Page 900 - Sports
Mary Kom in quarters, Sarita out of women's boxing Worlds
Veteran boxer M.C. Mary Kom entered the quarter-finals while Sarita Devi lost her bout to crash out of the World Women's Boxing Championship here on Sunday.
Billiards: Madan downs Kotwani to emerge champion
Vishal Madan of Chembur Gymkhana Sunday showed great character as he fought back to turn the tables on Hindu Gymkhanas Hitesh Kotwani by clinching a close 4-3 win in the billiards final of the BSAM Maharashtra State Senior Snooker & Billiards Selection (leg-2) Championship. Madan blew hot and cold and trailed throughout before producing a steady composed effort to win the last two frames to emerge champions and finish as Maharashtra's number one billiards player. Madan started hesitantly but later found his touch and struck form in the nick of time to pull off a satisfying 89-150, 150-143, 141-150, 150-148, 114-150, 150-97 and 150-118 victory. On the side table, former champion Arun Agrawal of Matunga Gymkhana defeated Rajeev Sharma of Malabar Hill Club 3-1 in the best-of-5-frames third place match. Results (finals):Vishal Madan (Chembur Gymkhana) beat Hitesh Kotwani (Hindu Gym) 4-3 (89-150, 150(57)-143, 141(82)-150(59), 150-148(83), 114-150, 150(40,30)-97(54), ...
Anjum Moudgil wins gold in shooting nationals
India's number one women's 50m rifle 3 positions shooter Anjum Moudgil defended her crown in the event at the 62nd National Shooting Championship Competitions here Sunday. Punjab's Anjum shot 458.6 in the finals to finish ahead of seasoned Tejaswini Sawant of Maharashtra, who managed 457.7. Sunidhi Chauhan of Madhya Pradesh won the bronze medal with a finals score of 443.0. Moudgil, who had won five gold in the last nationals and recently won a Tokyo 2020 Olympic quota place for her country, had earlier shot 1168 in the qualification to top the field. Tejaswini had finished second in qualification with a score of 1163.
Sharma wins Rookie of the year honours
India's Shubhankar Sharma became the first Indian to emerge as the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year on the European Tour despite a disappointing final round of 80 at the DP World Tour Championships on Sunday. Sharma follows Jon Rahm (2017), Wang Jeunghun (2016), Byeong Hun An (2015) and Brooks Koepka (2014) who have been the four Rookies before him. No Indian has won the Rookie of the Year award in European Tour, though three Indians - Arjun Atwal (1995), Shiv Kapur (2005) and C Muniyappa (2009) emerged as Rookie of the Year on the Asian Tour. Interestingly, the 22-year-old Sharma is the third Asian in last four years to win this European Tour accolade, after Byeong Hun An (2015) and Wang Jeunghun (2016). "It has been a great season and to come out with this (Rookie of the Year) award, about which I knew nothing till a few years ago, is indeed a positive," Sharma said. However, Sharma had a disappointing end to the European Tour season as he carded eight-over 80 in the final round .
Chennai's Karthik, Raghul claim Euro, LGB-4 titles
On a day of dramatic twists and turns, the Chennai duo of Karthik Tharani and Raghul Rangasamy clinched the coveted Euro JK 2018 and LGB Formula 4 titles respectively in the 21st JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship at the BIC here on Sunday.
Tharani triumphs in JK Tyre National Racing
Chennai's Karthik Tharani and Raghul Rangasamy bagged the Euro JK 2018 and LGB Formula 4 titles in the 21st JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship here Sunday. Over 20,000 fans roared at the Buddh International Circuit as the elite Euro JK race began shortly after an enthralling stunt show. With Tharani and Mumbai's Nayan Chatterjee tied on 89 points and everything coming down to the last 10 laps, it was a battle that went right down to the wire. The reverse grid too came into play and added to the drama. Nayan and Karthik commenced from behind, from sixth and fifth position, making their task that much tougher. Nayan, however, suffered a massive blow at the start of the second lap itself, colliding with Manav Sharma and pulling out of the race. It left the field wide open for Karthik, allowing him to steadily get past the field to win the race as well as the championship. Nayan had to be content with the second place while Ashwin Datta, who had been leading after each of the ...
Pankaj wins grand double, extends world title tally to 21
Legendary Pankaj Advani on Sunday extended his world title to 21 by winning the long and short formats of the IBSF World Billiards Championship titles for a record fourth time here. While Pankaj has always won the timed version of the long format, the more recent short version eluded him over the years. Pankaj's city mate from Bengaluru, B Bhaskar, a two-time Asian silver medalist and a bronze medal winner at the world level, had to settle for silver. A weak break by the tall, lanky Bhaskar allowed Pankaj to start off with a bang as he delivered a massive first blow through a 190 break. An additional 173 and 198 widened the gap beyond reach for Bhaskar as he struggled to score a single century. He sat in his chair, probably realising that there was no stopping his colleague on Sunday. When Pankaj crossed the thousand mark in the first-to-1500 final, Bhaskar was languishing at 206. The 800-point deficit eventually proved to be a tall order for Bhaskar to bridge. Last year Pankaj did ...
