Page 1975 - Sports
Lack of funds deprives Pak boxer of world title shot
Pakistan boxer Muhammad Waseem has alleged that he was deprived of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fight for the World Boxing Council (WBC) flyweight title due to non-availability of sponsors.Waseem broke the news himself in a video, saying, "I had a WBC flyweight world title shot, but that opportunity is lost now as I could not arrange the fee needed.He added, "I have also been stripped of my WBC silver flyweight title and demoted in the rankings. I was the number one contender but I am now fourth on the list."The Quetta-born pugilist further informed that nobody sponsored or supported him to accomplish his dream of winning a WBC world title for Pakistan.Waseem has represented Pakistan at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India where he won a bronze.In 2016, he defeated Philippines' Jether Oliva to become first ever Pakistani in history to claim any championship belt at a major boxing sanctioning body, reports the Dawn.
Hansdotter upstages vomiting Shiffrin for slalom gold
Sweden's Frida Hansdotter upstaged defending champion Mikaela Shiffrin to win the women's Olympic slalom today as the American finished out the medals in fourth after vomiting. The 32-year-old Hansdotter clocked an aggregate of 1min 38.63sec, Switzerlands Wendy Holdener taking silver at 0.05sec and unheralded Austrian Katharina Gallhuber bronze (+0.32). Shiffrin, who initially complained of virus-like symptoms and was sick at the start gate before a disappointing first leg, was 0.40sec off the pace and will miss Saturdays super-G. She later played down that bout of sickness as "more nerves than anything". "I dont feel sick right now, I dont think I have a virus. I was thinking that after the first run, but I think it was me making an excuse." Shiffrin, who confirmed she would skip the super-G, added: "I dont really have any particular excuses. Ive been skiing aggressively in slalom all season long, Ive been confident, comfortable. "So coming here and skiing the way I did, ...
Federer one win away from being oldest No 1 in tennis
Twenty-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer is within touching distance of becoming the oldest world number one as he cruised into the quarter-finals of the Rotterdam Open.The Swiss defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6, 7-5 to mark his 13th win against the German.With this win, the 2018 Australian Open champion is just one win away from claiming the number one spot at the ATP rankings, leapfrogging Rafael Nadal.The 36-year-old would also then become the oldest No. 1 male player, surpassing eight-time Grand Slam winner Andre Agassi, who holds the record at 33 years since September 2003."It was extremely complicated tonight," Federer said post his win.He added, "I couldn't find my range or my rhythm. I think Philipp did that to me; it was a struggle. Today when the score was close, I couldn't release my shots. So it was a battle... It was quite the relief at the end."Federer will next lock horns with Dutchman Robin Haase in the quarterfinals of the tournament on Saturday.His win against
Defending champ Hanyu on top after flawless Olympic showing
- Yuzuru Hanyu took a giant step towards defending his Olympic figure skating title with a flawless short programme today as arch-rival Nathan Chens challenge came disastrously unstuck. Japanese rink idol Hanyu showed no ill effects from the right ankle injury that sidelined him for three months to surge into a four-point lead with a score of 111.68. Six-time European champion Javier Fernandez of Spain heads the chase going into Saturdays free skate at the Gangneung Ice Arena on 107.58. Chen looks down and out after two major mistakes left him towards the back of the pack in 17th.
Batshuayi double delights Dortmund in Europa League
Michy Batshuayi scored twice, the second goal arriving in stoppage time, to earn Borussia Dortmund a 3-2 comeback win over Atalanta in the first leg of their Europa League last-32 tie today. Elsewhere, Arsenal powered past Ostersund 3-0, Atletico Madrid thrashed Copenhagen 4-1 and Italian league leader Napoli slipped to a surprise 3-1 home defeat against Leipzig. Batshuayi, who has been in sparkling form since joining from Chelsea on loan in the mid-season transfer window, helped host Dortmund record its first victory in European competition this season. Dortmund hadnt won in eight previous appearances and only joined the Europa League after finishing third in its Champions League group. Andre Schurrle put Dortmund ahead after 30 minutes, only for Josep Ilicic to score twice for the Italian visitors in the 51st and 56th. Batshuayi equalized in the 65th before grabbing the late winner. The Belgian striker replaced striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Dortmund following his move to ...
Federer advances in Rotterdam
Roger Federer was now just a single victory away from reclaiming the No. 1 ranking thanks to a hard-fought 7-6 (8-6), 7-5 second-round victory here over Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament.
Mayer wins gold in men's super-G at PyeongChang 2018
Austria's Matthias Mayer, who won gold in downhill at the Sochi Games four years ago, on Friday became the champion at the Pyeongchang Olympics by winning the men's super-G at the Jeongseon Alpine Centre.
