Page 804 - Sports
Hockey World Cup: Belgium down Germany, to face England in semis
Olympic silver medallist Belgium edged out two-time champions Germany 2-1 in a keenly contested quarter-final at the men's hockey World Cup here on Thursday.
Rashid pulls ahead by three shots after 62 in round two of CG Open
Two-time Asian Tour winner Rashid Khan's class act of eight-under-62 in round two of the PGTI's CG Open helped him pull ahead of the rest by three shots here Thursday. The Delhi golfer, who produced a sensational run of six straight birdies during his error-free round at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club (BPGC), now has a total of 10-under-130. Australian Kunal Bhasin, a former CG Open champion and resident of Mumbai, carded a 67 to end the day in tied second at seven-under-133 along with Lucknow's Sanjeev Kumar (69) at the Rs. 1 crore event. The cut was declared at three-over-143. Fifty professionals and one amateur made the cut for the money rounds. Rashid Khan (68-62), lying overnight tied 11th, took a flight to the top of the leaderboard on day two riding on his good putting form. Khan, a two-time runner-up at the CG Open, set the course on fire with birdies on his first six holes sinking putts from 15 to 25 feet on three occasions. The 27-year-old Rashid, fresh from a top-10 in ...
Red hot' Belgium beat Germany 2-1 to make seal place in WC semis
Olympic silver medallist Belgium qualified for the semifinals of the men's hockey World Cup for the first time ever when they defeated two-time champions Germany 2-1, here on Thursday. World no. 3 Belgium scored through Alexander Hendrickx (18th minute) and Tom Boon (50th) to register the come-from-behind win. World no. 6 Germany's lone goal came from the stick of Dieter Linnekogel in the 14th minute. Belgium will now fight it out with England on Saturday for a place in the final. The Red Lions were by far the better side on display considering the amount of scoring chances they got the in the opening two quarters. Belgium got their first scoring chance in the seventh minute in the form of a penalty corner but they could not capitalise on that. Germany, however, took the lead against the run of play in the 14th minute when an unmarked Linnekogel scored from top of the circle after receiving a pass from Tom Grambusch. Stunned by the goal, Belgium went for the offensive and secured ...
National Athletics Championship for Blind concludes
The 21st Usha National Athletics Sports Championship for the Blind came to a close here Thursday in the presence of champion boxer Vijender Singh. The championship witnessed six new national records in javelin, long jump, discuss, 100m race and shotput and three new meet records in 100 meet race, javelin and shotput. Vijender said, "Each one here is a winner and it is truly inspirational to experience the enthusiasm, grit, commitment, and skills each participant has displayed. "To beat the odds and challenges that life throws at you - that is what great sportsman spirit is all about. I am sure many of the athletes here will keep the flag of India flying high all over the world." Chairperson of Indian Blind Sports Association, Radhika Bharat Ram lauded the spirit and prowess of the participants who took part in chess, field sports, and relay race competitions. More than 600 players from across the country participated in the four-day championship including 150 female blind sports ...
India beat Pakistan to reach final of Emerging Teams Asia Cup
Nirtish Rana and Himmat Singh struck unbeaten half-centuries to help India beat Pakistan by seven wickets and seal a spot in the final of the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup here Thursday. The Delhi duo added 126 runs for the fourth wicket after India suffered a few early blows, while chasing 173. Rana scored 60 in as many balls, Himmat made 59 off 58 deliveries with India overhauling the target in 27.3 overs. Singh smashed five sixes including three successive ones off Mohammad Asgar, while Rana hit three maximums. Winning the toss and inviting Pakistan to bat first, India bowled out Pakistan for 172 in 44.4 overs. Captain and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan top-scored with 67, while Saud Shakeel contributed 62 runs. Opener Zeeshan Malik made 17 runs. Leg-spinner Mayank Markande was the most successful bowler for India, returning figures of 4/38 in 9.4 overs. India, who were placed in Group A, defeated Afghanistan by 84 runs in their opening match and capped the group round with a ...
Surrendered Maoists enjoy hockey in Odisha
Once they were playing with weapons and unleashing a reign of terror by killing people in Andhra-Odisha border areas. But now, some have found their love for hockey.
World Tour Finals: Sindhu ends losing streak against Tai Tzu Ying
Ace Indian shuttler PV Sindhu on Thursday ended her six-match losing streak against world number one Tai Tzu Ying as she defeated the Taiwanese shuttler in their group stage clash of the ongoing World Tour Finals tournament.Sindhu, whose last victory against Tai Tzu had come two years ago at the Rio Olympics, registered a convincing 14-21, 21-16, 21-18 victory against the Taiwanese in a match that lasted one hour and one minute.The first game saw Sindhu committing some sporadic errors at various stages resulting in her failure to maintain the momentum. She, however, changed her tactics in the latter half of the opening game by adopting a softer approach towards Tai Tzu's deceptive shots. The strategy worked for the Indian shuttler as she gained some quick points to narrow the point difference.Tai Tzu, however, played some wristy shots to get better off Sindhu and clinched the opening game 21-14.Heading into the second game, Sindhu maintained an aggressive approach right from the ...
