Page 699 - Sports

Khelo India: Punjab's Kunwer Rana bags gold in U-17 javelin

Punjab's Kunwer Ajai Raj Singh Rana was the star of the athletics competition in the Khelo India Youth Games 2019 here Thursday with a 75.40m throw that earned him the Under-17 javelin throw gold. Rana gave himself an early birthday gift with the gold medal. The thrower, who trains at the Punjab Institute of Sports, will turn 17 Saturday and had finished sixth at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, a media release said. He ran out a fairly comfortable winner without matching the 77.22m which he posted as his personal best in Delhi on December 17. Sixteen-year-old Suraj Kumar (Uttar Pradesh) came up with a personal best throw of 73.42m which was enough only to keep his nose ahead of Sudama Yadav (Bihar) for the second place. Meanwhile, Maharashtras tribal wonder Tai Bamhane, who clocked a personal best time of 4:25.66 in the Asian Area qualification leg of the Youth Olympic Games, was not at her best in the girls under-17 1500m final. Having decided late to enter the

Aussie Smith leaves Bangladesh T20 meet with elbow injury

Former Australian cricket captain Steve Smith will drop out of the Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 tournament due to an elbow injury after playing just two matches, his franchise Comilla Victorians said Thursday. "Smith has suffered an elbow injury. We are not sure how he picked it up, but the last two days he could not bat in training due to the problem," Victorians' head coach Mohammad Salahuddin told AFP. "He had an MRI test here but the result was not very clear. He sent the report to Australian physicians who advised him to return home immediately," he said. Smith, who was leading Comilla in the tournament, scored just 13 runs in his two matches, including a duck in the last match, in which his team was dismissed for a lowly 63 runs. Salahuddin said he expected Smith to return to the league once he had recovered from the injury. He was scheduled to leave Dhaka at 10pm local time (16:00pm GMT). Comilla signed Smith initially as a back-up to Pakistan's Shoaib Malik but later ...

Tennis match-fixing gang dismantled in Spain: police

Spanish police have dismantled a gang that allegedly fixed professional tennis competitions, detaining 15 people and probing 68 others including tennis players, one of whom played in the last US Open, they said Thursday. In a statement, the Civil Guard police force said the organisation bribed tennis players to fix matches in ITF Futures and Challenger tournaments, the lower levels of professional tennis where young players start out before getting to the ATP level. The Civil Guard added the operation kicked off after the Tennis Integrity Unit, an anti-corruption tennis body, made an official complaint. It did not identify those detained or being probed but said one of them played in the last US Open. It is unclear whether he is among the arrested or investigated. According to Europol, "the suspects bribed professional players to guarantee pre-determined results and used the identities of thousands of citizens to bet on the pre-arranged game." The members of the organisation are ...

Arsenal will not sign permanent players in Jan, confirms Unai Emery

Arsenal manager Unai Emery has confirmed that the club would not be making any permanent signings during the transfer window of January.The statement came amid growing talks of Denis Suarez of Barcelona and Sevilla's Ever Banega joining the club. The manager, however, clarified that they could sign players only on loan."We cannot make payments to sign players. We can only loan players. I don't know about his [Suarez] situation. But we can only sign players on loan," goal.com quoted Emery, as saying. "I know the club is working to find players who can help us, with this condition. I know these players and they are very good players. But I cannot sign more," he added.Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey is all set to join Italian football club Juventus at the end of the current season and Suarez was considered as his replacement in the team. While talking about the same, Emery said that it is Ramsey who will take decisions regarding his future.While asserting that he would respect Ramsey's ..

Squash: Tandon in semis, but Mangonkar knocked out

National champion Mahesh Mangaonkar was knocked out of the USD 70,000 CCI International JSW Indian Squash Circuit by former world number one James Willstrop of England here Thursday. World no. 66 Mangaonkar gave Willstrop, seeded fifth in the tournament with a current world ranking of 16, some tough time before going down in the quarter-finals in four games, 3-11, 16-18, 11-8, 9-11 after a prolonged fight for supremacy lasting 67 minutes. Mangaonkar's exit meant that only 26-year-old former junior national champion Ramit Tandon from India is left in the semi-final draw. Tandon, ranked 68th in the world, entered the last four for the second successive time in the PSA event when defending champion and world no. 12 Saurav Ghosal pulled out from their quarter-final match due to a calf injury that he had sustained Wednesday. The third-seeded former multiple-time national champion and the tournaments third seed had secured a 3-1 win over Egypts Mohamed Reda on way to the last

