Page 33 - Sports

Abha equals shot put NR while winning silver; Parul, Jyothi win 2nd medal

Unheralded Abha Khatua equalled the women's shot put national record of 18.06m while winning silver in a surprise performance, while Jyothi Yarraji and Parul Chaudhary clinched their second medals in the Asian Athletics Championships here on Sunday. The 28-year-old Khatua made a huge improvement of nearly a metre -- 93 cm -- from her earlier lifetime best of 17.13m as she sent the 4kg iron ball to a distance of 18.06m in her fourth throw to finish second behind Song Jiayuan (18.88m) of China. Her second-best throw of the day was 17.10m. Veteran Manpreet Kaur, whose national record Khatua equalled on Sunday, took the bronze with a first-round throw of 17m. Yarraji, who had become the first Indian to win a 100m hurdles gold in the Asian Championships on Thursday, added a 200m silver to her kitty with a time 23.13 seconds. Ace Indian long-distance runner Parul Chaudhary won her second medal of the championships with a silver in 5000m. Chaudhary, who had won gold in 3000m steeplechas

Sreeshankar wins silver at Asian Athletics C'ships, qualifies for Olympics

Murli Sreeshankar became the eighth Indian to directly qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics after winning silver in the Men's Long Jump at the Asian Athletics Championship 2023

India can be among top five nations in table tennis, feels G Sathiyan

Star player G Sathiyan feels India has the potential to be among the top five table tennis nations and the rapid growth of the game can be fuelled further with an elusive medal at the Summer Olympics next year. Sathiyan said India's young players have the potential to do even better than he and his contemporaries have managed to achieve. In the team rankings, right now we are closing in on the top 10, but the way we are playing as a unit, we can be a top five nation in table tennis, Sathiyan told PTI in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the Ultimate Table Tennis here. I see a lot of players who can break into the top 50, we have to have more Indians coming into the top 50 and going closer to that Olympic medal. This Paris Olympics will be a great chance to qualify as a team and get closer to that podium, said the world number 85. Sathiyan, who was a member of the Indian team which won the gold medal in the 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games, said mixed doubles will be India'

Wimbledon: Elina Svitolina of Ukraine upsets world number one Iga Swiatek

Ukraine's Elina Svitolina has caused the biggest upset of Wimbledon as she took out world number and top-seed Iga Swaitek in the Women's Singles quarter-final

Parth Salunkhe, Aditi Swami latest archery heroes from drought-prone Satara

When Parth Salunkhe and Aditi Swami became the youth world champions in Ireland last week, the drought-prone Satara in Maharashtra found its latest heroes in archery. In just about two years time, the region has produced one Olympian (Pravin Jadhav), two youth world champions, as Maharashtra is reaping the success of the 'Har Ghar Archery' programme launched by Archery Association of India secretary general Pramod Chandurkar. Parth and compound archer Aditi, who returned with individual and team golds, began their journey together from the same academy in Satara. "Most of the households here talk just about archery," said secondary school English teacher Sushant Salunkhe, who is flooded with congratulatory messages after his son Parth became the first Indian male recurve archer to become world youth champion. Seeing the success of an under-nine state-level tournament from where many were making the national team, Salunkhe senior gave archery a serious thought and wanted his son to

Shot putter Karanveer Singh fails dope test, out of Asian Championships

Shot putter Karanveer Singh has failed an out-of-competition dope test conducted recently and he will be pulled out of the Indian team for the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok next week. Karanveer, who trains at the National Institute of Sports (NIS) in Patiala, was earlier named in a 54-member Indian team for the July 12-16 continental championships. The Indian team will leave for Thailand on Saturday night. "Yes, that is correct," Athletics Federation of India (AFI) president Adille Sumariwalla told PTI on Saturday when asked if Karanveer had failed a dope test. The exact date of the dope test and name of the banned substance are not known. Earlier in the day, an Indian team source had said that Karanveer could be left out of the side leaving for Thailand from New Delhi and Bengaluru. The 25-year-old Karanveer had won a bronze in the Federation Cup in May with a throw of 19.05m while he was second behind Asian record holder Tajinderpal Singh Toor in the National Inter-St