ISL: Goa, NorthEast look to overcome slump (Preview)
The battle for the Indian Super League (ISL) Golden Boot will heat up this Friday as FC Goa tackle NorthEast United FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here.
India need top-50 women's singles player to have big WTA event: Bhupathi
Multiple Grand Slam winner Mahesh Bhupathi says for India to host big-ticket WTA events, the country needs to produce a top-50 women's singles player, who can bring the fans to the stadium. India has just one WTA event -- USD 125,000 Mumbai Open -- but has a number of ITF 25k events, most of them hosted by MSLTA. Bhupathi cited example of Sania Mirza, who he says was their sole reason to bring Hyderabad Open in 2005. India also hosted WTA tier III Sunfeast Open from 2004 to 2008 but since then there are hardly any WTA events in country. "When Sania was playing, there were a lot of people watching. In any sport, you need to have a champion to champion the sport. In badminton, Saina did well, now Sindhu and Kashyap and all are doing well. We don't have a girl in the top 50 to champion a WTA event," Bhupathi said. "We were fortuitous about the timing of our WTA event. We went and chased WTA event and brought it to India because of Sania's breakthrough." Sania Mirza, who recently gave ...
Before break, Goa and NorthEast look to overcome slump
The battle for the Hero Indian Super League Golden Boot will heat up this Friday as FC Goa tackle NorthEast United FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here. Ferran Corominas, who has eight goals and five assists to his name, will look to nudge ahead of NorthEast striker Bartholomew Ogbeche, who has scored eight goals as well. "Coro is an important player for us, not just because he has scored eight goals but also because he has five assists. If you look at the list of players who have scored goals and assisted in that manner, I don't think there are many," said FC Goa head coach Sergio Lobera. Interestingly, both these strikers haven't been among goals in their last three outings which has affected their teams a bit. Both FC Goa and NorthEast United are winless in their last three matches. "Fundamentally, we haven't been scoring a lot of goals (in the last few games). We need to learn and improve from our mistakes and it needs to serve us a lesson for the rest of our games," said Goa's
Diana Edulji targets COA chief Vinod Rai
In the Committee of Administrators (COA), views of only one person are considered and those of others don't matter, a member of the Supreme Court-appointed body Diana Edulji has said, apparently targeting its Chairman Vinod Rai.Edulji, a decorated former Indian cricket captain, has also said that the emails regarding her views on the coach for Women's team had been leaked because of "someone's ulterior motive".She has also revealed that Anil Kumble was removed as Indian Cricket Coach last year at the behest of Virat Kohli and the former spinner was made to look like a "villain".The Supreme Court had in January last year appointed four-member COA to run the affairs of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Headed by Rai, its other members were Edulji, historian Ramchandra Guha and business executive Vikram Limaye.Guha and Limaye resigned from the committee last year, leaving Edulji as the only member besides the Chairman.An email chain between Edulji, Rai, General Manager ...
Jon Lewis named Sri Lanka's batting coach
Former English cricketer Jon Lewis has been appointed as the batting coach of the Sri Lanka cricket team.The 48-year-old, who will be replacing Thilan Samaraweera for the position, will take over the post after the conclusion of their upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand.According to the contract, Lewis will be at the helm of the team till the end of the 2019 cricket World Cup.Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) CEO Ashley de Silva hoped that the newly-appointed coach would bring the much-required impetus to their batting."With his expertise and experience, I believe, Lewis will be able to bring in the required impetus to our batting, which needs stability," ESPNcricinfo quoted Silva, as saying.As a coach of the Durham county cricket team, Lewis has guided his team to the County Championship title in 2013.Lewis has played a total of 205 first-class matches from 1990 to 2006 and accumulating 10,821 runs at an average of 31.92 which included 16 centurion knocks.Sri Lanka are slated to
Neha and Afshan locked in keen tussle in final leg of Hero WPG Tour
Afshan Fatima took advantage of a mid-round lapse of concentration from Neha Tripathi to take a share of the lead after two rounds in the 18th and final leg of the Hero Women's Pro Golf Tour here Thursday. Afshan, who was lying second with a round of 73 on the first day, added a no-frills card of 74 to get to 147, while Neha, who followed her first round 70 with a 77, clearly let the advantage slip. Neha did not seem in too much trouble despite two bogeys in the first six holes, as scoring was once again tough. The trouble came when she had back-to-back double bogeys on either side of the turn on ninth and tenth. That saw her card 77 and she was tied with Afshan. With Friday being the final day of competition this season on the Hero WPG Tour, the fight for the title in the 18th leg is keenly poised with both Neha and Afshan looking for their second win this year. Amandeep Drall was third at 153 with rounds of 77 and 76, while Millie Saroha (75) was fourth. Gursimar Badwal, who had an .