Natraj makes winning splash but Delhi bag 4 golds in swimming

Swimmer Srihari Natraj clinched his first gold medal of the ongoing Khelo India Youth Games in the 200 meter freestyle Under-21 category here Thursday. The lanky Karnataka swimmer completed the race in a minute and 53.22 seconds, a media release issued here said. The 800-meter freestyle Under-17 girls category saw Prachi Tokas of Delhi take the gold in a little over then 9. 5 minutes. The was dominated by Delhis swimmers who took away 11 medals - four gold, two silver and five bronze medals - while Karnataka were next best with nine -- four gold, three silver and two bronze medals. Maharashtra were third with five medals in all that were burnished by three golds. Other winners on the day included Sanjay Jayakrishnan of Karnataka (200m U-17 boys freestyle, Shivangi Sharma of Delhi (200m U-17 girls freestyle), Bhavika Dugar of Tamil Nadu (200m U-21 girls freestyle), Swadesh Mondal of Delhi (100m boys U-17 breaststroke), Kareena Shankta of Maharashtra (100m U-17 girls ...

Karnataka men, Kerala women emerge winners

: Karnataka men and Kerala women emerged winners in the 67th Senior National Volleyball Championship at Nehru indoor stadium here Thursday. The sprightly Kerala team sprung a huge surprise to deny the powerful Railways team, the defending champion, in a five-set thriller. Kerala won 3-2 (20-25, 25-17, 17-25, 25-19, 15-8) to end the reign of the 10-time defending champion. In the men's final, Karnataka dashed the hopes of the home team, Tamil Nadu, winning 3-1. In the women's summit clash, Railways got off to a quick start and went ahead 8-4 before Kerala clawed its way back and levelled at 17-all. The railwaywomen pulled away to clinch the set 25-20. In the second game, the two teams were level pegging in the initial phase before Kerala nosed ahead with enterprising play. In the third set, the Railways team raised its level of play and opened up a big lead. Despite a late fightback by Kerala, the formidable Railways took the set. Kerala came out fighting in the fourth set .

I-League: Churchill beat Gokulam to rise to No.2 spot

The Dawda Cessay-Willis Plaza combination has been very effective for Goan giants Churchill Brothers FC this 12th I-League season and the duo was again on the scoresheet at the Tilak Maidan Stadium here on Thursday as the home team snuffed out the challenge of Gokulam Kerala FC in a 3-1 win, to rise to the second position on the points table.

Khelo: Maharashtra grab lion's share of medals in gymnastics

Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh Thursday bagged the lion's share of medals in gymnastics in Khelo Indian Youth Games 2019 here. Maharashtra bagged five of the 14 gold medals on offer, while Uttar Pradesh clinched four. UP dominated the mens section with four gold, while West Bengal (3) and Jammu & Kashmir (2) shared five gold in the womens events, a media release issued here said. In terms of medals, Maharashtra had a whopping haul of 17, comprising five gold, five silver and seven bronze. UP had eight medals in its kitty - four gold, one silver and three bronze. Protishtha Samanta and Bavleen Kaur were big starts in the gymnastics arena. Protishtha bagged three individual gold and took her personal tally to four she won a gold two days ago. Bavleen emerged as another major star among women, as she won two gold to take her haul to three at these Games, the release said. Among men, Mohammed Rafey, who had one gold earlier, added two more Thursday to take his yellow metal

Khelo India: Punjab, Kerala post big wins infootball

Mixed fortunes marked Kerala's opening fixtures in theKhelo India Youth Gamesfootball competition here Thursday with their Under-21 boys team dropping a point to Chandigarh and their Under-17 girls swamping Himachal Pradesh by a 28-0 margin. Dhruvgave Chandigarh the lead in the 62nd minute, but nine minutes later Habeeb Rahman fired the equaliser to save a point for Kerala, a media release issued here said. In the girls match, Kerala rode onMeghnas seven-goal blitz as the hapless Himachal Pradeshgirls were put to the sword. Other scorers for the southern team included Sona (5), Sreelakshmi and Amaya (3 each) and Abhirami, Bhagya, Theertha and Ananya (2 apece). Led by a brace fromS Longjam, Punjab opened their campaign with awhirlwind 6-1 win over Uttarakhandin the boys U-17 section. Tamil Nadu had to wage a grim battle to down Odisha 1-0 in their U-21 girlsopener. MariyammalBalamurugam's strike in the seventhminute turning out to be the match-winner. Later, scoring twice