IPL' s Impact Player rule in SMAT, Asian Games participation approved

The Impact Player was introduced in SMAT last season but it had to be brought before the end of the 14th over and had to be named before the toss

Formula 1 calendar for 2024 'longest in history' with record 24 races

The 2024 Formula One season will feature 24 races for what will be the longest calendar in the sport's history. The season will begin in Bahrain on March 2 and finish in Abu Dhabi on Dec. 8. I am delighted to announce the 2024 calendar with 24 races that will deliver an exciting season for our fans around the world," said Stefano Domenicali, the president and CEO of Formula 1. There is huge interest and continued demand for Formula 1, and I believe this calendar strikes the right balance between traditional races and new and existing venues. The opening two races of the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will take place on a Saturday instead of Sunday to accommodate the Muslim holy period of Ramadan, organizers said. The Chinese Grand Prix will return for the first time since 2019. To achieve a more regionalized calendar and improve travel sustainability, three races have switched position for 2024. The Japanese Grand Prix will move from a September date to April, while the Azerba

Wimbledon Day 2: Alcaraz, Murray, Sabalenka, Jabeur and Rybakina move ahead

There was no upset today as such as the only seeded player to lose was the local boy Dan Evans. He was seeded 27th and lost to an unseeded French player Quentin Halys

AIFF Awards: Chhangte, Manisha named men's and women's Players of Year

India and Mumbai City FC winger Lallianzuala Chhangte Chhangte was on Tuesday named the AIFF Men's Footballer of the Year, on the back of his impressive performance in the Indian Super League (ISL) and for the national team. The 26-year-old Mizoram player featured in 12 matches during the international season for India, scoring two goals and providing one assist in the 2022-23 season. He beat national team-mates Nandhakumar Sekar and Naorem Mahesh Singh to the coveted award. Chhangte, who is currently doing national duty in the SAFF Championships here, played in 22 matches during Mumbai City FC's ISL Winners' Shield-winning campaign last season and scored 10 goals while providing six assists. He also netted seven goals in seven matches in the Durand Cup last season, while also scoring one goal in three games in the Super Cup. Manisha Kalyan was named as the AIFF Women Player of the Year by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) after its Annual General Meeting here. The 21-year-

FIFA Women's World Cup: Entering sixth, Brazil's Marta says its her last

Going into her sixth World Cup, Brazil star Marta said that this will be her last. The 37-year-old Marta is widely considered one of the best players in the history of women's soccer but has yet to lift the World Cup trophy in five previous attempts. Yes, it will be my last World Cup," Marta told journalists in Brasilia on Monday, shortly before the squad boarded a plane to the tournament in Australia and New Zealand. We have to understand that a time comes for us to prioritize other things. Brazil coach Pia Sundhage said in an interview with The Associated Press last month that Marta, who has been the world player of the year six times, may not be in the starting lineup for Brazil right away while she continues to recover from a left knee injury. Marta played for a few minutes on Sunday, when Brazil beat Chile 4-0 in its last friendly before the trip. I can only be thankful to have lived all those years in the national team," added Marta, who is Brazil's all-time leading scorer w

Wimbledon 2023: Sofia Kenin surprises Coco Gauff in an all-US affair

Sofia Kenin used to be the up-and-coming American, the one who was a Grand Slam champion at age 21, the one who beat a teenage Coco Gauff on the way to that trophy, the one who right afterward broke into the Top 10 in the WTA rankings, then soon made another run to a major final. After all of that came a series of health issues a lingering foot injury, a bout with COVID-19, a right ankle problem and three first-round exits in a row at major tournaments, all of which added up to a slide down the rankings. Coming into Wimbledon, Kenin was ranked 128th, so low she needed to go through three qualifying rounds just to get into the main draw, where she was placed in the bracket against none other than Gauff. It's Gauff who is now in the Top 10 at age 19 and seeded No. 7 at the All England Club, who was a Slam runner-up at last year's French Open, who was a quarterfinalist or better at four of the most recent nine majors. And yet it was Kenin who came out on top in their highlight-filled