Manu Bhaker among 16 shooters named for TOPS support
Eight young shooters including Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary were on Thursday included in the Target Olympic Scheme (TOPS) along with two tennis players and three paddlers, keeping in mind the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The TOPS offers a monthly financial support of Rs 50,000 to the selected athletes. "The performance of potential athletes was reviewed in the context of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. It was also decided to extend support towards a specific developmental group for the 2024 Olympics," a Sports Authority of India (SAI) release said. Both Bhaker (women's 10m air pistol) and Chaudhary (men's 10m air pistol) had won gold medals at the recent Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As many as 16 shooters made the cut, including Mehuli Ghosh (women's 10m air rifle), Anish Bhanwala (men's 25m rapid fire pistol) Elavenil Valarivan (women's 10m air rifle), Lakshay Sheoran (men's trap) and veteran Sanjeev Rajput (men's 50m rifle 3 position). Ravi Kumar (Men's 10m Air Rifle), Deepak .
I-League: Aizawl to face Indian Arrows at Barabati (Preview)
Former champions Aizawl FC is all set to face Indian Arrows in what will be a bottom of the table clash of the I-League football tournament at the Barabati Stadium here on Friday.
World Tour Finals: Sindhu breaks Tzu Ying code, Sameer also win
Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu finally broke her jinx against world no 1 Tai Tzu Ying with a come-from-behind win in a thriller, while Sameer Verma outclassed Indonesia's Tommy Sugiarto at the World Tour Finals here Thursday. After six successive losses in 13 meetings, Sindhu got the better of her nemesis Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei 14-21 21-16 21-18 in a Group A match that lasted a little over an hour. World No 14 Sameer, who qualified for the tournament at the last moment after defending his title at the Syed Modi International last month, dished out a dominating performance to beat the 10th ranked Sugiarto 21-16 21-7 in a 40-minute group B clash. The 24-year-old Indian had lost the opening match against world no 1 and world champion Kento Momota. Sindhu, who had finished runners-up in the last edition, gave ample display of her grit as she bounced back from a game down and erased a 6-11 deficit in the final game to record her first win over Asian Games champion Tzu Ying since ..
Struggling Delhi start life after Gambhir
A struggling Delhi take on Kerala in a Ranji Trophy Elite Group 'B' game beginning here on Friday with a lot at stake for both teams. Delhi, last year's runners-up, have found the going difficult this season and has seven points from four games. They are yet to win a game and now run into Kerala, who will be aiming to bounce back from a loss to Tamil Nadu. Delhi will also miss the services of veteran left-hander Gautam Gambhir, who retired from first-class cricket after the Andhra Pradesh tie in which he scored a memorable ton. Kerala have won two matches so far and are placed second in the points table (on 13) behind Madhya Pradesh. After putting up a strong performance to tame Bengal at the Eden Gardens, thanks to a sterling show by all-rounder Jalaj Saxena, the team came a cropper against Tamil Nadu in Chennai. Skipper Sachin Baby will be expecting the players to put the loss to TN behind and perform well at home. The pacers Basil Thampi and Sandeep Warrier have put their hand up ..
Austria announces doping probe into Russian biathlon team
Austrian prosecutors announced Thursday that members of Russia's biathlon team are being investigated over alleged doping offences dating back to the World Championships in 2017 in the Austrian town of Hochfilzen. Preliminary proceedings have been launched against five biathletes for "serious deception in connection with doping" and against five support staff for "use of forbidden substances or methods for the purpose of doping", anti-corruption prosecutors confirmed in a statement. The Russian Biathlon Federation said Austrian police had visited members of the team -- currently in Hochfilzen again for a stage of the biathlon World Cup -- on Wednesday and had questioned several "Russian athletes and specialists". "The national team will continue its participation in the World Cup," the federation added in a statement. Some of the athletes concerned took to Instagram to react to the accusations. Biathlete Evgeniy Garanichev, a bronze medallist at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, said: .
Marseille v Bordeaux postponed amid security worries
French league giants Marseille will miss a second consecutive league encounter after their weekend fixture with Bordeaux was postponed by league chiefs Thursday. Marseille's league match with Saint-Etienne was postponed last week due to security concerns linked to the France-wide 'yellow vests' movement. Authorities are expecting more anti-government demonstrations this weekend, which, combined with other "demands for police and security services elsewhere", according to the French Professional League (LFP), has left a shortfall in the numbers of available officers for league encounters. Three other league games: Nice v Saint-Etienne, Nantes v Montpellier and Caen v Toulouse have been postponed for similar reasons. Last week six league encounters were postponed amid mass 'yellow vest' demonstrations in France aimed at the government of President Emmanuel Macron. They were all rescheduled, to be played on January 15/16. Although more protests are expected this weekend, France is also ..
Michelle Li beats Chen Yufei in BWF World Tour Finals
Canada's Michelle Li on Thursday rallied to beat Chinese world No. 3 Chen Yufei 16-21, 21-18, 21-17 on day two of the BWF World Tour Finals, badminton's elite year-end event here.