Page 326 - Sports
Guardiola says City, Liverpool have set new Premier League standards
Pep Guardiola says Manchester City and Liverpool have raised the bar in what is required to win a Premier League title after a blockbuster campaign by both teams. If both sides win their remaining three games, Liverpool would finish the campaign on 97 points -- the third-highest tally in the Premier League era -- and still fail to end their 29-year wait for an English top-flight title because City would have 98. It is a far cry from the 1996-97 campaign when Manchester United won the championship with just 75 points. That means, according to Guardiola, that future champions will need to be aiming towards the magical century, which City achieved last season, to be assured of lifting the trophy. "The standards we created last year at Manchester City, people know that you have to be close to 100," he told reporters on Friday. "Before it was 90. "This standard was last season, we helped Liverpool to achieve it this year and Liverpool helped us to keep going, so thanks to Liverpool we are .
Man City fighting 'like animals' for Premier League, says Fernandinho
Fernandinho says Manchester City's desire to fight "like animals" is fuelling their Premier League title charge as they strive to hold off Liverpool. Pep Guardiola's City returned to the top of the table with victory against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Wednesday. The 2-0 win, from their game in hand, took City a point above Liverpool with three matches remaining for both sides. It was their 11th successive league win and followed a similarly important victory over Tottenham, which came after the disappointment of Champions League elimination at the hands of the same opponents. "We showed the desire in competing for every ball like animals," said City midfielder Fernandinho after the United match. "I think this is the spirit of a team that wants to be champions. "It was not just Wednesday -- in general every game, especially last Saturday, after the 'defeat' against Tottenham, in the way we played from the first minute (City won the second leg of the Champions League ...
Pardeep clinches a bronze in Asian Weightlifting C'ships
India's Pardeep Singh won a bronze medal in clean and jerk in the 102kg category competition at the Asian Weightlifting Championships here on Friday. Pradeep lifted 201kg in clean and jerk to get a bronze but his 150kg effort in snatch was the least among seven competitors in Group A. He had a total lift of 351kg which put him at sixth position. Former world champion Mirabai Chanu (49kg) had also picked up a bronze in clean and jerk with a personal best effort of 113kg though she finished fourth in total lift(199kg). Jhili Dalabehera, a junior World Championship bronze medallist, had clinched a silver medal in the women's 45kg category, which, however, is not a Olympic weight category. Medals area awarded separately for snatch, clean and jerk, and total lift in continental and World Championships. But, just one medal -- for total lift -- is awarded in the Olympics.
Golden woman Gomathi Marimuthu returns home
Gomathi Marimuthu who did India proud winning a gold in the on-going Asian Athletics Champions in Qatar arrived here Friday. 30-year-old Gomathi, a native of Tamil Nadu, clocked personal best time of two minute 02.70 seconds in the women's 800m race in Doha on Monday to land the gold. On her arrival here from Qatar, Gomathi was received by several people, including some students from a city school, and officials. In a brief interaction with reporters, she exuded confidence of competing in the Olympics and sought the support of the state government. She thanked Chief Minister K Palaniswami who has lauded the sportsperson for her medal-winning feat. City-based Velammal Vidyalaya later felicitated Marimuthu by presenting a cash prize of Rs three lakh. She gave away medals and certificates to top sports achievers of the school on the occasion, a release said.
Coach Moody cautions SRH against taking Rajasthan Royals lightly
Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Tom Moody Friday cautioned his team against taking Rajasthan Royals lightly in the absence of top players such as Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes in the opposition ranks. Hoping to inch closer to securing a playoff berth, Sunrisers Hyderabad will take on Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League here Saturday. "I wouldn't say that they are a weakened side because if I lose players it also presents opportunities to those who are hungry. You cannot underestimating your opponent. The fringe players only need a lucky break to shine," Moody said at the pre-match press conference. The former Australian all-rounder added, "Therefore, regardless of who has come and who has gone in Rajasthan's line- up, we know that they are a dangerous side, and particularly at home." SRH are placed fourth in the standings with five wins and as many losses, giving them 10 points, while the hosts are stuttering at the seventh position after seven defeats in 11 outings. Moody said, "It .
