Archive For The “Sports” Category
New Delhi, March 27 : India's teenage pair Vijayveer Sidhu and Tejaswini won gold in the 25m rapid fire pistol mixed team event of the World Cup at Dr.
Karni Singh Shooting ranges here on Saturday. They beat compatriots Gurpreet Singh and Abhidnya Ashok Patil 9-1 in a one-sided final.
This was India's 13th gold medal of the World Cup, and with eight silver and six bronze medals also in the kitty, India's tally stands at a whopping 27 medals.
Sunday is the last day of the World Cup.
--IANS
qma/.
Source: IANS
Karni Singh Shooting ranges here on Saturday. They beat compatriots Gurpreet Singh and Abhidnya Ashok Patil 9-1 in a one-sided final.
This was India's 13th gold medal of the World Cup, and with eight silver and six bronze medals also in the kitty, India's tally stands at a whopping 27 medals.
Sunday is the last day of the World Cup.
--IANS
qma/.
Source: IANS
New Delhi, March 25 : India's Kynan Chenai and Shreyasi Singh have bright chances to advance into Friday's final of the men and women's trap events respectively of the World Cup.
After the series of opening three preliminary rounds of 25 shots each on Thursday, Chenai was lying second with a score of 73, behind Spain's Alberto Fernandez, who shot 74 at Dr Karni Singh Shooting Ranges.
The shooters will compete in two more qualifying rounds on Friday. The total aggregate of five rounds will decide who all will make the cut for the final.
In the opening three rounds, Chenai, 30, was steady in his scores. He shot a series of 25, 24, 25. If he is able to sustain his efforts in the remaining two rounds, he should be among the finalists.
In the women's trap event, Shreyasi, 29, is the best Indian in the field lying at eighth spot.
She shot 66, having a series of 24, 23, 19.
Manisha Keer, 21, scored 64. She is ranked 12th in a field of 18 shooters. She had a series of 21, 23, 20. The third Indian shooter is Rajeshwari Kumari. The 29-year-old shot 64 and is placed at 13th spot. She shot a series of 23, 21, 20.
Zuzana Rehak Stefecekova of Slovakia is leading the field with 71.
In the men's 25 metres rapid pistol event, Gurpreet Singh shot 290 in Stage I and is at the fourth spot.
Vijayveer Sidhu shot 289 to finish the first day of the event at fifth place while teenage shooter Anish Bhanwala was sixth with a score of 288.
Peeter Olesk of Estonia was leading the field with a score of 294.
---IANS
nns/qma.
Source: IANS
After the series of opening three preliminary rounds of 25 shots each on Thursday, Chenai was lying second with a score of 73, behind Spain's Alberto Fernandez, who shot 74 at Dr Karni Singh Shooting Ranges.
The shooters will compete in two more qualifying rounds on Friday. The total aggregate of five rounds will decide who all will make the cut for the final.
In the opening three rounds, Chenai, 30, was steady in his scores. He shot a series of 25, 24, 25. If he is able to sustain his efforts in the remaining two rounds, he should be among the finalists.
In the women's trap event, Shreyasi, 29, is the best Indian in the field lying at eighth spot.
She shot 66, having a series of 24, 23, 19.
Manisha Keer, 21, scored 64. She is ranked 12th in a field of 18 shooters. She had a series of 21, 23, 20. The third Indian shooter is Rajeshwari Kumari. The 29-year-old shot 64 and is placed at 13th spot. She shot a series of 23, 21, 20.
Zuzana Rehak Stefecekova of Slovakia is leading the field with 71.
In the men's 25 metres rapid pistol event, Gurpreet Singh shot 290 in Stage I and is at the fourth spot.
Vijayveer Sidhu shot 289 to finish the first day of the event at fifth place while teenage shooter Anish Bhanwala was sixth with a score of 288.
Peeter Olesk of Estonia was leading the field with a score of 294.
---IANS
nns/qma.
Source: IANS
Kolkata, March 24 : NEROCA FC will hope they can put their troubles far behind them and finish their season on a positive note when they face Chennai City FC at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan.
NEROCA find themselves on a five-game losing streak which has left them at the bottom of Group B with eight points after 13 games.
They have not been able to score in these last five games either and the run has led to Gift Raikhan's side being relegated.
