Page 2245 - Sports
I'll knock Ernest out in early rounds: Vijender
India's boxing sensation Vijender Singh is eyeing another knockout win during his double title defence against African Champion Ghana's Ernest Amuzu in Jaipur on December 23. The 32-year-old Indian currently holds a 9-0 record with seven knockout wins out of which six wins were recorded abroad and three in India. This will be his fourth bout in the country. With an aim to make it 10-0 in the Pro boxing ring, Vijender is training hard and warned his rival to not take him lightly. "My trainers Lee Beard and John Joyce are in India and we have watched videos of Ernest, my previous opponent was SouthPaw and now Ernest is Orthodox so I have worked alot on changing my technique according to this opponent," Vijender, who had won a bronze at Beijing Olympics, said. "My coaches have worked out strategies against him in the ring. I am almost prepared for this fight. I know Ernest is experienced than me in professional boxing with 25 fights and 23 wins but my amateur experience ...
PGTI to become an 'Open Tour' from 2018 season
There will be no restriction on the number of foreigners with the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) becoming an 'Open Tour' from 2018 onward. The PGTI had a limit of a maximum of 15 foreign players in each tournament till date but now there will be no such restriction on foreigner earning their cards through the PGTI Qualifying School. The tour also hopes to align itself with the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) system thus attracting world ranking points for all its future events. The PGTI has announced its calendar for the first half of the 2018 season and there will be eight tournaments between the months of January and April. The front half of the year will feature three new events. The total prize purse on offer in the first half is approximately Rs. 2.8 crore, an increase of Rs. 20 lakh compared to last season. The 2018 season will tee-off on January 24 with the inaugural Dhaka Open at the Kurmitola Golf Club in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The event worth ...
Smith's epic ends as Australia stretch lead to 240
England finally found a way to remove Australian captain Steve Smith on the fourth day of the third Ashes Test in Perth today. Smith was one of three Australian wickets to fall in quick succession before lunch in a marked reversal of England's fortunes from their horrendous third day. However, it did not stop Australia from extending their lead to a massive 240 as they reached 643 for 7 at lunch on the fourth day, with Tim Paine on 41 and Pat Cummins on 36, in reply to England's 403 all out. The home side lead the five-Test series 2-0 and have five sessions remaining to secure the Ashes with by winning the last-ever Test to be played the WACA Ground. England's hopes of staying alive in the five-match series seemed to be resting with the weather, as rain was forecast to hit Perth later on Sunday afternoon. Smith resumed on 229 and added just 10 runs before being adjudged leg before wicket on review after James Anderson's confident shout had been turned down by on-field ...
Kolkata 25K run delays start of Karnataka-Vidarbha Ranji semis
In a curious case, players of Vidarbha team were caught in a traffic snarl because of Kolkata 25K run, delaying the start of their Ranji Trophy semifinal match against Karnataka by half an hour this morning. Thousands of runners, including Ethiopian long distance world record holder Kenenisa Bekele, ran in the fourth edition of 25K bringing the traffic to a standstill in the Maidan area where the cricket match venue Eden Gardens is located. There were various restrictions around the Maidan area, where the 25K event was flagged off and the Vidarbha players who were staying at the Taj Bengal -- about 4km from Eden Gardens -- had to bear the brunt. "We were caught in a traffic jam resulting in the delay," a team official told reporters as Vidarbha players checked in at 8.45am and rushed through their warm-ups before the toss took place at 9.15am. The match which was to start at 9am finally began at 9.30. Karnataka, however, did not have any such trouble as their team ...