Sindhu to skip Syed Modi event to focus on World Tour Final
Defending champion P V Sindhu has decided to skip the Syed Modi International World Tour Super 300 tournament to focus on next month's BWF World Tour Final in China. The 23-year-old Indian is placed fifth in the 'Race to Guangzhou' ranking to qualify for the USD 1,500,000 World Tour Final, which will be held in the Chinese city for the first time from December 12-16. "Sindhu has written to Badminton Association of India (BAI) asking them to allow her to skip the Syed Modi tournament so that she can concentrate on the World Tour Finals in December," Sindhu's father P V Ramana told PTI. "She has also informed the organisers and national coach P Gopichand." Olympic silver medallist Sindhu has continued her sensational form this season, claiming silver medals at major events such as the Commonwealth Games, World Championship and Asian Games. She also reached the finals of the India Open and Thailand Open, besides producing her best performance at the All England Open Championships with a .
State Games for specially-abled children conclude in J&K
In its bid to encourage and motivate specially-abled children and groom their sporting talent, the District Police of Srinagar organized 7th Jammu & Kashmir State Games of the Deaf in collaboration with All J&K Sports Association at Gindun Sports Stadium here.The event was organized between November 15 and 17 under the Civic Action Programme (CAP) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and witnessed the participation of around 300 children from across the state.Speaking about the event, Arwa Imtiyaz, co-organiser of the Games, said, "It's an important step taken by the Jammu and Kashmir Police to encourage youths particularly the specially-abled ones, to come forward and take up sports. These youths have been immensely benefitted from events like this. The District Police of Srinagar has also sponsored 50 percent of the cost incurred in organizing it."However, one of the specially-abled athletes, Manjit Singh demanded that authorities should organize more such events for the ...
BCCI rubbishes media reports on CoA's memo to Kohli
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday dubbed media reports of Indian skipper Virat Kohli being served with a CoA memo as 'baseless'."There has been a report in the media by a Mumbai based tabloid dated November 17, 2018, with the headline- Be Humble: Virat Kohli gets a CoA memo. The BCCI after consulting with the team management would like to rubbish the report and classify it as baseless," a statement by BCCI said.According to media reports, Kohli was sent a memo by the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) to conduct himself with humility.Meanwhile, Kohli, who was given break during the three-match T20I series against West Indies, will return to the field and take over captainship for the upcoming three-match T20I and four-Test match series against Australia, beginning from November 21.
Mary Kom storms into quarters, says will try to win gold
M C Mary Kom on Sunday stormed into the 48kg quarterfinal of AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships with a win over Aigerim Kessenayeva of Kazakhstan but stopped short of promising an unprecedented sixth gold in the marquee event. Mary Kom is currently tied with Katie Taylor of Ireland on five gold in the World Championships. The 35-year-old Manipuri, a mother of three, won a silver in the first edition and then went on to win five gold in successive World Championships from 2002 to 2010. "Anything can happen in a boxing bout. The country and the fans want a gold from me and I will give my best and try to win a gold," she said after winning the bout 5-0 in the capital. "There was a bit of pressure as it was my first bout of the tournament. I have been handling the pressure of expectation from the people of my country for the last 16 years and I have happy to face this pressure. In the initial years, it was a bit tough to handle this pressure but now I am used to it," said the Olympic
Ancer becomes 1st Mexican golfer to win Australian Open
Abraham Ancer on Sunday became the first Mexican golfer to win the Australian Open tournament here, guaranteeing him a spot in next summer's British Open.
Switch Hit: Taekwondo's loss is boxing's gain as Bulgarian eyes more success
On Monday, when India's Sonia takes the ring in the ongoing AIBA Women's World Championships, she will be up against Bulgaria's Stanimira Petrova, who switched from taekwondo to boxing in search of an Olympic medal. One of the finest pugilists of her generation, Petrova discovered her boxing skills in 2012. Two years later in Jeju, South Korea, the 28-year-old was crowned world champion in 54kg, giving her country the first ever gold in the competition. The gold catapulted the young pugilist into the limelight of world boxing. But her first love was taekwondo, which she had to leave as it was not in the Olympics roster. "I was a taekwondo player earlier but I had to leave it as it was in Olympics. That is why I took up boxing," she told PTI here. Petrova entered the boxing ring at the age of 22, and within a year, she claimed her first title at the Bulgarian Women's National Team Championships. That success was followed by her first full national title in early 2014, part of an ...