Raikhan will hope that their fortunes change against a struggling Chennai City side, who themselves have lost four out of their last five games.
It, however, will not be easy as Chennai City hold the edge over them after the Satyasagara-coached side had beaten them 2-1 back in match week 6 of the league.
"Our plan was to be in top-six, and we played good.
But there were a lot of things that did not click. I know we are at the bottom, but I am very proud of the team -- the young boys, they have fought hard.
It is the last match tomorrow, and we need to win it. We are trying our best," said Raikhan.
"In the game against Chennai, we tried hard but lost. Our momentum broke when we received the red card. I am expecting that my boys will do their job tomorrow. We have lost many games and they are wanting to come back stronger with a victory against Chennai. Chennai are a good team, but we need to fight and outplay them," he said.
Chennai put five past the Indian Arrows, but could not build on the result as Aizawl swept past them 3-1.
While they are now safe from relegation with 12 points from 13 games, the former champions will want to give their best performance and finish the season on a high note with a victory over NEROCA.
"Every game is important, and as a coach, I want to win each and every game.
There are many positives I will be taking from this season. Many young players have risen. The performances of Vineeth, Prateek, and other youngsters have been an eye-opener," said coach Satyasagara.
--IANS
rkm/vd.
Source: IANS
NEROCA find themselves on a five-game losing streak which has left them at the bottom of Group B with eight points after 13 games.
They have not been able to score in these last five games either and the run has led to Gift Raikhan's side being relegated.
Raikhan will hope that their fortunes change against a struggling Chennai City side, who themselves have lost four out of their last five games.
It, however, will not be easy as Chennai City hold the edge over them after the Satyasagara-coached side had beaten them 2-1 back in match week 6 of the league.
"Our plan was to be in top-six, and we played good.
But there were a lot of things that did not click. I know we are at the bottom, but I am very proud of the team -- the young boys, they have fought hard.
It is the last match tomorrow, and we need to win it. We are trying our best," said Raikhan.
"In the game against Chennai, we tried hard but lost. Our momentum broke when we received the red card. I am expecting that my boys will do their job tomorrow. We have lost many games and they are wanting to come back stronger with a victory against Chennai. Chennai are a good team, but we need to fight and outplay them," he said.
Chennai put five past the Indian Arrows, but could not build on the result as Aizawl swept past them 3-1.
While they are now safe from relegation with 12 points from 13 games, the former champions will want to give their best performance and finish the season on a high note with a victory over NEROCA.
"Every game is important, and as a coach, I want to win each and every game.
There are many positives I will be taking from this season. Many young players have risen. The performances of Vineeth, Prateek, and other youngsters have been an eye-opener," said coach Satyasagara.
--IANS
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Source: IANS
New Delhi, March 24 : The Indian men football team's ultimate target remains to qualify for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup the team management is trying to provide as much time as possible for players to get ready for the remaining qualification matches, said head coach Igor Stimac.
India play Oman on Thursday and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on March 29 before they start resuming their campaign in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier, which also doubles up as qualifiers for the Asian Cup.
While India are out of contention for the World Cup, they remain in the race to make it to Asian Cup which will be played in China.
"Our target from the beginning has been to qualify for the Asian Cup. We have three games left in this stage of the Qualifiers. We are trying to provide enough time for the players to put in quality work before those games," said Stimac.
Stimac said that there is continuous competition within the squad for places. "When I became the national team coach, I even mentioned to Sunil (Chhetri) that he also needs to fight for his position.
This fight goes on forever. Without this continuous fight, there is no success," said Stimac.
"I cannot rely on the past. I can select the squad based on past results, but those players need to work hard. We closely monitor them, and then discuss which players fit into the starting XI," he added.
Stimac will be up against a familiar counterpart when India play Oman -- his compatriot from Croatia, Branko Ivankovic will be in charge of the Oman dugout.
"My good friend Branko is with Oman now.
He is a great coach. He has already coached top teams like Iran in the World Cup, and has won important trophies in his career.
We both know each other well. We have seen Oman play against Jordan (on March 20), and we are confident. They are a patient but a physical side, and do not take a lot of risks. We need to find a way to do well against their style of play," said Stimac.
--IANS
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Source: IANS
India play Oman on Thursday and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on March 29 before they start resuming their campaign in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier, which also doubles up as qualifiers for the Asian Cup.
