Page 244 - Sports
Marquez wins French Moto GP for Honda landmark
Spain's defending world champion Marc Marquez of Honda won the French Moto GP at Le Mans on Sunday ahead of Italian pair Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci of Ducati. It was Marquez's 47th top level GP win and his third of the season, but for Honda this was a 300th top level Moto GP victory. Jim Redman won their first one back in 1966, and no other manufacturer has achieved top step of the podium on so many occasions. Starting from pole Marquez won by almost 2sec from Dovizioso and the victory set up a double celebration for the family as his younger brother Alex Marquez won the Moto2 GP earlier in the day. Marquez now leads the championship with 95pts, eight more than Dovizioso in second and 20 ahead Alex Rins of Suzuki, who could only manage 10th Sunday, while Italian veteran Valentino Rossi of Yamaha is fourth on 72 points. "It's always difficult at Le Mans," Marquez said of the winding Bugatti circuit. One rider who might agree with him is Spain's Maverick Vinales, who ended up .
Pliskova sweeps past Konta to win Italian Open
Czech fourth seed Karolina Pliskova swept past Britain's Johanna Konta 6-3, 6-4 to win the WTA Italian Open on Sunday. Pliskova, the 2017 French Open semi-finalist, clinched her 13th career title, in the final major warm-up tournament on clay before Roland Garros starts on May 26. A break in each set was enough for former world number one Pliskova to get past Konta, sealing victory on her third match point after 85 minutes on court. "It was a great week for me and my team," said the 27-year-old, now coached by former Rome champion Conchita Martinez. "There were a couple of tough matches so I was happy to fight through them. I was a little bit nervous today, but it was the final in Rome, so that's to be expected." Top seeds Naomi Osaka and Petra Kvitova pulled out injured during the event, while Roland Garros champion Simona Halep crashed out in her opening match in Italy. Four-time Rome winner Serena Williams also withdrew before the second round as her return after a two-month layoff
World champ Gatlin edges Kiryu to win 100m in Osaka
Justin Gatlin pipped Japan's Yoshihide Kiryu to win the men's 100 metres as fellow American Michael Norman fired a world championship warning with a superb 200m at the Golden Grand Prix Osaka on Sunday. The 37-year-old Gatlin produced a strong finish to clock 10 seconds flat, the reigning world champion dipping at the line to edge out Kiryu by a hundredth of a second at the IAAF world challenge meet in Osaka. Indonesia's world under-20 champion Lalu Muhammad Zohri broke his own national record as he took third in 10.03 -- the fastest time ever recorded by an athlete from Southeast Asia. While Gatlin targets one last hurrah at the world championships in Doha later this year, Norman laid down a marker by winning the men's 200m in a meet record 19.84 seconds, shaving 0.03 off the mark Namibia's Frankie Fredericks set 20 years ago. The runaway victor, who last month clocked a personal best of 43.45 in the 400m, left Yang Chun-Han trailing in his wake, the Taiwanese runner-up in ...
Ozil dines with Turkey's Erdogan during Ramadan iftar
Arsenal's German midfielder Mesut Ozil dined with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a Ramadan iftar meal in Istanbul late Saturday, a move likely to cause a backlash after previous meetings caused controversy. Images in Turkish media showed a smiling Ozil and model fiancee Amine Gulse, sitting at a table on either side of Erdogan at the Ottoman-era Dolmabahce Palace. The iftar, the meal for breaking the fast during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, was also attended by young Turks ahead of Youth and Sports Day on Sunday, a national holiday in Turkey. In another photo, Ozil and Gulse were sitting in a room with Erdogan, joined by Fahrettin Altun, communications director at the Turkish presidency. Ozil, who has Turkish roots, was criticised in March after inviting Erdogan to his wedding to the former Miss Turkey scheduled for this summer. He had already sparked controversy last year when he was photographed with Erdogan, which led to Ozil becoming a target of xenophobic ...