Solskjaer confident that Pogba will stay at Man Utd
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is confident that Paul Pogba will still be at Manchester United next season but admits he cannot guarantee the French World Cup winner will stay. Pogba fuelled speculation linking him with a move to Real Madrid last month, suggesting Real were "a dream club for any player", although he declared at the time he was happy at Old Trafford. Both manager Solskjaer and United's board want their ?89 million ($115 million) club-record signing to stay, although they have acknowledged that circumstances could change. "You can't guarantee anything in football but yes I think Paul is going to be here," Solskjaer told reporters on Friday. "I can assure you that he is very determined to be successful at United." Pogba scored eight goals and provided five assists in his first 10 games following Solskjaer's appointment but his performances have tailed off since, and it was a surprise to many observers that the French midfielder was named in the Professional Footballers' ...
Nicklaus' major record still in play, says Woods
Tiger Woods believes he can still catch up to Jack Nicklaus and his record of 18 major titles after ending a decade-long drought with a win for the ages at Augusta National. The 43-year-old stunned the sporting world earlier this month by completing an epic comeback from spinal fusion surgery to capture his 15th major and his first since the 2008 US Open. A 2009 sex scandal followed by knee and back injuries that required seven operations had led to a prolonged wait to add another major title to his honours. But his fairytale fifth green jacket has put Woods firmly back in pursuit of the all-time record of 18 major wins by Nicklaus. "I always thought it was possible, if I had everything go my way," Woods said in an interview with streaming service GOLFTV. "It took him an entire career to get to 18, so now that I've had another extension to my career -- one that I didn't think I had a couple of years ago -- if I do things correctly and everything falls my way, yeah, it's a ...
Chennai opt to bowl against Mumbai (Toss)
Chennai Super Kings stand-in skipper Suresh Raina won the toss and opted to bowl against Mumbai Indians in their return fixture of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Friday.
Fever rules Dhoni out of IPL game against Mumbai Indians
Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was Friday ruled out of their IPL game against Mumbai Indians owing to fever, the franchise said. The twice World Cup-winning captain is missing a CSK match only for the second time since 2010. "Thala (Dhoni) missing out a game for the second time this season, this time due to fever!" CSK wrote on its twitter handle. This is the second time Dhoni has missed a CSK game this season -- the first being against Sunrisers Hyderabad because of back spasms. The three-time Indian Premier League winners lost that match. Suresh Raina was named stand-in skipper in Dhoni's absence. "MS and Jaddu are not well, they have fever and they will miss today's game. We have three changes: MS, Jaddu and one more player is not playing (Faf). Dhruv Shorey, Murali Vijay and Santner come in," Raina said after winning the toss at Chepauk. This is only the fourth IPL match Dhoni is not playing for CSK.
Dhoni down with fever as Raina-led CSK opt to bowl against MI
Chennai Super Kings won the toss and elected to bowl first against Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier League match here Friday. Mahendra Singh Dhoni will miss the match as he is down with fever and in his place Suresh Raina will lead CSK. Besides Dhoni, Faf du Plessis and Ravindra Jadeja are also out of the team and their places have been taken up by Mitchell Santner, Murali Vijay and Dhruv Shrorey. Mumbai Indian have made two changes. Ankul Roy will make his IPL debut while he will be joined in the team by Evin Lewis. Ben Cutting and Mayank Markande are the two players who have been left out. Teams: Chennai Super Kings: Suresh Raina (capt), Murali Vijay, Shane Watson, Kedar Jadhav, Ambati Rayudu (wk), Dhruv Shorey, Mitchell Santner, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir. Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (capt), Quinton de Kock (wk), Evin Lewis, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Rahul Chahar, Anukul Roy, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga.