Inaugural Pro-volleyball to kick off in Kochi on February 2

: The inaugural Pro Volleyball League will kick off with the first leg in Kochi on February 2, while the final will be held in Chennai on February 22, the organisers announced here Thursday. The match schedule and ticket sales were launched at a ceremony on the sidelines of the finals of the 67th National Championships at the Nehru indoor stadium here. Kochi Blue Spikers will take on U Mumba Volley in the first match of the league, which would see see six teams fighting for the title. A total of 18 matches would be played in two legs to be held in - Kochi and Chennai. The first 12 matches will take place in Kochi while the remaining six matches, including the two semifinals and the final, would be held here. Joy Bhattacharjya, CEO, Pro Volleyball League and VFI Secretary General, Ramavtar Singh Jakhar unveiled the match schedule of the tournament. Jakhar presented the first ticket of the tournament to former volleyball players Suresh Mishra, G Sridharan, Dalel Singh and .

Spanish police arrest 28 tennis players connected to match-fixing

Spanish authorities arrested 83 people, including 28 professional tennis players, suspected of being involved in a bribery and match-fixing scheme linked to an Armenian organised crime gang, Spain's police and Europol said on Thursday.

Churchill rise to 2nd spot with win over Gokulam Kerala

Churchill Brothers moved to the second place with a dominating 3-1 win over Gokulam Kerala FC in the I-League here Thursday. The Dawda Cessay-Willis Plaza combination has proved to be very effective for the Goan giants this 12th Hero I-League season and the duo was again on the scoresheet at the Tilak Maidan. Marcus Joseph, Kerala's latest attacking recruit from Trinidad & Tobago, did get a goal on his debut to give the visitors an early lead, but it was not enough on the day. Churchill have 22 points from 12 games to be two behind leaders Chennai, while Gokulam, after suffering their sixth defeat in as many matches, find themselves stuck on eighth with 10 points. Plaza scored his 10th and 11th goals of the league in the game to also go right back on top of the scorer's chart, having momentarily lost it to Pedro Manzi of Chennai, who has 10. Both teams made wholesale changes to their starting XI from their previous game. Gokulam, in fact, made as many as six prominent changes, ...

Khelo India: Delhi dominate judo mat; win 3 gold medals

Delhi judokas proved unstoppable Thursday, winning three of the six gold at stake on the opening day of the event in Khelo India Youth Games 2019 here. Delhi won a total of six medals -- three gold, one silver and two bronze. On a day that saw action confined to the Under-17s, the other three gold were shared by Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat, a media release issued here said. Haryana bagged four medals -- one gold, two silver, one bronze. Gujarat judoka Sonal Bhupat won a marathon in the girls Below-40kg event. Pitted against Priya (Haryana), Sonal needed the 'Golden Score' to take the top spot. Having shared honours after the mandatory four minutes, Sonal had to battle for another five-odd minutes and win by an Ippon. Sohan Singh of Mathura helped Uttar Pradesh open their gold account, winning his Below-50kgs bout against fancied Harish (Haryana) by an Ippon. In the Below-55kgs category, Yeshvir Singh (Haryana) topped against Abhishek (Punjab) by an Ippon. The bout .