Bale bows out on bench as Madrid blow season finale
Real Madrid delivered a suitably dreadful end to their miserable season, and Gareth Bale was not even given the chance to say a likely goodbye, as Zinedine Zidane's side were beaten 2-0 at home to Real Betis on Sunday. Zidane had indicated this could be Bale's final game ahead of an expected summer departure but the Welshman was left on the bench, made to watch on as three substitutes came on ahead of him at the Santiago Bernabeu. None were able to revive another dreary and disjointed Madrid performance, which concluded both the season and first phase of Zidane's much-hailed return as coach. As the players saluted the fans at the end, they were greeted by a chorus of whistles. By then, Bale was already off down the tunnel, perhaps aware that any attempt at a farewell could be given an even colder reception. When the referee's final whistle blew, Bale received a hug from Betis coach Quique Setien and strode off. Zidane will rightly not be held culpable for most of Madrid's failings ...
Indian paddlers secure four bronze medals in Thailand Junior Open
India's young paddlers impressed in the SET Thailand Junior and Cadet Open, claiming a rich haul of four bronze medals here on Sunday. Oishik Ghosh and Ashish Jain (Hope Boys' Singles), Sayani Panda (Hope Girls' Singles) and the Junior Boys' Team of Manush Shah, Reagan Albuquerque and Deepit Patil displayed great skill and grit to pave their way into the semifinals of the ITTF Junior Golden series tournament. Oishik beat the talented Masa Hiko Yan of Hong Kong 3-1 in the quarters to clinch a place in the medal round. However, he could not emulate his performance in the semifinals and bowed out of the tournament, losing 1-3 to Tan Nicholas of Singapore to settle for bronze. Ashish also cruised into the last four with a dominating 3-0 victory over Thailand's Woraset Bavornthammarat. Up against Le Ellworth of Singapore in the semifinals, he could not mount much of a challenge and went down 1-3 to be content with a bronze. Unlike the boys, Sayani had to really grind it to finish on the ..
Jemimah spotted playing hockey, bags HI's admiration
Indian women cricket team's young batting sensation Jemimah Rodrigues has been spotted trying her hands in the hockey field with her pet dog 'Theo', also earning appreciation from Hockey India (HI).
Gareth Southgate says no hesitation in making ManU's Sterling captain
In high praise of Raheem Sterling, England team manager Gareth Southgate's says he would not hesitate from giving the Manchester City player the captain's role."Raheem is in that leadership group now and he has fulfilled that brilliantly over the last 12 months in particular. You can see his maturity now with what has happened to him on and off the pitch. I think he is realising that" Goal quoted Southgate, as saying."He has risen to that challenge and embraced it and I wouldn't have any hesitation in making him captain if that was the right thing," he added.Recently, Manchester City registered a 6-0 win over Watford, with Sterling scoring twice in the game, in the FA Cup final. The club also won their second consecutive Premier League trophy.Sterling has scored 26 goals in all competitions for Manchester City this year. Moreover, the 24-year old Sterling was named PFA Young Player of the Year.
Going to be 2 in a row: Suryakumar Yadav confident of winning T20 Mumbai League again
After Indian Premier League (IPL) victory, Suryakumar Yadav set sights to defend Triumph Knights' T20 Mumbai League title and said he strongly believes that they can make it 'two in a row'."I think it is going to be two in a row for Triumph Knights. I strongly believe that and I am sure that everyone out here believes the same thing. We have been playing some really good cricket in the last three games. Hopefully, we will try and turn around the results," Suryakumar Yadav said during a press conference.Triumph Knights have won just one out of their three matches in this year's league but in spite of losing first two matches, the skipper Yadav feels that his side played some really good cricket."We see every game as a knockout game. It is a short tournament so starting from game one, we thought of taking it as a knockout game. I think we played really well in the first two games as well. We could not get those two points but in the third game we came out really stronger," Yadav ...
Surya says believe in following process on India A snub
Despite having a brilliant Indian Premier League season, Surya Kumar Yadav's name did not figure in the India A squads announced by the BCCI for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka and West Indies. And the Mumbai batsman says he believes in following process and if the call-up has to come, it will come. Asked specifically whether he is disappointed on not being named in the India A squads, Surya told reporters here, "I used to think about this before, why it'ss (the call) not coming again and again but this year I had a chat with a lot of players during IPL and I had a word with Rohit (Sharma) as well what happens if you perform well and your name is not in the side which you are thinking of. "So he was likeI think at the end what matters is how you enjoy the sport and how you enjoy playing cricket and that's it. "If you always think about result, and then your process and the routines which you follow that will be affected. And I do the same thing rather than ...