Torres lifts Atletico above beaten Valencia
Atletico Madrid leapfrogged Valencia into second in La Liga thanks to Fernando Torres's first goal at the Wanda Metropolitano to edge out Alaves 1-0. Valencia remain five points off leaders Barcelona in third after falling to a second defeat in three matches 2-1 at Eibar. Barca can regain their six-point lead over Atletico and open up an 11-point gap over Real Madrid ahead of next weekend's El Clasico between the two with victory over Deportivo la Coruna on Sunday. Atletico remain unbeaten in La Liga this season, but had to wait until 16 minutes from time to breakdown a dogged Alaves, who had won their first two matches since Abelardo Fernandez was named the club's third coach of the season earlier this month. Torres had only been on the pitch six minutes when he stretched to fire home Sime Vrsaljko's cross for his first league goal of the season. "I'm very happy to get the goal. When you score you always have the feeling that you have done a good job," Torres told BeIN
A modern day Di Stefano, Ronaldo wants to retire at Real
Cristiano Ronaldo insisted he wants to finish his playing career at Real Madrid after making more history with the goal that saw the Spanish giants crowned world champions. Ronaldo scored the only goal of the Club World Cup final against Gremio to win the tournament for the fourth time and become the all-time top scorer in the competition with seven goals. "I would really like to, but things don't depend on me. What depends on me is what I do on the pitch," said Ronaldo, when asked if he planned to retire at Madrid. "I am not the one who runs the club, that is for those in charge. "My job is on the pitch and I think I am doing it well, the rest I can't control." Ronaldo, 32, signed a new deal to 2021 with the club just over a year ago, but sparked speculation over his future after leading Madrid to the Champions League in June due to his apparent discontent with the club's lack of involvement in a tax case brought against him by Spanish prosecutors. The Portuguese ...
Ronaldo retains Club World Cup for Real Madrid
Cristiano Ronaldo's second-half free-kick ensured Real Madrid picked up a fifth trophy of 2017 by beating Gremio 1-0 in Abu Dhabi to retain the Club World Cup. A third Club World Cup in four years brings Madrid level with rivals Barcelona as the most successful side in the competition's history and adds to the La Liga, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Spanish Super Cup titles already won by Zinedine Zidane's men this year. Ronaldo was once again Real's man for the big occasion as his strike went through the Gremio wall eight minutes after the break to ensure the European club champions were also crowned world champions for a fifth straight year. "We wanted to win because Real Madrid have never won five trophies in one year," said Ronaldo. "I think we played a very good game and deserved to win." Ronaldo has now scored 15 goals in 20 appearances for Madrid this season despite a slow start in La Liga. "The numbers speak for themselves," added the Portuguese. "I give my .
De Bruyne makes it sweet 16 for awesome Man City
Kevin De Bruyne produced another virtuoso performance as Manchester City crushed Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 to register a record-extending 16th consecutive Premier League victory. The Belgian maestro scored City's second goal, after Ilkay Gundogan had opened the scoring, and Raheem Sterling added two more in a thumping win that provisionally sent Pep Guardiola's men 14 points clear at the summit. Victory embellished the record for consecutive English league wins City had set in Wednesday's 4-0 win at Swansea City and the breathtaking manner of it was further evidence of their apparent invincibility. Guardiola, who also saw substitute Gabriel Jesus miss a penalty, has equalled the run of 16 straight league wins he engineered with the great Barcelona team that won a La Liga and Champions League double in 2011. He is now three wins short of his own record for Europe's five major leagues, which he set with Bayern Munich in 2013- 14. Spurs were left to lick their wounds after a ...
Issued quick passport, boxer delivers on Swaraj's medal demand
No less than the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had demanded a medal from her and Indian junior boxer Jhalak Tomar delivered on it, claiming a silver at the Valeria Demyanova Memorial International Tournament in Ukraine. The 15-year-old, who competes in the 54kg category, was among the seven medallists, four of them gold, at the tournament which concluded in the Ukrainian city of Nadvirna today. Indian boxers claimed four gold, three silver and a bronze medal in all. What made Tomar's achievement stand out was the circumstances leading up to her participation in the tournament. Tomar's passport had not come through at the time of her selection for the tournament and a picture of her application seeking assistance from the Regional Passport Office to expedite the process had been posted by a Twitter user. Swaraj, while intervening in the matter, had asked Tomar, a bronze-winner from the junior national championships, to bring back a medal for the country. And ...
Five-star Goa outplay Delhi to move into top spot
FC Goa condemned Delhi Dynamos to their fourth successive defeat with a 5-1 thrashing in their Indian Super League encounter at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here today. In the end, it turned out to be an easy victory to Sergio Lobera's side, who are now at the top of the ISL table. Ferran Corominas (45+1), Manuel Lanzarote (45+3), Adrian Colunga (85th) and Manuel Arana (88th) registered their name on the scoresheet for FC Goa. For Delhi Kalu Uche score one goal which was no more than a consolation for the home side. After both sides rattled the bar early on in the first half, FC Goa opened the scoring in a bit fortuitous fashion. In the 45th minute, Delhi goalkeeper Sukhadev Patil, who had come into the match to replace the injured Albinos Gomes, failed to deal with Manuel Lanzarote's free-kick. The ball ping-ponged in the 18-yard area before the in-form Ferran Corominas tapped it in to hand Goa the lead. Almost immediately after the restart, Delhi conceded again. Having .
