Page 876 - Sports
I-League: High stakes Sunday as Bagan host Churchill (Preview)
Having remained unbeaten in this I-League season so far, both Mohun Bagan and Churchill Brothers will be aiming to keep their winning momentum going when they face off at the Yubabharati Krirangan here on Sunday.
More than 100 vie for dream trip to Australian Open as Kia ball kids
Hoping to be selected as ball kids for the 2019 Australian Open, around 100 young tennis fans from across the country underwent a rigorous audition process under the watchful eyes of legendary doubles player and the current non-playing captain of the Indian Davis Cup team, Mahesh Bhupathi, at the R.K.Khanna Stadium here on Saturday.
President, PM lead congratulatory messages for 'Magnificent' Mary
Congratulatory messages poured in for M.C. Mary Kom, who on Saturday outclassed Ukraine's Hanna Okhota by a unanimous 5:0 verdict at the K.D. Jadhav Indoor Stadium here to become the first woman boxer to claim six World Championship gold medals.
Saina, Sameer enter final of Syed Modi International
Former three-time winner Saina Nehwal and reigning champion Sameer Verma were a step away from clinching the men's and women's singles titles respectively, reaching the finals of the Syed Modi International World Tour Super 300 here on Saturday. Third seed Sameer, who won titles at Swiss and Hyderabad this year, saw off Indonesia's Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo 21-13 17-21 21-8 in a 57-minute men's singles semifinals. The world number 16 Indian will face sixth seeded Chinese Lu Guangzu in the summit clash. Saina, seeded second, prevailed over another Indonesian Ruselli Hartawan 12-21 21-7 21-6 to set up a clash with China's Han Yue, who defeated compatriot Li Xuerui 21-15 19-21 21-9 in another semifinal. Commonwealth Games bronze medallists Ashwini Ponnappa and N Sikki Reddy also made it to their second successive finals here with a 21-18 21-16 win over Russian combination of Ekaterina Bolotova and Alina Davletova. Ashwini, however, couldn't progress to the finals of the mixed doubles event .
CCI's Pherwani, Ootam record 2 straight wins
Cricket Club of India's Sparsh Pherwani, winner of the first leg, had a very successful day, winning both his Group-A snooker matches of the BSAM Maharashtra State Senior Snooker & Billiards Selection (leg-2) Championship. Pherwani rallied from the loss of the opening frame to overcame Sanjiv Shah (JVPG) 3-1 (23-53, 49-45, 41-31 and 76-29) in the best-of-5-frame encounter. Later, Pherwani stamped his authority as he tamed Bombay Gym's Sanjay Gamre 3-0 (65-32, 45-4 and 52-44) to record his second successive win and is assured of progressing to the last 16 round. Pherwani's clubmate, Nikhil Ootam also recorded two consecutive victories in Group-B. He first defeated Karan Mangat (BPCG) 3-2 (30-52, 67-36, 38-53, 58-7, 59-1) and later breezed past Rishabh Thakkar (Otters) 3-0 (63-49, 65-16 and 57-45). Results - Group-A:Sanjay Gamre (Bombay Gym) beat Nikhil Saigal (Khar Gym) 3-1 (80-39, 62-24, 19-59, 76-54); Sparsh Pherwani (CCI) beat Sanjiv Shah (JVPG) 3-1 (23-53, 49-45,
Bhavani Devi wins gold in Senior commonwealth fencing
: India's C A Bhavani Devi won the gold medal on Saturday in the Sabre event in the Senior Commonwealth Fencing championship 2018 held in Canberra, Australia. Bhavani Devi is the first Indian to win a gold medal in the Commonwealth Championship. She defeated England's Emily Ruaux 15-12 in the final, according to information received here. Earlier, the Chennai-born Bhavani Devi had put it across Catriona Thomson (Scotland) in the semi-final. Bhavani Devi earlier this year won a silver medal in the Tournoi Satellite Fencing Championship in Iceland. Last year, she becamethe first Indian fencer to win gold at the World Cup satellite tournament at Reykjavik. Bhavani had also reached the quarter-finals at the Asian fencing championships at Hong Kong and participated in the world championships in Leipzig, Germany.