While India are out of contention for the World Cup, they remain in the race to make it to Asian Cup which will be played in China.
"Our target from the beginning has been to qualify for the Asian Cup. We have three games left in this stage of the Qualifiers. We are trying to provide enough time for the players to put in quality work before those games," said Stimac.
Stimac said that there is continuous competition within the squad for places. "When I became the national team coach, I even mentioned to Sunil (Chhetri) that he also needs to fight for his position.
This fight goes on forever. Without this continuous fight, there is no success," said Stimac.
"I cannot rely on the past. I can select the squad based on past results, but those players need to work hard. We closely monitor them, and then discuss which players fit into the starting XI," he added.
Stimac will be up against a familiar counterpart when India play Oman -- his compatriot from Croatia, Branko Ivankovic will be in charge of the Oman dugout.
"My good friend Branko is with Oman now.
He is a great coach. He has already coached top teams like Iran in the World Cup, and has won important trophies in his career.
We both know each other well. We have seen Oman play against Jordan (on March 20), and we are confident. They are a patient but a physical side, and do not take a lot of risks. We need to find a way to do well against their style of play," said Stimac.
--IANS
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Source: IANS
Acapulco (Mexico), March 21 : German tennis star Alexander Zverev was too strong for top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Mexican Open final, claiming the title in straight sets after a stunning turnaround.
In a battle of the top two seeds, Zverev reigned supreme 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) for his 14th ATP crown in Saturday's decider.
Last year's US Open finalist Zverev was runner-up at the ATP 500 tournament in 2019, beaten by Australian Nick Kyrgios in straight sets.
But Zverev went one step further this year, taking down two-time Australian Open semifinalist Tsitsipas after two hours, 17 minutes.
Zverev, who was rocked during his semifinal win over countryman Dominik Koepfer on Friday as a 5.7 magnitude earthquake shook the broadcast cameras, did not drop a set throughout his title-winning run.
"In the beginning I started off extremely bad, I thought I didn't play well at all.
I had to fight my way into the match, and I did well to win the first set," Zverev said, DPA news reported.
"In the second set, when I have a chance I need to close it out against these top players because normally they won't give you a second chance.
I thought I played extremely well in the tie-break, I'm happy with how it went," he added.
Greek star Tsitsipas made an impressive start, racing out to a 3-0 lead after breaking Zverev in the second game.
Zverev, though, hit back as he put the set back on serve in the seventh game before consolidating.
Another break saw Tsitsipas come unstuck with Zverev reeling off six consecutive games to claim the opening set in red-hot fashion.
Zverev and Tsitsipas went toe-to-toe in the second set, the pair exchanging breaks late as a tie-break eventually saw the former complete a dominant display.
--IANS
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Source: IANS
In a battle of the top two seeds, Zverev reigned supreme 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) for his 14th ATP crown in Saturday's decider.
Last year's US Open finalist Zverev was runner-up at the ATP 500 tournament in 2019, beaten by Australian Nick Kyrgios in straight sets.
But Zverev went one step further this year, taking down two-time Australian Open semifinalist Tsitsipas after two hours, 17 minutes.
Zverev, who was rocked during his semifinal win over countryman Dominik Koepfer on Friday as a 5.7 magnitude earthquake shook the broadcast cameras, did not drop a set throughout his title-winning run.
"In the beginning I started off extremely bad, I thought I didn't play well at all.
I had to fight my way into the match, and I did well to win the first set," Zverev said, DPA news reported.
"In the second set, when I have a chance I need to close it out against these top players because normally they won't give you a second chance.
I thought I played extremely well in the tie-break, I'm happy with how it went," he added.
Greek star Tsitsipas made an impressive start, racing out to a 3-0 lead after breaking Zverev in the second game.
Zverev, though, hit back as he put the set back on serve in the seventh game before consolidating.
Another break saw Tsitsipas come unstuck with Zverev reeling off six consecutive games to claim the opening set in red-hot fashion.
Zverev and Tsitsipas went toe-to-toe in the second set, the pair exchanging breaks late as a tie-break eventually saw the former complete a dominant display.
--IANS
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Source: IANS
Bengaluru, March 19 : Vaibhav Krishna Sriram and Disha Santosh Khandoji emerged as the champions in the boys and girls under-16 categories respectively in the AITA Talent Series-7 under-16 hosted by Tennis360 Academy.