Sharma urges youth to work hard

Former cricketer Chetan Sharma Thursday urged the youth to work hard and do something good for the nation. Speaking at the 'Global Skill Summit, 2019' here, he exhorted the youth to work hard and honestly wherever they work. He also asked the youth not to lose courage. "Good days definitely come after a bad phase," Sharma said. Sharma said that he did not lose courage after Pakistans Javed Miandad hit him for a six in the last ball of an over of an ODI in 1986 and he came back in flying colours by taking a hat-trick the following year. "In 1986, Javed Miandad hit a six in the last ball bowled by me. I was dejected following the match, but I did not lose courage and continued to work hard to perform well. I took a hat-trick in a match in the 1987 world cup," Sharma said. He also referred to how cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni made his career through commitment and hard work. Stating that Jharkhand government has worked with commitment in providing jobs to the youth and the

Saurashtra take 3 points against Vidarbha to reach quarters

Hosts Saurashtra snatched three crucial points Thursday on the basis of their first innings lead in their Elite Group A game against current champions Vidarbha to make it to the quarter-finals of the Ranji Trophy. Saurashtra batsmen played out the fourth and the final day and were 218 for 2 when the game was declared drawn. For the hosts, it was batting practice for Vishvarajsinh Jadeja (105 not out) and Sheldon Jackson (53 not out) as they frustrated the Vidarbha bowlers. Vidarbha declared on their overnight score of 280 for 9. Vidarbha, who earned a lone point in the match, ended the league stage as table-toppers in combined A and B Group Standings, to make it to the quarter-finals, as they ended with 29 points. Saurashtra also ended with the same number of points, but were placed second due to lower quotient than Vidarbha. The other three teams from Group A and B combined to make the last eight were Karntaka (27 points), Kerala and Gujarat (each 26 points). Baroda also

I haven't got enough runs: Finch on being dropped from final India Test

Australia One-Day and T20 International captain Aaron Finch said that he wasn't surprised after being excluded from the fourth test against India.With scores of 0, 11, 50, 25, 8 and 3 in the first three games before he was dropped for the final match, Finch simply admitted that he did not have enough runs to justify his selection.The 32-year old veteran said that with poor batting record in the recent Tests that he played, it would have been an easy call for the selectors to drop him from the final Test."I hadn't got any runs. That's the reality," ICC quoted Finch, as saying. Two 50s in five Tests. I said this before when I got dropped from the one-day team, you'd like to have some bullets to fire back but there's just none when you've made two 50s and average 16 for the series. I think it would have been a pretty easy call to be fair," he added.Finch will be leading the Australian team during their upcoming three-match ODI series against India. Players like Chris Lynn and D'arcy ...

Tennis match-fixing case: 83 arrested by Spanish authorities

As many as 83 suspects, including 28 professional players, were arrested by the Spanish Civil Guard as they dismantled an organised crime group involved in manipulating professional tennis competitions.The operation, led by the Spanish Civil Guard, was coordinated by the National High Court of Spain and supported by Europol.The investigation was triggered in 2017 when the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) denounced irregular activities related to pre-arranged matches in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Futures and Challenger tournaments.The suspects bribed professional players to guarantee predetermined results and used the identities of thousands of citizens to bet on the pre-arranged games. A criminal group of Armenian individuals used a professional tennis player, who acted as the link between the gang and the rest of the criminal group.Once they bribed the players, the Armenian network members attended the matches to ensure that the tennis players complied with what was ...

TVS rider Aravind continues to improve in 2019 Dakar Rally

Seasoned Indian rider Aravind KP continued to improve his overall ranking even as all the other three Sherco TVS Rally Factory team racers battled heavy fog and extreme terrain to finish a challenging Stage 3 of Dakar 2019 here.

Bengaluru Hockey Assn edge past Major Sports Control Board

: Bengaluru Hockey Association edged out Major Ports Sports Control Board 1-0 in a Pool 'D' match in the 9th Hockey India Senior National men's Hockey Championship 'B' Division here Thursday. Among the other teams to post wins were Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy, Telangana Hockey, Chhattisgarh Hockey, Sashastra Seema Bal, Hockey Patiala, Manipur Hockey, Central Secretariat in their respective round robin matches. In the first match of the day, Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy trounced Hockey Uttarakhand 5-0 in a Pool A match. Talem Priyobata (1st minute), Himanshu Sanik (2nd minute), Adarsh Hardua (3rd minute), Vivek Sagar Prasad (6th minute) and Vikas Rajak (15th) scored in the first quarter to help MP Hockey Academy take a 5-0 lead and held on to the lead for a win. Bengaluru Hockey Association, on the other hand, notched up their second victory in Pool D as they beat Major Port Sports Control Board 1-0 in a closely fought match. Harish Mutagar's 25th minute field goal and .