Centurion ODI: Upbeat India aim 5-1 against Proteas
An upbeat India, who had already scripted history in South Africa with an unprecedented series win, will play their sixth and final One Day International (ODI) match against the hosts here on Friday.The visitors are currently boosted with confidence with an unassailable lead of 4-1 in the six-match series.With the first ever series win in South Africa in 25 years, India also confirmed their top spot in the ICC ODI Rankings, pushing the hosts to the second spot.A win in today's match for India could prepare a strong platform for a fine showing in the T20 International (T20I) format of the game which begins with the first match slated for Sunday at Johannesburg.Meanwhile, India could rest a few players in the dead rubber, looking at the long overseas schedule this year.India has been enjoying a magnificent top order-form on the tour, combined with their fatal bowling line-up.The hosts have five centuries in their whole tour, which includes three from skipper Virat Kohli and one each ...
Mourinho wants FA Cup response from stuttering Man Utd
Manchester United will be desperate to bounce back in the FA Cup fifth round against Huddersfield today, their first match featuring opinion dividing video assistant referee (VAR) technology. Defeat at the hands of Newcastle at the weekend left Jose Mourinhos men second in the Premier League but just four points clear of Tottenham in fifth as the race for the top four heats up. Now they travel to Huddersfield -- where they lost in the league earlier this season -- ahead of a testing run of fixtures that could define their season, with major questions over how best to deploy club record signing Paul Pogba and new boy Alexis Sanchez. "Its very difficult to put me in a position where I have to criticise my players," said Mourinho when quizzed on Pogbas lack of form, which saw the 89 million ($125 million) midfielder dropped by his Portuguese manager when United last faced Huddersfield a fortnight ago. There have been mixed reactions to the VAR system, which has been used in a handful of .
ISL: Chennaiyin inch closer to playoffs
Chennaiyin FC took a huge leap towards confirming their place in the Indian Super League (ISL) playoffs as they beat a stuttering FC Goa 1-0, leaving the Gaurs in huge trouble in the race for top four.Goa is now without a win in four matches and this could be a season-defining loss for them. Chennaiyin is now third, leapfrogging Jamshedpur FC and leading them by two points. All the top four teams have now played 15 matches.Chennaiyin drew first blood when Gregory Nelson's shot was turned away by Naveen Kumar into the path of Jeje Lalpekhlua. Jeje tried to cut it back but the ball wickedly touched Inigo Calderon and rolled into the net.It was an incredible finish to the match - as FC Goa stepped up their attack in last 15 minutes and looked they were coming into their own when Hugo Boumous' mishit volley went straight to Ferran Corominas. He tried to turn it towards goal but Karanjit Singh was in the way. Brandon Fernandes then hit the woodwork with a thumping drive from ...
Mayer breaks Norway stranglehold with super-G shock
Austrias Matthias Mayer stunned Norways skiers with a thrilling mens super-G victory at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics today, breaking a Norwegian stranglehold which dates back to 2002. Mayer seized the lead from Norwegian defending champion Kjetil Jansrud with a blistering descent of 1min 24.44sec. Switzerlands Beat Feuz took silver, 0.13sec adrift, while Jansrud had to settle for bronze. The Sochi 2014 downhill winner Mayer trumps his father, Helmut, who won super-G silver in 1988, and emerges victorious just three days after he ploughed into bystanders during the combined event. Norwegian skiers had won five of the eight previous Olympic super-G races, including the last four, and appeared to have locked up another victory when Jansrud bombed down in 1.24:62. But Mayer, 27, mastered the course to outpace Jansrud by 0.18sec before downhill world champion Feuz, the next man to descend, grabbed second place.
Olympics: IOC apologises after British member sent home
The International Olympic Committee has apologised after IOC member Adam Pengilly was sent home following an incident involving a security officer at the Pyeongchang Olympics. "The IOC wishes to apologise for the behaviour of one of its members and feels very sorry for the incident caused by Mr. Adam Pengilly," it said in a statement. An IOC source told AFP the 40-year-old former skeleton racer was involved in a dispute with an Olympic security guard. After the guard attempted to block him politely, Pengilly became aggressive and used "insults and threats", the source said. "Following an interview with the IOC Ethics Compliance officer, he will leave the Olympic Games and South Korea with immediate effect," the statement added. Pengilly has apologised to the security officer involved and the IOC said it wished to thank authorities and police in South Korea for their "excellent work". Pengilly, a former skeleton world silver medallist, was elected a member of the IOC in 2010 and has ...