In contrasting finals, played here on Friday, Sriram, seeded sixth, defeated fourth seed Suchir Chetan Sheshadri in three sets while Disha claimed her maiden U-16 title with an upset victory over third seed Kaajal Ramisetty.
Disha, who had finished runner-up at the KSLTA AITA U-14 TS event last month, began on the right note breaking her opponent's serve in the very first game.
However, she lost the next three games and was down 1-3 before she pulled up her socks and reduced the margin to 3-4 before winning the next three games in a row to grab the first set 6-4.
The second set began on a similar note, but this time the 13-year-old student of Sindhi High School was prepared for her opponent and went 4-2 up.
Serving for the match at 5-4, she was down 15-40 before making a comeback and winning the game, set and match.
The boys' final was keenly contested with both Sriram and Sheshadri holding their serves until the seventh game which the former broke to go 4-3 up and won the next two games as well to take the first set.
Despite holding an advantage of a 5-4 lead, the 15-year-old student of Deans Academy, Vaibhav, lost the second set 5-7.
However, he didn't give a semblance of a chance to his fancied opponent in the decider after grabbing an early break to lead 4-2 and closing out the set and match at 6-2.
Results (Finals):
Boys Singles
6-Vaibhav Krishna Sriram bt 4-Suchir Chetan Sheshadri 6-3, 5-7, 6-2.
Girls singles
Disha Santhosh Khandoji bt 3-Kaajal Raamisetty 6-4, 6-4.
--IANS
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Source: IANS
In contrasting finals, played here on Friday, Sriram, seeded sixth, defeated fourth seed Suchir Chetan Sheshadri in three sets while Disha claimed her maiden U-16 title with an upset victory over third seed Kaajal Ramisetty.
Disha, who had finished runner-up at the KSLTA AITA U-14 TS event last month, began on the right note breaking her opponent's serve in the very first game.
However, she lost the next three games and was down 1-3 before she pulled up her socks and reduced the margin to 3-4 before winning the next three games in a row to grab the first set 6-4.
The second set began on a similar note, but this time the 13-year-old student of Sindhi High School was prepared for her opponent and went 4-2 up.
Serving for the match at 5-4, she was down 15-40 before making a comeback and winning the game, set and match.
The boys' final was keenly contested with both Sriram and Sheshadri holding their serves until the seventh game which the former broke to go 4-3 up and won the next two games as well to take the first set.
Despite holding an advantage of a 5-4 lead, the 15-year-old student of Deans Academy, Vaibhav, lost the second set 5-7.
However, he didn't give a semblance of a chance to his fancied opponent in the decider after grabbing an early break to lead 4-2 and closing out the set and match at 6-2.
Results (Finals):
Boys Singles
6-Vaibhav Krishna Sriram bt 4-Suchir Chetan Sheshadri 6-3, 5-7, 6-2.
Girls singles
Disha Santhosh Khandoji bt 3-Kaajal Raamisetty 6-4, 6-4.
--IANS
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Source: IANS
Chandigarh, March 17 : Twenty-six sportspersons were given government jobs by Punjab Minister for Sports Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi here on Wednesday.
The players who get appointment letters as Sub-Inspectors are Sarpreet Singh (cycling), Gurinder Singh (volleyball) and Jagdeep Kumar (boxing).
The other 23 candidates -- Gagandeep Singh, Jaspinder Kaur, Sandeep Kaur, Simarjit Kaur and Anju Sharma (all kabaddi), Gurbazz Singh, Rekha Rani and Pushpinder Kaur (all cycling), Jasvir Kaur (weightlifting), Neelam Rani (fencing), Gagandeep Kaur, Ramanjot Kaur, Mandeep Kaur, Rupinderjit Kaur and Harvinder Kaur (all handball), Ravinderjit Kaur (canoeing), Gurmeet Kaur (fencing), Jatinder Singh (boxing), Harpreet Kaur (athletics), Palak (basketball), Preeti (wrestling), Sarabjeet (football), Ajay Kumar (taekwondo) -- have been appointed on the posts of constable.
"When I presented the file regarding the appointment of these players before Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, he cleared the file within a minute," said the minister.