World T20: Ireland's Joyce twins bid adieu to international cricket
Twins of Ireland cricket team, Isobel Joyce and Cecelia Joyce, have announced their retirement from the international cricket following their eight-wicket loss at the hands of New Zealand in their final Group stage match in the ongoing International Cricket Council (ICC) Women's World T20.The confirmation was made on the official Twitter handle of the ICC World Twenty20.This comes at a time when Ireland's opener Clare Shillington and leg-spinner Ciara Metcalfe have already confirmed their exit from the international cricket."BREAKING: @izzyjoyce and @CeceliaJoyce44 have announced they are retiring from international cricket alongside @CiaraJMetcalfe and @ShillersC. Thanks for the memories, and best of luck for your post-playing careers!" they wrote.Reflecting on the departure of four players from the team, Ireland captain Laura Delany stated that she could not thank them enough for the contribution they have made to the national side. She further congratulated the players for an ...
AIBA Boxing C'ship: Manisha Moun beats reigning World Champion Dina Zholaman
Indian boxer Manisha Maun defeated reigning world champion Dina Zholman of Kazakhstan in the preliminary round of the ongoing tenth edition of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) Women's World Boxing Championship here on Sunday.Maintaining her calm till the last moment of the bout, Moun registered a unanimous 5:0 win over Zholman in the women's 54 kg category.The victory is India's sixth straight victory at the ongoing prestigious tournament.Earlier, the rising pugilist had thrashed Christian Cruz of America to get off to a winning start in the competition.Kachari Bhagyabati, Lovlina Borgohain, Sarita Devi and Mary Kom are the other Indian pugilists who will be in action, later in the day.
Injured Hardik will be missed, says Shastri
India's head coach Ravi Shastri on Sunday said all-rounder Hardik Pandya will be missed during the tough Australian tour starting from Wednesday as he provides proper balance to the side.
Syed Modi event: Sameer looks to retain title and qualify for World Tour Finals
Unfazed by the defending champion's tag, shuttler Sameer Verma has set his sights on retaining the title at the Syed Modi World Tour Super 300 tournament and earn a shot at next month's BWF World Tour Finals in China. The 24-year-old from Dhar is currently at the 12th place in the Race to Guangzhou ranking and he will need to get into the top 8 to qualify for the year-ending USD 1,500,000 tournament. "I am not thinking about the defending champion tag at all. It brings along a lot of pressure and I am just looking to play the tournament to the best of my ability. Results are not in my hand," Sameer told PTI. "Of course, I would like to retain the title and if I can do that there is a chance that I will be able to qualify for World Tour Finals. So I am not thinking much about it but it remains the target," he added. Troubled by a shoulder injury for most part of last year, a fit Sameer played 19 tournaments this season, clinching Swiss Open and Hyderabad Open and presently he looks in .
Manisha sends reigning champion packing in Boxing World Championships
Young Indian boxer Manisha Moun sent reigning world champion Dina Zhalaman of Kazakhstan packing with another authoritative win in 54kg to place herself a step away from grabbing a maiden medal in the AIBA Women's World Championships here Sunday. Two other Indians, Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) and Kachari Bhagyabati (81kg), also made it to the quarterfinals with 5-0 and 4-1 wins on points in their respective pre-quarterfinal bouts. The 20-year-old Manisha won a 5-0 unanimous verdict against her more experienced rival in a pre-quarterfinal bout in her maiden World Championships. This was the second win for the Haryana girl against Zholaman, having beaten the Kazakh boxer in the Silesian Women's Boxing Championship in Poland earlier this year. In the quarterfinals, Manisha faces top seed and 2016 World Championships silver medallist Stoyka Petrova of Bulgaria. "For me, once I am inside the ring it does not matter whether my opponent is a world champion or a silver medallist. I play my game .
Hockey: Ticket sales for World Cup opening ceremony announced
Hockey India on Sunday announced ticket sales for the opening ceremony of the Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup to be held on November 27 and World Cup Celebrations event on November 28 at Barabati Stadium.
Chance for Prajnesh to finish season on high
Set to become India's number one singles player, Prajnesh Gunneswaran will eye his second consecutive title while Saketh Myneni, getting back to his best, will also look to end the season on a high when the KPIT-MSLTA Challenger begins here Monday. The Bengaluru Open title triumph will push Prajnesh past both Yuki Bhambri (107) and Ramkumar Ramanathan (124) and closer to the top-100 bracket when new rankings are out on Monday. Bhambri is out of action due to a nagging knee issue and is set to lose a few places on the ranking ladder. The Pune Challenger will be the first tournament where the Chennai man, who is now ranked 144, will start as India's best-ranked singles player. Despite playing in completely different conditions from China, where he spent considerable time before coming to Bengaluru, Prajnesh dropped just one set on his way to the title. He has been in the form of his life this season and is targeting a strong finish. "I am looking forward to using the momentum and ...