SAFF Cup Final: India up against Kuwait for ninth sub-continental title

India will be playing their 13th SAFF Championship (Cup) final and hoping to get to the ninth title when the Blue Tigers take on Kuwait on July 04 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru

Nathan Lyon ruled out of rest of Ashes series due to right calf injury

Nathan Lyon's ruling out of the Ashes brought to an end his remarkable streak of 100 consecutive Test matches

Hockey India announces financial assistance to state, district member units

Hockey India on Sunday announced financial assistance to its district and state units with an aim to improve the standard of tournaments held at the grassroot level. As part of its commitment towards promoting the sport, the national federation has disbursed a grant of Rs 2 lakh each to all of its state member units. "This initial grant will aid the district units in meeting their deliverables and complying with the necessary guidelines," said HI in a statement. In addition to the initial grant, HI will further sanction Rs 1 lakh each to respective state member units upon successful completion of the compliance by their respective district units. "This additional funding will serve as an incentive for state member units to support and guide their district units effectively. "HI will additionally provide grants of Rs 10 lakh each to respective state member units that successfully conduct state level championships and ensure the organisation of district championships in their respec

SAFF Championship: India bank on Chhetri magic to overcome Lebanon in semis

India will bank on the striking prowess of their talismanic captain Sunil Chhetri to tame a formidable Lebanon in the SAFF Championship semifinal here on Saturday. India, the defending champions, entered the semis as the second-placed team behind Kuwait from Group A while Lebanon topped Group B in their march to the last-four stage. Chhetri has been India's primary weapon in this tournament, as he has so far netted five goals from three matches to sit on top of the goal-scorers' list. The count of goals includes a hat-trick against Pakistan. The sensational tumbling volley against Kuwait during India's last league match underlined his still burning desire to lead the team's charge. Chhetri will have to be on top of his game for India to hurdle over the Lebanon challenge, and this is not to say that others will have a lesser role. The likes of Sahal Abdul Samad, Mahesh Singh and Udanta Singh will have to up the ante to support their skipper. All of them have had their moments in the

Turning into a sports hub will build Brand UP, says Navneet Sehgal

In an interview with Business Standard during the Samriddhi programme in Lucknow, Sehgal said that organising big events is necessary for the state's development

Ministry of Youth Affairs invites nominations for Tenzing Norgay Award

The Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award is the highest adventure sports honour in India

Explained: Why athletes from Arunachal face visa issues for events in China

Three karatekas from Arunachal Pradesh have qualified for the Asina Games to be held in Hangzhou, China. They are now worried about making it to the Chinese capital without visa issues

Ryan Reynolds among new investors backing F1 team Alpine in $218 mn deal

After soccer, Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are setting their sights on Formula One. F1 team Alpine has secured a 200 million euro ($218 million) investment from a group of investors that includes the actors. French automotive company Renault Group Alpine's parent company said Monday that the group has acquired a 24% stake in the team. It includes Otro Capital, RedBird Capital Partners and Maximum Effort Investments, which is led by Reynolds. The transaction values Alpine Racing Ltd. around $900 million following this investment, the team said in a statement. "It will accelerate Alpine's growth plans and sporting ambitions in F1." Other investors include actor Michael B. Jordan. Reynolds and McElhenney completed a $2.5 million takeover of Welsh soccer team Wrexham in November 2020. The club was thrust into the global spotlight because of its A-list owners and secured promotion to the fourth tier of English soccer this season. With drivers Pierre Gasly and Est