Amritraj expresses concern at lack of system in Indian tennis
Indian tennis great Vijay Amritraj is "worried" at the future of the sport in the country with no one after the likes of Sania Mirza, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi able to make a mark at the world stage. The trio have been the flagbearers of Indian tennis for decades and there's been a huge void after them. In the Davis Cup, India have not able to go past the play-offs in last four years, losing to Serbia, the Czech Republic, Spain and Canada in last four years These were today highlighted by Amritraj, an Indian member of the Davis Cup team who made the finals in 1974 and 1987. "Just look at the facts and we have to be worried. We have not won any medals in Rio, we have not made the world group stage in Davis Cup in Fed Cup," the 64-year-old player- turned-commentator said on the sidelines of the Premjit Lall Invitational Tennis tournament here. "So the question: Is there a system available to be able to provide that? Like Sania in today's environment, is difficult to
Sindhu sails into title round of Dubai Super Series Finals
Olympic silver-medallist P V Sindhu stood a step away from clinching her maiden title at the Dubai Super Series Finals after defeating Chen Yufei of China in straight games in the women's singles semifinals here today. The 22-year-old Indian dished out a controlled game of badminton to outclass the Glasgow World Championship bronze medallist Chinese opponent 21-15 21-18 in a match that lasted a little less than an hour. World No. 3 Sindhu thus emulated Saina Nehwal, who had reached the final in 2011 and mixed doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and V Diju, who had ended runners-up in 2009. "Overall, it was a very good quality match. Though I won in straight games, there were long rallies. It never got over till the last point. I was just thinking about the next point, each point is important. Chen is an upcoming player and she has played exceptionally well. Her defence is solid," Sindhu said after the match. In the summit clash tomorrow, the World Championship silver medallist ..
Four share lead in All India Open Rapid Chess
Himal Gusain of Chandigarh stunned top seed IM Swayams Mishra of Odisha as four shared the lead after round five of the Tata Steel All India Open Rapid Chess Tournament that got underway here today. 272 players, including four GMs, are taking part in the nine-round rapid chess Swiss tournament carrying a total prize purse of Rs 2.5 lakh. After the completion of five rounds on day one, city- based GM Diptayan Ghosh of Bengal, Himal Gussain, IM S Satyapragyan of Air India and Anurag Jaiswal of Bengal lead with five points apiece. In other boards, GM Abhijit Kunte (4.5) was held to a draw by Somak Palit of Railways (4.5). Veteran IM Varugeese Koshy (4.5) held GM Saptarshi Roy Chowdhury (4.5) while Debasish Mukherjee(4.5) held GM Neelotpal Das of ONGC (4.5). Four more rounds on the final day tomorrow.
Athletics is backbone of all sports: Milkha Singh
Sprint legend Milkha Singh today said athletics is the backbone of all games and asked the government to provide talented children with sporting facilities. Singh asked the government to provide talented children with free accommodation, schooling and other facilities with dedicated coaches so that they could win medals at all levels. "If this is done, we can definitely win medals at all levels," Singh, who is here to inaugurate a half marathon race tomorrow, told reporters. He lamented that "it is unfortunate that a country with a population of 120 crore has not produced any other Milkha Singh in 60 years." Singh hoped that Bihar, which has no dearth of talented youths, will produce another Milkha Singh provided the state government set up sports academies, especially for football, hockey, athletics, gymnastics. Singh said he has come here to participate in Patna's first half marathon to inspire and ignite spark among people especially youths who may do wonders for the .
Sindhu enters title round of Dubai Super Series Finals
Olympic silver-medallist P V Sindhu today entered the title round of the women's singles in the USD one million Dubai Super Series Final after beating Chen Yufei of China in the semifinals here. World No. 3 Sindhu beat Chen, ranked eighth, 21-15 21-18 in a 58-minute contest at the Sheikh Hamdan Indoor Stadium here. The Indian will now meet world number two and top seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the summit clash of the high- profile season-ending tournament tomorrow. Yamaguchi had beaten Ratchanok of Intanon of Thailand 17 -21 21-12 21-19 in the first semifinals earlier in the day. Sindhu had entered the semifinals with an unbeaten record, having got the better of all her three opponents in Group A. She has been in fine form this season, having clinched two Super Series titles before winning a silver at the World Championship.