He said as there were some glitches on part of medical, age and documentation, the process of appointing them has been delayed.
--IANS
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Source: IANS
The players who get appointment letters as Sub-Inspectors are Sarpreet Singh (cycling), Gurinder Singh (volleyball) and Jagdeep Kumar (boxing).
The other 23 candidates -- Gagandeep Singh, Jaspinder Kaur, Sandeep Kaur, Simarjit Kaur and Anju Sharma (all kabaddi), Gurbazz Singh, Rekha Rani and Pushpinder Kaur (all cycling), Jasvir Kaur (weightlifting), Neelam Rani (fencing), Gagandeep Kaur, Ramanjot Kaur, Mandeep Kaur, Rupinderjit Kaur and Harvinder Kaur (all handball), Ravinderjit Kaur (canoeing), Gurmeet Kaur (fencing), Jatinder Singh (boxing), Harpreet Kaur (athletics), Palak (basketball), Preeti (wrestling), Sarabjeet (football), Ajay Kumar (taekwondo) -- have been appointed on the posts of constable.
"When I presented the file regarding the appointment of these players before Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, he cleared the file within a minute," said the minister.
He said as there were some glitches on part of medical, age and documentation, the process of appointing them has been delayed.
--IANS
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Source: IANS
New Delhi, March 17 : All Indian badminton players have been cleared to compete at the All England Open Championships, starting Wednesday, after results of their second Covid RT-PCR test on Wednesday came negative.
Earlier, men's singles players H.S. Prannoy and Sameer Verma and mixed doubles exponent Pranaav Jerry Chopra were among the four Indians who had returned positive results in the first round of testing at the Super 1000 tournament.
Masseur G.
Srinivas was the fourth Indian to have returned a positive result.
"Everyone has been allowed to play there.
They (All England organisers) will now be putting up the draw shortly," Badminton Association of India (BAI) general secretary Ajay Kumar Singhania told IANS on Wednesday evening.
Those who tested positive were given the opportunity to have a second test.
Interestingly, the Indian contingent were told about their positive Covid result orally. Saina and Kashyap tweeted to say that they had not received any report even after 30 hours of the Covid test.
The Indian players and staff were stuck in their rooms since arriving in England due to the positive test results.
The Badminton World Federation said a "significant number" of tests produced "inconclusive" results because of which all the samples were retested.
The testing process led to the tournament getting off to a delayed start on Wednesday. Originally set to start at 9 a.m. GMT (2.30 p.m. IST), the All England Open will now begin at 2 p.m. GMT (7.30 p.m. IST).
Sixteen Indians are competing in the championships.
The testing process was something that left a few players puzzled.
The 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist, Saina Nehwal, and her husband, Parupalli Kashyap, tweeting their frustration.
"Ok I have to do this now! Matches are starting tomorrow at the @YonexAllEngland and still no reports of the Covid test done 30hrs before.
No practice, no gym.. for 2 days now. @bwfmedia," Saina tweeted late on Tuesday night.
"What kind of testing is this? 31 hours later still inconclusive and a re-test again god knows when..matches start tomorrow! @YonexAllEngland @bwfmedia #beyondabsurd #ridiculous," tweeted Kashyap at almost the same time as wife Saina.
Earlier, India's men's doubles coach Mathias Boe had posted an Instagram story in which he said that all players have been cleared to play.
"No positive tests in the (Indian) team anyone. We r ready for All England (sic.)," he said in his Instagram story.
Boe earlier said that it is absurd how Indians can test positive for the virus.
"We have three players and one member from the support staff who have tested positive. I find it completely absurd how this can happen, since we have been isolated in Zurich since the Swiss Open started two weeks ago," India's Boe was quoted as saying by sport.tv2.dk, a Danish website.
"We have been tested 5 times in 14 days and all tests have been negative.
We have only gotten along with each other, so how can they suddenly test positive?" he told the website.
The last Indian to win an All England title was Pullela Gopichand, in 2001.
--IANS
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Source: IANS
Earlier, men's singles players H.S. Prannoy and Sameer Verma and mixed doubles exponent Pranaav Jerry Chopra were among the four Indians who had returned positive results in the first round of testing at the Super 1000 tournament.
Masseur G.
Srinivas was the fourth Indian to have returned a positive result.
"Everyone has been allowed to play there.