India Golf, Turf Expo GIA and IGU commit towards creating new frontiers
The Indian Golf Union and Golf Industry Association Friday expressed their commitment to exploring new horizons for the sport in India. It was the first day of India Golf & Turf Expo (IGTE) South Asia's largest golf industry trade show. IGU's honorary treasurer and chairman of technical rules and amateur status committee, Ishwar Achanta stressed on the revival of properties like the Indian Masters and Indian Classic. In a bid to make golf more accessible to the general public, GIA president Deepali Shah Gandhi seconded the initiatives taken by the IGU. She said, "The Indian Golf Union is moving on the right path and the combined efforts by GIA and IGU can make the things possible at a much faster rate. Gandhi also suggested that "the game can be made more feasible if the army golf courses are made accessible to the civilians".
Once coy about wearing gloves, Pooja is India's latest 'Rani' in ring
Too "shy" to even don the gloves when first introduced to boxing, Pooja Rani Friday became the first Indian woman to claim an Asian Championship gold in the 81kg category after enduring two years of hard luck, which included a burnt hand and a shoulder injury. Pooja defeated China's Wang Lina in the finals in Bangkok to let go of disappointments that piled over 24 months. Speaking to PTI from Bangkok, the 28-year-old could hardly contain her joy. "I don't have words to express my joy. Two years of hardships have finally paid off for me," Pooja said. "Such was my luck that in 2016, just before the Nationals (in October-November), I burnt my hand while bursting Diwali crackers. The burns took four months to heal. In 2017, while making a comeback, I sustained a shoulder injury for which the doctors recommended surgery," she added. She rejected the recommendation for surgery because that would have meant a lengthy lay-off. "I decided to go for physiotherapy and thankfully it worked for ...
Sakshi, Vinesh finish on podium; Indian women bag 4 bronze medals in Asian C'ships
Rio Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik and Asian Games champion Vinesh Phogat settled for a bronze each as Indian women ended their campaign without a gold medal in the Asian Wrestling Championships here on Friday. Both Sakshi (62kg) and Vinesh (53kg) lost their quarterfinal bouts but made their way to the podium through the repechage round as their victors reached the finals. In the bronze medal play-offs, Vinesh beat World Championships bronze medallist Qianyu Pang of China 8-1 while Sakshi got the better of North Korean grappler Hyon Gyong Mun 9-6. With the two bronze won on Thursday through Manju Kumari (59kg) and Divya Kakran (68kg), the Indian women wrestlers ended their campaign with four bronze medals. For Sakshi, a qualifying round win on points against Thi My Hanh Nguyen of Vietnam was followed by a defeat against World Championships silver medallist Yukako Kawai of Japan in the quarterfinals in a victory by fall decision. But since Kawai reached the final, Sakshi got a .
Jr Girls NFC: Jharkhand, Haryana enter semis
Jharkhand and Haryana made their way into the semi-finals of the Junior Girls' National Football Championships (NFC) with convincing wins over last year's finalists Manipur and Tamil Nadu respectively at the Rajarshi Shahu Stadium here on Friday.
DC players participate in 'Meet & Greet' event
APL Apollo Tubes Limited, an Electric Resistance Welded (ERW) Steel Pipes producing company, on Friday organised a 'Meet and Greet event with the players of Delhi Capitals team where two specially-abled young girls were felicitated.
Sune Luus to lead SA in ICC Women's C'ship against Pak
All-rounder Sune Luus is set to lead South Africa in three-match ICC Women's Championship and five T20Is against Pakistan, beginning May 6.Luus will stand in as the regular captain Dane van Niekerk continues her recovery journey from a stress fracture of the neck. Pacer Ayabonga Khaka also missed out through injury as she continues her rehabilitation after shoulder surgery.Meanwhile, all-rounder Nondumiso Shangase has been named as a potential new cap in the squad. The 23-year-old is a product of the Powerade Women's National Academy. She received her first invitation into the programme in 2018 and has been included in this year's intake as well. The fledging all-rounder was also part of South Africa's emerging team that hosted England and Australia's Academies in a triangular series last year.The series will see the return of two key senior players. Vice-captain Chloe Tryon returns after making a full recovery from a groin injury, while Lizelle Lee has fought hard to meet the team's .