Mohun Bagan release Ferreira
Former I-League champions Mohun Bagan today announced the parting of ways with Australian defensive midfielder Diogo Ferreira due to his "family issues". "The player had requested the club to release him from his contractual obligations citing family issues. The club obliged to his request and have signed the agreement of termination today," Mohun Bagan said in a statement today. Placed second in the I-League table, Mohun Bagan signed Ferreira ahead of the season but the Australian suffered a back spasm in a pre-season training and struggled to recover from the injury. The Mariners have a number of injury woes with Japanese midfielder Yuta Kinowai ruled out for a month with a broken collarbone, while Sony Norde, Ansumana Kromah and Arijit Bagui carrying niggles. A depleted Mohun Bagan, who were reduced to 10 players, dropped points in their 1-1 draw against Shillong Lajong. The Kolkata side will miss the services of defender Eze Kingsley in their match against Neroca FC
Bekele to lead men's challenge in 25K run
World record holder in 5000m and 10,000m Kenenisa Bekele will lead a strong field of 39 elite athletes in the TSK 25K international at Red Road here tomorrow. The international field of 16 athletes, eight each for men and women, will be led by Bekele, who has won over 21 Olympic and world titles and broke six senior world records in a career of more than eight years. While the Ethiopian is a powerhouse in running, Robert Chemonges of Uganda and Agustino Sulle of Tanzania are expected to give him a good fight. Helah Kiprop and Valentine Kipketer from Kenya are the marquee runners in the women's field. The Indian contingent will be led by course record holder G Lakshmanan in the men's and L Surya and defending champion Monika Athare in the women's sections as it is expected to be an interesting battle. The event will also boast of a raised prize purse of USD 100,000 and the face of the event is city's cricket icon Sourav Ganguly. Terming this a proud moment for Kolkata, ...
Proper infrastructure needed to promote sports: Zeliang
Nagaland Chief Minister T R Zeliang said the state needs proper infrastructure to promote sports and enable our youth to compete in national and international events. The Nagaland government is making all efforts to make the state a sport hub of region which will go a long way in encouraging our young boys and girls in honing their sporting talents, he said at the closing function of the 1st Nagaland Olympics which concluded today here. The chief minister said the state has many talented sports persons who can compete in national and international arena provided they are given the right exposure. Today sports have become a major industry in terms of employment and revenue generations. As such let us try to inculcate sports as part of our developmental programme in all seriousness, Zeliang added. More than 1000 athletes from 11 districts took part during the 5-day event which began on December 12.
Powell offers coaching tips to aspiring long jumpers
Long jump legend Mike Powell today gave coaching tips to aspiring local athletes here, asking them not to think much about foul jumps. Powell had an hour-long session with 25 athletes at the Sports Authority of India centre here. He was here in a three-day visit as part of 25K run tomorrow. "Be an aeroplane. Run as fast as you can and then take of lightly like a plane does, with the eye on the horizon. Never look down. Look up and beyond the horizon. This is the best way to jump," Powell, whose 1991 World Championship record of 8.95m is still to be bettered, said. "Don't give a damn about foul jumps, take your leap of faith," he added. Powell spent almost sixty minutes with 25 odd aspiring long jumpers giving them tips after their jumps. Powell was seen going up to the take-off board and showed the position in which the upper body and knee should be while taking off. He also showed them how to run in the lead up to the jump and how to spread the body to create the perfect
Plaza turns hero as EB pip Churchill 3-2
Willis Plaza became the hero of East Bengal overnight as he scored in the final minute to pip Churchill Brothers 3-2 in a thrilling I-League football fixture here today. The match saw many ups and downs and the 2012-13 I-League champions Churchill were on course to log their first points with goals from Nigerian Peter Omoduemuke (16th) and Nicholas Fernandes (60th). East Bengal scored their first goal through Laldanmawia Ralte in the 18th minute and under-fire Trinidadian forward Plaza then gave a fitting reply to his critics with two goals (45+2 and 90+7) to hand the Goans their fourth defeat on the trot. It was East Bengal's second win of the season after their 5-1 rout of Shillong Lajong as the red-and-gold brigade jumped to the third place in the standings with seven points. The Goans drew the first blood against the run of play when Omoduemuke slotted it home for the Red Machines from an Israil Gurung assist from the left-flank. But their joy was shortlived as East .