They (All England organisers) will now be putting up the draw shortly," Badminton Association of India (BAI) general secretary Ajay Kumar Singhania told IANS on Wednesday evening.
Those who tested positive were given the opportunity to have a second test.
Interestingly, the Indian contingent were told about their positive Covid result orally. Saina and Kashyap tweeted to say that they had not received any report even after 30 hours of the Covid test.
The Indian players and staff were stuck in their rooms since arriving in England due to the positive test results.
The Badminton World Federation said a "significant number" of tests produced "inconclusive" results because of which all the samples were retested.
The testing process led to the tournament getting off to a delayed start on Wednesday. Originally set to start at 9 a.m. GMT (2.30 p.m. IST), the All England Open will now begin at 2 p.m. GMT (7.30 p.m. IST).
Sixteen Indians are competing in the championships.
The testing process was something that left a few players puzzled.
The 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist, Saina Nehwal, and her husband, Parupalli Kashyap, tweeting their frustration.
"Ok I have to do this now! Matches are starting tomorrow at the @YonexAllEngland and still no reports of the Covid test done 30hrs before.
No practice, no gym.. for 2 days now. @bwfmedia," Saina tweeted late on Tuesday night.
"What kind of testing is this? 31 hours later still inconclusive and a re-test again god knows when..matches start tomorrow! @YonexAllEngland @bwfmedia #beyondabsurd #ridiculous," tweeted Kashyap at almost the same time as wife Saina.
Earlier, India's men's doubles coach Mathias Boe had posted an Instagram story in which he said that all players have been cleared to play.
"No positive tests in the (Indian) team anyone. We r ready for All England (sic.)," he said in his Instagram story.
Boe earlier said that it is absurd how Indians can test positive for the virus.
"We have three players and one member from the support staff who have tested positive. I find it completely absurd how this can happen, since we have been isolated in Zurich since the Swiss Open started two weeks ago," India's Boe was quoted as saying by sport.tv2.dk, a Danish website.
"We have been tested 5 times in 14 days and all tests have been negative.
We have only gotten along with each other, so how can they suddenly test positive?" he told the website.
The last Indian to win an All England title was Pullela Gopichand, in 2001.
--IANS
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Source: IANS
Patiala, March 16 : Long jumper M. Sreeshankar of Kerala on Tuesday booked a place in this year's Olympic Games with a national record leap of 8.26 metres in the 24th National Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championships.
On a day when Tamil Nadu's S Dhanalakshmi handed Dutee Chand of Odisha a rare defeat in a national competition by blazing the track to win the women's 100m sprint in a stunning time of 11.39 seconds and Amoj Jacob of Delhi secured a personal best in winning the men's 400m, it was Sreeshankar's national record that stole the thunder -- 11 days before turns 22 -- at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports complex.
Sreeshankar found the perfect combination of acceleration, take off, and elevation on his fifth attempt to realise his dream of securing an automatic entry in the Olympic Games by breaching the entry standard of 8.22m.
The world No. 24 improved on his own national mark of 8.20m, set in Bhubaneshwar on September 27, 2018.
Getting off the pit, Sreeshankar sensed that he had attained his goal, raising his arms even as he watched the officials measure the distance.
His joy knew no bounds when he got the confirmation on the electronic board. On each of his four previous attempts, he had breached the 8m mark. His string of jumps read: 8.02m, 8.04m, 8.07m, and 8.09m. He found the explosive combination of 8.26m on the fifth try.
"I am thankful to everyone who supported me to achieve this result.
I wanted to prove a point as everyone thought 8.20m was my peak and after that my performance was not the same.
I am really very happy," said Sreeshankar.
Delhi's 23-year-old Jacob showed a fine turn of speed to combine with staying power to claim the men's quarter-mile crown with a career best time of 45.68 against more experienced runners.
On the contrary, M.R. Poovamma's resilience and determination in the women's 400m proved too good against a bunch of youngsters, each eager to make an impression.
Gurindervir Singh of Punjab dominated the men's 100m dash, winning in 10.32 seconds, showing that the personal best of 10.30 seconds achieved in the semi-finals was not a flash in the pan.
He was a picture of confidence and power as he led from gun to beam, leaving K Elakkiadasan of Tamil Nadu and Krishnakumar Satish Rane of Maharashtra to fight for the second spot.
