up with a birdie on fourth. A dropped shot on fifth was neutralised by a birdie on sixth. After that she did not drop a single shot for next 12 holes but picked up birdies on ninth and 11th. Her back nine was flawless with one birdie. ..
Indian boxing's weight-loss: No 64kg, 81kg male boxers at CWG
India will not be fielding male boxers in the 64kg and 81kg categories, along with a couple of women's divisions, in the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, the trials for which would be held by the end of this month. The women categories to be dropped are 57kg and 75kg with the Boxing Federation of India citing low medals prospects in these divisions as the reason for their axing, a top source told PTI. The decision means that India would be fielding an eight-strong men's squad (49kg, 52kg, 56kg, 60kg, 69kg, 75kg, 91,kg,+91kg) and four-member women's team (48kg, 51kg, 60kg and 69kg) for the Games to be held from April 4 to 15. The deadline to submit the final squads is March 5 and the trials are expected to be held after both the men's and women's squads return from Bulgaria after competing in the ongoing Strandja Memorial Tournament early next week. However, the BFI was tight-lipped about the development with Secretary General Jay Kowli saying, "I am not going to comment on individual ...
Maharashtra outclass Mumbai to reach Hazare semi-final
Maharashtra put up a solid all-round performance to outclass Mumbai by seven wickets in the quarter-final match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy here today. It was a thorough professional performance by Maharashtra as they first restricted a star-studded Mumbai batting line-up to a modest 222 for 9 in 50 overs and then surpassed the score in 46.5 overs losing only three wickets. It was a perfect example of team effort as there were no stand-out performers but a lot of them made useful contributions in team's victory. While right-arm seamer Pradeep Dadhe (3/57 in 10 overs) was the most successful bowler, it was the spin duo of debutant off-spinner Prashant Kore (2/34 in 10 overs) and left-arm spinner Satyajeet Bachhav (1/31 in 10 overs), who stifled the opposition batsmen in the middle-overs to set up the match for Maharashtra. While chasing, the strategy to promote all-rounder Shrikant Mundhe (70, 95 balls) worked well as his 117-run stand for the second wicket with skipper Rahul Tripathi ..
Aussies beat Kiwis by 19 runs to clinch T20 tri-series
Australia clinched the T20I tri-series against New Zealand after winning the rain-affected final match by 19 runs at the Eden Park here on Wednesday.But the victory has come at a cost, as middle order batsman Chris Lynn was forced to leave the field after dislocating his right shoulder while attempting a dive.Coming in to chase 151, openers Darcy Short and David Warner gave the tourists a steady start.Short hammered his second T20I half-century in just 29 balls before he was dismissed by Colin Munro, while Warner struck 25 as Ish Sodhi got him bold out.Ashton Agar, who claimed three wickets in the first innings, did not have a good show with bat and was removed on just 2 as Australia reached 84/3 in 10.3 overs.Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell were batting on 20 and 28 respectively and took Australia to 121 before rain interrupted the play.The second of two rain interruptions eventually saw the match get called off, with the result being awarded to Australia based on the Duckworth-Lewis ..
Pak approach former India hockey coach Roelant Oltmans
Roelant Oltmans, the former head coach of Indian men's hockey team, has been approached by the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) to join as their coach ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.In a telephonic conversation with ANI, Dutch coach Oltmans confirmed that he has been approached by the PHF to once again take charge of their national hockey team.Oltmans, who had previously served as Pakistan coach in 2003-2004, further informed that he has not taken any decision on the proposal so far and that he would come to a conclusion in the next couple of days.Initially, the 63-year-old coach was appointed High-Performance Director by Hockey India in 2013 before he took over as the national team's head coach following the dismissal of another Dutchman, Paul Van Ass, in 2015.However, Oltmans' tenure as Indian hockey team head coach came to an end when he was sacked following a three-day meeting of the Hockey India High Performance and Development Committee last ...
Centurion T20I: Indian eves elect to field first against Proteas
The Indian women cricket team won the toss and elected to field first in the crucial fourth T20I of the five-match series against South Africa at the SuperSport Park in Centurion here on Wednesday.For India, medium-pacer Rumeli Dhar has returned to the Indian squad after a long gap of six years.Earlier, India took an early lead in the five-match T20I series when they won the first two matches by seven and nine wickets, respectively.However, the Women in Blue failed to capitalize on it and allowed South Africa to keep the series alive by slumping to a five-wicket defeat against the hosts in the third T20I in Johannesburg.Heading into the fourth match, the visitors will look to wrap up the T20I series by taking an unassailable 3-1 lead, something which will make the Hamanpreet Kaur-led side the first to have won two series on a single tour of South Africa.Earlier, India had clinched the three-match ODI series 2-1 against South Africa.South Africa women, on the other hand, would be a ...
Norway take gold medal in men's cross-country team sprint
Norway won the gold medal in the men's Team Sprint cross-country skiing final at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Wednesday .
Following are PTI's top/expected stories at 17:30 hrs:
Following are PTI's top/expected stories at 17:30 hrs: STORIES IN THE PIPELINE: *Report of the second T20 International between India and South Africa. *Report of the third T20 International between India women and South Africa. *Match report of Vijay Hazare quarterfinal matches. *Preview of Vijay Hazare quarterfinals. *Report of Indian Super League match between FC Goa and Delhi Dynamos.
Australia beat Kiwis in Tri-Series final
Australia defeated New Zealand by 19 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis method in the final of the Tri-Series Twenty20 cricket tournament at the Eden Park here on Wednesday.
Golconda Masters 2018 from tomorrow
The Hyderabad Golf Association (HGA) and the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), today announced the fourth edition of the Golconda Masters Golf Championship to be held at the Hyderabad Golf Club from tomorrow. Golconda Masters Golf Championship-2018 carries a prize money of Rs 30 lakh and will culminate on February 25. The tournament will witness participation by 123 golfers, a release from PGTI said here. Besides India's leading professionals, the field will also feature professionals from countries like Sri Lanka, South Africa, Bangladesh and Australia, it said. The top Indian professionals in the fray include Asian Tour regulars Khalin Joshi, Chikkarangappa, Rahil Gangjee, Viraj Madappa, Himmat Rai as well as Shamim Khan, Harendra Gupta, Syed Saqib Ahmed, Udayan Mane and Honey Baisoya. The foreign challenge will be led by the Sri Lankan quartet of Anura Rohana, Mithun Perera, N Thangaraja and K Prabagaran as well as Australian Kunal Bhasin, Bangladeshs Md Zamal ..
Golfers Bhav Karan, Joginder qualify for National finals
Bhav Karan Singh and Joginder Randhawa qualified for the National finals of the Mercedes Trophy golf meet here, it was announced on Wednesday.