Kashmiri footballer eager to shed her stone-pelter tag
Catapulted into the limelight for the wrong reasons, Kashmiri goalkeeper Afshan Ashiq is keen to grow out of the 'stone-pelter-turned footballer' tag after taking part in the ongoing Indian Women's League (IWL).
Afridi says he did not blow whistle on spot-fixing scandal of 2010
Former captain Shahid Afridi Sunday said that he did not blow the whistle on the spot-fixing scandal that rocked world cricket during Pakistan's tour of England in 2010. Having discussed in detail about the spot-fixing scandal in his autobiography 'Game Changer', Afridi insisted he did not pass on the information or messages to the tabloid 'News pf the World' which eventually broke the story. "These players (Salman Butt, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Aamir) still think that Lala (Afridi) blew the whistle about them to the newspaper that is not true. It was one of my friends in England who passed on the information without informing me and even after that the newspaper carried out its own investigation and sting operation to confirm and trap the players," Afridi said on a news channel. Afridi said his former team-mate Abdul Razzaq had first talked about the involvement of some players with fixers when the team was playing the World T20 in West Indies in 2010. "Razzaq kept on telling me ...
Former FIFA referee Shivappa Shetty no more
Former FIFA referee Shivappa Shetty died here on Sunday at the age of 86. The news of his demise was confirmed to PTI by a senior office-bearer of the Western India Football Association (WIFA). It is understood that Shetty died of a heart-attack. Shetty is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter. Shetty served football in various capacities as an AFC instructor, All India Football Federation Referee Board member, former president of Bombay Referees Association, AIFF Referees Instructor, AIFF match commissioner and AIFF referees instructor apart from being a FIFA referee. He retired from Central Bank of India for whom he served as Sports General Secretary and played for Central Bank of India, it was learnt.
It was like watching Sachin bat, Langer on Steve Smith after first hit in England
Head coach Justin Langer was in awe of Steve Smith while watching him play during Australia's first practise session here ahead of the World Cup, so much so that "it was like watching Sachin bat". Comparing Smith to master blaster Sachin Tendulkar was a huge compliment that also sent out a warning to rivals teams ahead of the World Cup beginning on May 30. Smith, who made his comeback with the IPL after serving out a one-year ban for ball tampering alongside opener David Warner, was in no mood to spare the bowlers in the team's first training session following its arrival in England. After smashing Pat Cummins for a six over third-man, Smith played another scintillating stroke off Nathan Coulter-Nile, that made Langer say "it was like watching Sachin bat", according to cricket.com.au. While Warner was on fire in the IPL, Smith found form towards the end of his team's campaign. The former captain then joined the national team back home and made 89 and 91 in two warm-up games against ...
I believe we owe them one, says Ngidi ahead of World Cup clash against India
South African fast bowler Lungi Ngidi wants to set the record straight against India in the upcoming World Cup, saying his team "owes one" to the Virat Kohli-led side following its ODI series loss at home. Visitors India had sealed a comprehensive 5-1 win over South Africa last year. The Proteas were missing some key players skipper Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers and Quinton de Kock during that series and Ngidi believes a full-strength team will be able to return the favour when they clash with India on June 5 at Southampton. "I believe we owe them one," the 23-year-old said. "I'm looking forward to India. When they came here, they had a good series against us. So in my mind, I believe we owe them one. It would be a very exciting game for me. I'm sure it will be for all the guys as well. "They're a great team, don't take that away from them. But when they had a good series here, we were missing a few players. With those guys back, we'll see how it evens out a bit," added the ...