Mary Kom becomes six-time boxing World Champion, Sonia Chahal settles for silver
Legendary boxer Mary Kom on Saturday scripted history by becoming India's only six-time world boxing champion after defeating Hanna Okhota of Ukraine.As the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall was filled to the rafters for Mary, the 35-year-old outfoxed her Ukrainian counterpart in a unanimous 5:0 decision in the 48 kg (light flyweight) category.Talking about her record, a joyous Mary told reporters, "I want to dedicate the medal to all the people behind my hard-work. I dedicate my Gold to my nation."Mary has also registered her name in history books as she has now equalled male pugilist Felix Savon of Cuba, becoming an all-time best boxer with six gold and one silver medal in World Championships.The former Asian Games gold medallist and Olympic bronze medallist had also won the gold at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, earlier this year.Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Minister of Home Affairs Rajnath Singh, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Rajyavardhan Singh
Mapuia gives Aizawl FC first win in I-League 2018
Former champions Aizawl FC registered a superb first win in the 12th I-League season, that too in front of adoring home fans, overcoming the challenge of East Bengal (EB) 3-2, thanks to a brilliant 83rd minute strike from Mapuia, who had been on the pitch for just seven minutes before that.
Like Virat Kohli, Harmanpreet backs her instincts (Column: Just Sport)
Rain has not helped Virat Kohlis Twenty20 team. They lost the first game of the three-match series on Duckworth-Lewis (D/L) method and the second one was washed out when India had a great chance of winning chasing a modest score.
F1 champion Hamilton fastest at final Abu Dhabi GP practice
British driver Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) set the fastest time in the third and final practice for the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix here on Saturday.
Aizawl stun East Bengal after super-sub Mapuia's strike
Aizawl FC stunned East Bengal 3-2 after a sublime strike by super-sub Mapuia in the I-League here Saturday. Owing to Mapuia's 83rd minute strike, former champions Aizawl FC finally managed to win their first game of the ongoing league. Mapuia had been on the pitch for just seven minutes before he struck. In a see-saw encounter that saw the lead swaying both ways, Ivorian Hero of the Match Zikahi Dodoz put the hosts ahead in the 25th minute, before Jobby Justin equalised in the 63rd minute for the visitors. Spanish defender Borja Gomez put East Bengal ahead in the 70th minute, but his effort was cancelled out three minutes later by Joe Zoherliana. Finally, Mapuia sealed the issue in his team's favour with a strike off an assist by Dodoz. In the end, it turned out to be a combination of Dodoz' efforts and a couple of Gift Raikhan substitutions which secured the win for Aizawl while for East Bengal, their fate seemed tied to three Lalram Chulova set-pieces, two of which brought them ...
Mary Kom lifts record 6th gold at Boxing Worlds, Sonia adds silver lining
India's Sonia Chahal added the silver lining to the home campaign after M.C. Mary Kom's record sixth gold at the 10th AIBA women's boxing World Championships at the K.D.Jadhav indoor hall here on Saturday.
Jamshedpur keen to get back to winning ways
Jamshedpur FC will look to arrest their slide when they square up against defending champions Chennaiyin FC in the Hero Indian Super League here on Sunday. Although Jamshedpur are in the top half of the table, the hosts have only a mere two wins from eight matches, which is less than half of the teams placed above them. Coach Cesar Ferrando will take heart from the fact that they have lost just once, but the fact that they have drawn a league high of five games will give him a few headaches. Tim Cahill, who played his testimonial game for Australia this week, is back in contention for a start after missing out on the last match. Sergio Cidoncha, who scored three goals this season, is recuperating in Spain after picking a knee injury and Ferrando wants his team to not concern themselves too much about his absence. "Sergio is injured. We have lost him until January. He has suffered an ACL injury. It is a big blow for us. Sergio was definitely playing well but he is not here now. We have
Starc replaces injured Stanlake for final T20I against India
Pacer Mitchell Starc was Saturday drafted into Australia's squad for the final T20 International against India as a replacement for the injured Billy Stanlake. Stanlake suffered an ankle sprain during a catching drill ahead of the washed-out second T20I in Melbourne on Friday. He was replaced by Nathan Coulter-Nile for the game and has now been ruled out of the final match at the SCG, with Starc taking his place in the 13-man squad. Starc, 28, last played a T20 for Australia in September 2016, against Sri Lanka in Colombo. His last T20 match for Australia on home soil was at the Sydney Cricket Ground in February 2014 against England. The left-arm pacer, who was originally rested for the ongoing three-match T20I series against India, turned out for his state side New South Wales in the last round of Sheffield Shield fixtures against Queensland. He was expected to sit out the next round of the first class competition in a bid to prepare for next month's four-Test series against ...