In the women's 100m final, 22-year-old Dhanalakshmi scripted a start-to-finish win, riding on an explosive start that placed her in the lead very early in the blue riband race.
If there were any signs of nerves when she was up against the likes of Dutee, Hima Das, and Archana Suseendran, Dhanalakshmi did not let anyone see that, powering her way to a famous victory.
Dhanalakshmi produced only her second best time, a hundredths of a second slower than the 11.38 seconds she had clocked in the semi-final heats on Monday.
Dutee tried hard to catch up but the girl from Tiruchirapalli showed no signs of slowing down as she broke the beam 0.19 seconds before the Asian Games medallist and World Universities Games champion.
Those who scurried to the record books discovered that the last time Dutee did not win a race featuring only Indians was back in the Inter-Railway Championship in Bhopal in August 2015, a month after she ended up with bronze in the National Inter-State Athletics Championships in Chennai.
Late in the day, Harmilan Kaur Bains of Punjab spread-eagled the women's 1500m field that included P.U.
Chitra of Kerala and Lili Das of West Bengal with a personal best time of 4:08.70sec. She set a hot pace from the start and only Chitra tried to catch up in the first lap and a half, only to realise that Harmilan Kaur Bains was in a league of her own.
It was the second fastest time for a metric mile by an Indian woman, the national record of 4:06.03 sec, having been set by Sunita Rani in the Busan Asian Games back in October 2002.
Harmilan, 22, is daughter of former middle-distance runners Amandeep Bains and Madhuri Singh, who won the 800m silver in the Busan Asian Games.
--IANS
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Source: IANS
On a day when Tamil Nadu's S Dhanalakshmi handed Dutee Chand of Odisha a rare defeat in a national competition by blazing the track to win the women's 100m sprint in a stunning time of 11.39 seconds and Amoj Jacob of Delhi secured a personal best in winning the men's 400m, it was Sreeshankar's national record that stole the thunder -- 11 days before turns 22 -- at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports complex.
Sreeshankar found the perfect combination of acceleration, take off, and elevation on his fifth attempt to realise his dream of securing an automatic entry in the Olympic Games by breaching the entry standard of 8.22m.
The world No. 24 improved on his own national mark of 8.20m, set in Bhubaneshwar on September 27, 2018.
Getting off the pit, Sreeshankar sensed that he had attained his goal, raising his arms even as he watched the officials measure the distance.
His joy knew no bounds when he got the confirmation on the electronic board. On each of his four previous attempts, he had breached the 8m mark. His string of jumps read: 8.02m, 8.04m, 8.07m, and 8.09m. He found the explosive combination of 8.26m on the fifth try.
"I am thankful to everyone who supported me to achieve this result.
I wanted to prove a point as everyone thought 8.20m was my peak and after that my performance was not the same.
I am really very happy," said Sreeshankar.
Delhi's 23-year-old Jacob showed a fine turn of speed to combine with staying power to claim the men's quarter-mile crown with a career best time of 45.68 against more experienced runners.
On the contrary, M.R. Poovamma's resilience and determination in the women's 400m proved too good against a bunch of youngsters, each eager to make an impression.
Gurindervir Singh of Punjab dominated the men's 100m dash, winning in 10.32 seconds, showing that the personal best of 10.30 seconds achieved in the semi-finals was not a flash in the pan.
He was a picture of confidence and power as he led from gun to beam, leaving K Elakkiadasan of Tamil Nadu and Krishnakumar Satish Rane of Maharashtra to fight for the second spot.
In the women's 100m final, 22-year-old Dhanalakshmi scripted a start-to-finish win, riding on an explosive start that placed her in the lead very early in the blue riband race.
If there were any signs of nerves when she was up against the likes of Dutee, Hima Das, and Archana Suseendran, Dhanalakshmi did not let anyone see that, powering her way to a famous victory.
Dhanalakshmi produced only her second best time, a hundredths of a second slower than the 11.38 seconds she had clocked in the semi-final heats on Monday.
Dutee tried hard to catch up but the girl from Tiruchirapalli showed no signs of slowing down as she broke the beam 0.19 seconds before the Asian Games medallist and World Universities Games champion.