Federer never imagined having chance to become oldest number one
Roger Federer can become the oldest world number one today, a remarkable achievement for the 20-time Grand Slam title winner who admitted he "never imagined" hed get the opportunity. The 36-year-old faces Dutchman Robin Haase in the quarter-finals of the Rotterdam Open where victory will allow him to replace old rival and close friend Rafael Nadal at the top of the rankings. The Swiss would surpass Andre Agassi, who held the top spot in 2003 aged 33 years and 131 days. It would be Federers first time back at the summit since October 2012 having first claimed the top spot in February 2004. "This is an exciting challenge, Ive struggled to try and get there. I had to win a lot of matches last year," said Federer who was as low as 17 in the world in January last year before he returned to form with the Australian Open title. "I never imagined this after my (February 2016) knee surgery. Number one is a tough place to get to. "The most important thing is to be healthy, I would have had ...
Chennainyin FC scores hard-fought win over FC Goa in ISL
Chennaiyin FC today managed a 1-0 win over FC Goa to move to the third place in the Hero Indian Super League, thanks to a own goal by defender Narayan Das. After a goalless first half, Chennainyin FC created more scoring chances in the second half and the all important goal came in the 52nd minute as the visitors gathered full points. Chennainyin thus put themselves in a strong position for a place in the play-off after grabbing the third place with 27 points from 15 matches. FC Goa came back strongly after conceding the goal and had lot of scoring chances but failed to materialise. Luck also did not smile on them as the ball hit the woodwork twice and they remained on the sixth place with 20 points from 14 matches. Chennainyin FC made two changes from their last drawn match against Delhi Dynamos, bringing in Bikramjot Singh and Sereno Henrique in place of Keenan and Gavilan. FC Goa, on the other hand, made one change bringing in Brandan Fernandes in place of Manvir Singh. Looking for
Finch to miss start of IPL for his wedding
Aaron Finch is certain to miss the start of the IPL as his wedding date clashes with Kings XI Punjab's opener on April 8. The scheduling of the cash-rich league has also put Finch's Australian teammate, Glenn Maxwell, in a spot. Finch will be tying the knot on April 7, the same day when the 11th edition of the IPL kicks off. The IPL schedule was confirmed yesterday. Kings XI Punjab, who bought Finch for Rs 6.2 crore, play their tournament opener against Delhi Daredevils, who paid Rs 9 crore for the services of Maxwell. Maxwell too is set to miss his team's first game as he has committed to be the MC (master of ceremonies) at Finch's wedding. "I saw the fixture this morning - there's no chance I'll be missing my wedding," Finch told reporters ahead of Australias T20 International against New Zealand. "That'd be a bit tough leaving Amy at the altar, wouldn't it? The second game we play is on the 13th, that'll give me plenty of time to get over there and miss only one game luckily. Both .
Kusal Mendis helps S. Lanka thrash Bangladesh in first T20
Opener Kusal Mendis scored his maiden half century in Twenty20 Internationals to lead Sri Lanka's six-wicket rout of Bangladesh in the first of the two matches in Dhaka on Thursday. Mendis smashed 53 off 27 balls while Dasun Shanaka hit an unbeaten 42 as the visitors eased past Bangladesh's record total of 193-5 with 20 balls to spare. Shanaka, who hit 3 fours and 3 sixes in his 24-ball blitz, shared an unbeaten 65-run stand with Thisara Perera to snap Sri Lankas eight-match losing streak in T20 matches. Bangladesh rode on brisk half-centuries by Soumya Sarkar and Mushfiqur Rahim to post their highest-ever T20 total but were undone by an attacking opposition batting. Sri Lanka responded strongly with Mendis putting on 53 runs with fellow-opener Danushka Gunathilaka, who made 30, to put the Bangladesh bowlers on the backfoot. Left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam, one of the four debutants in Bangladesh line up, broke the stand when he got Gunathilaka stumped. Nazmul later picked the wicket of
India remain at World No 102 in football ranking
The Indian football team remained static at the 102nd position in the latest FIFA rankings released today. Sunil Chhetri and co didn't have any international fixture throughout the previous month and held on to their spot with 333 points in the ranking list that was topped by 2014 World Cup Champions Germany with 1602 ratings. With few internationals taking place last month, the top 10 remained the same with Olympic champions Brazil and European champions Portugal at the second and third positions. Iceland, meanwhile, jumped two places to be at the 18th position, while Russia, who will host the World Cup this year, are at the 61st place.
Delhi in trouble after narrow loss to Himachal in Vijay Hazare tourney
Rishabh Pant's brilliant 93-ball 135 went in vain as Delhi lost a thriller to hosts Himachal Pradesh by two runs, in a Group B match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, with a serious possibility of losing out on a quarter-final berth.
Muguruza in Qatar Open quarters at Cirstea's expense
Spain's Garbine Muguruza on Thursday sailed into the Qatar Open quarter-finals, defeating Romanian Sorana Cirstea 6-0, 6-4.
Vermaelen, Dembele resume Barcelona training
Barcelona's French forward Ousmane Dembele and Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen on Thursday resumed team training after recovering from their physical issues.