Five-for Rashid England's hero as Sri Lanka collapse
Sri Lanka threw away a decent position in the final Test against England on Saturday, collapsing from 183 for 2 at tea to 240 all out as five-for Adil Rashid and Ben Stokes skittled the hosts in Colombo. At the close of a rollercoaster second day England were 3 without loss after four overs when bad light stopped play, 99 runs ahead with a 3-0 whitewash in their sights. In the opening session Sri Lanka's bowlers had wrapped up England's first innings for 336 within half an hour, the visitors losing their final three wickets for just 24 runs. On Friday, Jonny Bairstow had put his marker down to be England's permanent Test number three with a no-nonsense 110, with partnerships of 100 with captain Joe Root and 99 with Ben Stokes. But resuming on 312-7, Moeen Ali, continuing his indifferent series with the bat, fell for 33, Stuart Broad for a duck and Jack Leach for 2. Left-arm wrist spinner Lakshan Sandakan was the pick of Sri Lankan bowlers, taking five for 95 runs while finger spinners
3rd T20I: India in must-win situation vs Australia (Preview)
The Virat Kohli-led Indian side faces a must-win situation against Australia in the third and final Twenty20 International of the rubber at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) here on Sunday.
Ramkumar-Vijay pair clinches Pune Challenger trophy
India's Ramkumar Ramanathan stood out with individual brilliance to capture his maiden doubles title on the ATP Challenger circuit, clinching the KPIT-MSLTA doubles trophy with compatriot Vijay Sundar Prashanth, here Saturday. A fired-up Ramkumar played solid from the baseline and brought in a lot of energy as the unseeded Indian pair edged past the third seeded Taipei pair of Tsung-Hua Yang and Cheng-Peng Hsieh 7-6(3) 6-7(5) 10-7 in a pulsating final. Ramkumar literally carried the match on his shoulders with his partner slightly off colour today. Ramkumar had three runner-up finishes before on the Challenger circuit with different partners. For Vijay, it is his second title, having won his first trophy with compatriot Saketh Myneni last year in October at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Ramkumar and Vijay had lost to the same Taipei pair in the opening round of the Kaohsiung Challenger in September this year. It is the third time that an Indian pair has won the doubles title in five ...
Mother Mary wins historic sixth World Championships title
India's M C Mary Kom Saturday won a historic sixth gold in the Women's World Championships, the mother-of-three doing, without breaking a sweat, what no other woman boxer has done or known before. The 35-year-old Mary Kom out-classed Ukraine's Hanna Okhota in an unanimous 5-0 verdict in the 48kg category summit bout. The Olympic bronze medallist came into the all-important bout optimistic of adding to her five world championships titles, and, without an iota of doubt, she walked the talk against Okhota. The feisty Manipuri now has an incredible six gold and one silver in the World Championships. The last time she won the top prize in the showpiece was in 2010, in Bridgetown, Barbados. Before this World Championships, Mary Kom was tied with Ireland's Katie Taylor (five gold and a bronze) on the number of medals won by a woman. Taylor now plies her trade in the professional circuit. With this gold, 'Magnificent Mary' also matched Cuban men's legend Felix Savon as the joint most ...
Bangladesh's Shakib promises better show after Windies win
Record-breaking Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan promised an ever better performance in the next Test after he overcame fitness concerns to lead the hosts to a 64-run win against the West Indies on Saturday. Shakib was included in the squad for the opening Test in Chittagong despite having barely returned to training after an injury lay-off that forced him to miss the recent home series against Zimbabwe. But he made a dream comeback as he claimed five wickets in the match to become the first Bangladeshi to complete 200 wickets in Tests. It had been feared he would be sidelined for at least three months following emergency surgery on an injured finger in September, but physicians declared him fit sooner than expected. The all-rounder's participation in the West Indies opener still remained uncertain until he decided to play at the very last moment. He picked up a wicket off his very first ball in the game before finishing with 3-43 and 2-30 in the two innings, and also made a useful .
Shamim beats Gaurav in play-off, retains title
Seasoned golfer Shamim Khan of Delhi got the better of Noida's Gaurav Pratap Singh in a nail-biting play-off to retain the title at the IndianOil Servo Masters Golf tournament here on Saturday. Shamim (70-70-65-74) had edged out Veer Ahlawat in a playoff last year at the Digboi Golf Links and he repeated the feat for the second year in succession after Gaurav (72-68-69-70) took him into the playoff. After the two golfers were tied at the top at nine-under-279 following the regulation 72 holes, Shamim beat Gaurav on the third extra hole to pocket his third title in Digboi and secure his 16th win overall. "This win comes as a huge relief for me as I've been struggling with an upper back injury since the start of the second half of the season. The injury has improved slightly but still gives me trouble. I've somehow played through it as the upper back isn't much of a factor in golf. "With this win I can look forward to steady progress in the money list over the remaining three events of .