APL Apollo Tubes felicitates Special Olympic medallists in presence of Delhi Capitals players
IPL team Delhi Capitals along with APL Apollo Tubes Ltd Friday felicitated Manimeghlai and Shruti, who won gold and silver medals respectively at the 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Abu Dhabi last month. The two girls were honoured at an event organised by APL Apollo Tubes Ltd, which is also the principal sponsor of the Delhi Capitals team. Delhi Capitals players Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Trent Boult, Axar Patel and Amit Mishra along with APL Apollo Tubes Ltd Chairman and Managing Director Sanjay Gupta graced the occasion and awarded the athletes a cheque of Rs 1 lakh each. "The entire Delhi Capitals team, including me, are proud to be associated with a brand like APL Apollo. I have been a part of many such occasions but this one is exceptionally unique as APL Apollo focuses on giving back to the society in an absolute sense," Dhawan said while congratulating the athletes. Specially-abled women cyclist Manimeghlai and Shruti from SOS India have won gold and silver ...
No Aussie in women's IPL; BCCI says CA blackmailing for men's series rescheduling
The Australian women cricketers have been stopped by their Board from participating in the planned women's IPL next month owing to a men's bilateral series dispute with the BCCI, which says its counterpart Down Under is indulging in "blackmail". Three Australian players -- Meg Lanning, Ellyse Perry and Alyssa Healy --, who would have been big draws draw in the women's IPL have been stopped by Cricket Australia. The matches, to be held between three teams, will be held from May 6 to 11 in Jaipur. An email from Cricket Australia's top official Belinda Clark (former skipper) in possession of PTI indicates that stopping the three is a "pressure tactic" to ensure postponement of men's ODI series. As per the new Future Tours Program, Australia were supposed to play three ODIs in January 2020, which is during the peak Australian summer, owing to pressure from broadcasters. "We will be in a position to consider the request when the current issue regarding the men's ODI series that was agreed .
India U15 boys to play Mexico, USA, Slovenia
Keeping an eye on the preparation of AFC U16 Qualifiers slated to be held later this year, the Indian U-15 boys national team will tour Italy for an exposure tour where they will be playing against the likes of USA, Mexico, and Slovenia in the MU-15 Championship.Boys born on or after January 1, 2004, are part of the group and are being coached by Bibiano Fernandes, who had guided the U-15 colts to the quarterfinals of the AFC U-16 Championship in Malaysia 2018."We had good success with the previous batch, and are looking to build a similar setup this time too. USA, Mexico, and Slovenia are big teams. It will be good for the boys to play against such developed sides. We conducted trials throughout the country and scouted boys from different parts like Kohlapur, Goa, Kerala, Mizoram, Manipur," Bibiano said.The coach believes that although his team is shaping up well, the boys still need to work on their basics."We still have to work on the basics on a few areas. But the boys are ...
Saina, Sindhu, Sameer blown away; India's campaign ends in Asia C'ships
Indian shuttlers belied expectations in the Badminton Asia Championships, their campaign ending quicker than expected after P V Sindhu and Saina Nehwal were knocked out in the quarterfinals here Friday. In a men's singles quarterfinal match earlier in the day, Sameer Verma too was shown the door after he suffered a 10-21 12-21 loss to second seed Shi Yuqi of China. Taking the court first, London Olympic bronze medallist Saina put up a tough fight but could not avoid a 13-21 23-21 16-21 defeat at the hands of third seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan. The match lasted an hour and nine minutes. Saina, seeded seventh here, had needed just 38 minutes to get the better of Kim Ga Eun of Korea to enter the last eight round on Thursday. Much was expected from fourth seed Sindhu but the Rio Olympic silver medallist was stunned by an unseeded local girl Cai Yanyan. Sindhu looked a pale shadow of herself and was blown away 19-21 9-21 by Yanyan. The world number six Indian went down in just 31 minutes .