Gogoi, Sirimalla get top billings in Ramesh Desai Tennis
Udit Gogoi of Assam and Sanjana Sirimalla of Telangana have got the pride of place in the singles draw at the MSLTA 13th Ramesh Desai Memorial CCI All India National Under-16 Tennis Tournament commencing here on Monday. Haryana's Chirag Duhan, India number five, follows number four Gogoi as the second seed followed by Madhya Pradesh's Denim Y1adav (6th-ranked) and Punjab's Dhruv Tangri (number 7) who are seeded third and fourth respectively in the boys' singles. India number five Renee Singh is seeded second behind national girls' number one Sanjana while Maharashtra's Rutuja Chaphalkar (8th-ranked) and Telangana's Veda Raju Prapurna (9th-ranked) are the third and fourth seeds respectively, a media release said. The boys' and girls' singles events will be 64-player draw, while the doubles events for both boys and girls will be a direct 16-pair draw. Seedings: Girls' singles: 1. Sanjana Sirimalla (TS); 2. Renee Singh (RJ), 3. Rutuja Chaphalkar (MH), 4. Veda Raju Prapurna
Full-strength SA eager to give competition to India at WC, says Lungi Ngidi
Fast bowler Lungi Ngidi expressed that a full-strength South Africa is eager to give a tough competition to India when the teams meet at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup on June 5 in Southampton.India had defeated South Africa with a 5-1 margin when the two teams last met in early 2018. During the bilateral series, South Africa was without its key players with Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers and Quinton de Kock all ruled out and were led by stand-in captain Aiden Markram."I believe we owe them one. I'm looking forward to India. When they came here, they had a good series against us. So in my mind, I believe we owe them one. It would be a very exciting game for me. I'm sure it will be for all the guys as well," ICC quoted Ngidi, as saying."They're a great team, don't take that away from them. But when they had a good series here, we were missing a few players. With those guys back, we'll see how it evens out a bit," he added.The 23-year-old, who is just 18 ODI matches old, further said ..
Gokulam to take on Manipur in Indian Women's League semi-final
Gokulam Kerala FC will take on Manipur Police in the semi-final of the Indian Women's League (IWL) at the Guru Nanak Stadium here on May 20.Gokulam cruised through with a perfect record of five victories from as many matches, scoring 16 and conceding just one goal. On the other hand, Manipur let in eight, but have conversely netted a whopping 37 goals in their five matches.However, Manipur did suffer an early hiccup in the Group Stage, when they lost 4-6 against Group II toppers Sethu FC. They seem to have put that defeat well behind them as they went on to post two 10-0 victories against SAI-STC Cuttack and Baroda Football Academy respectively.Gokulam, who are the only club from the I-League or ISL to field a team in the IWL, had signed some of the top players this season. Captained by India international Dalima Chhibber, the Kerala-based outfit has been as strong as ever this season."We've set up our team to play good attacking football. We've spent time on the drawing board and ...
Kerala's Shalouf upsets Girish of Railways in Open Snooker
Kerala's Shalouf upset higher-ranked Railway cueist R Girish by four frames to three in the N Manimaran & Kishan Kothari Memorial SVS Club Open snooker Championship 2019 here Sunday. Shalouf displayed excellent potting skills while running up a 3-0 lead. Girish bounced back to level the match at three frames-all. The Kerala player then held his nerve to win the decider to send Girish packing. In another match, Aadesh Kothari of Q-Lounge defeated veteran Rafath Habib of Railways by four frames to three. The 17-year old Aadesh took the first two frames before Rafath, a former Asian Games gold medalist fought back. In the decider, Aadesh held off the Railways cueist's challenge, winning it 41-34. Meanwhile, the veteran UP player Kankan Shamsi went down 4-2 to Faisal Khan of Railways. Results: Round of 32: Shalouf (Kerala) bt R Girish (Railways) 4-3 (77-9, 71-33, 65-33, 30-75(51), 41-57, 37-75, 67-30); Nitesh Madan (Railways) bt Prabhu (Gymkhana) 4-1 (85-16, 50-61, 90-48,
Ashwin set to play six games for Nottinghamshire
Senior India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will be tuning up for the inaugural World Test Championship against West Indies by playing in English County for Nottinghamshire. "Yes, Ashwin will be playing for the Notts this season. The CoA had already made it clear that any centrally contracted cricketer will have automatic rights to play County cricket if that player gets an offer. Ashwin's deal is almost final and only the CEO needs to sign his NoC," a senior BCCI functionary privy to the development told PTI on conditions of anonymity. After Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane inked a deal with Hampshire, it is the turn of Ashwin to play six division 1 County games for the Nottinghamshire side that also has England's premier fast bowler Stuart Broad in their ranks. This will be Ashwin's second stint in English County, having played four games for Worcestershire during the 2017 season. It was a fruitful season back then for the 32 year old, who got 20 scalps in four games and also ...