Those who scurried to the record books discovered that the last time Dutee did not win a race featuring only Indians was back in the Inter-Railway Championship in Bhopal in August 2015, a month after she ended up with bronze in the National Inter-State Athletics Championships in Chennai.
Late in the day, Harmilan Kaur Bains of Punjab spread-eagled the women's 1500m field that included P.U.
Chitra of Kerala and Lili Das of West Bengal with a personal best time of 4:08.70sec. She set a hot pace from the start and only Chitra tried to catch up in the first lap and a half, only to realise that Harmilan Kaur Bains was in a league of her own.
It was the second fastest time for a metric mile by an Indian woman, the national record of 4:06.03 sec, having been set by Sunita Rani in the Busan Asian Games back in October 2002.
Harmilan, 22, is daughter of former middle-distance runners Amandeep Bains and Madhuri Singh, who won the 800m silver in the Busan Asian Games.
--IANS
qma/.
Source: IANS
New Delhi, March 16 : With the Indian cricket board (BCCI) and the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) deciding to hold the last three T20 Internationals against England behind closed doors in the wake of rising Covid-19 cases, it looks clear that whatever chances the Indian Premier League (IPL) had of attracting crowds in the later stages are dissipating fast.
Even then, the BCCI is keeping its options open.
While the BCCI had said in an official statement on March 7 earlier that the tournament will be held behind closed doors to begin with, it had said a decision to allow crowds for the later stages would be take later.
On Monday, BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal reiterated to IANS that crowds will not attend IPL games but added that the BCCI has still kept the option of having crowds for the later stages of the tournament.
"The initial phase of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was without crowds only, it was already decided," said Dhumal while speaking to IANS.
Asked if there are chances of any crowds in the later stages of the tournament, he said, "It will depend on the situation", and said that the board is yet to take a final call thus keeping the option open.
The IPL games are going to be held at six venues and no team will play at home. The first phase of league games - comprising 20 matches -- will be held in Chennai and Mumbai while the action for the next batch of league games -- 16 in number -- will be held in Ahmedabad and Delhi.
The league action will then move to Bengaluru and Kolkata -- for the last 20 league matches.
The playoffs will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The massive crowd in the T20 International series, especially in the second T20I, caused a bit of concern in the wake of a rise in Covid-19 cases.
"India is due to host the T20 World Cup later this year. There is a lot at stake. Anything untoward now, even if a few cases crop up, it can have an impact on the tournament. It can create some problems," said an official in the know of things.
The Indian board had earlier said in statement, "The fixtures of the tournament have been mapped in a way that every team will travel only three times during the league stage, thus reducing commute and minimising risk.
The VIVO IPL this year at home will be played behind closed doors to begin with and a call on allowing spectators will be taken at a later stage of the tournament."
--IANS
kh/kr.
Source: IANS
Even then, the BCCI is keeping its options open.
While the BCCI had said in an official statement on March 7 earlier that the tournament will be held behind closed doors to begin with, it had said a decision to allow crowds for the later stages would be take later.
On Monday, BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal reiterated to IANS that crowds will not attend IPL games but added that the BCCI has still kept the option of having crowds for the later stages of the tournament.
"The initial phase of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was without crowds only, it was already decided," said Dhumal while speaking to IANS.
Asked if there are chances of any crowds in the later stages of the tournament, he said, "It will depend on the situation", and said that the board is yet to take a final call thus keeping the option open.
The IPL games are going to be held at six venues and no team will play at home. The first phase of league games - comprising 20 matches -- will be held in Chennai and Mumbai while the action for the next batch of league games -- 16 in number -- will be held in Ahmedabad and Delhi.
The league action will then move to Bengaluru and Kolkata -- for the last 20 league matches.
The playoffs will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The massive crowd in the T20 International series, especially in the second T20I, caused a bit of concern in the wake of a rise in Covid-19 cases.
"India is due to host the T20 World Cup later this year. There is a lot at stake. Anything untoward now, even if a few cases crop up, it can have an impact on the tournament. It can create some problems," said an official in the know of things.
The Indian board had earlier said in statement, "The fixtures of the tournament have been mapped in a way that every team will travel only three times during the league stage, thus reducing commute and minimising risk.
The VIVO IPL this year at home will be played behind closed doors to begin with and a call on allowing spectators will be taken at a later stage of the tournament."
--IANS
kh/kr.
Source: IANS