Page 26 - Sports

FIFA Women's World Cup: Entering sixth, Brazil's Marta says its her last

Going into her sixth World Cup, Brazil star Marta said that this will be her last. The 37-year-old Marta is widely considered one of the best players in the history of women's soccer but has yet to lift the World Cup trophy in five previous attempts. Yes, it will be my last World Cup," Marta told journalists in Brasilia on Monday, shortly before the squad boarded a plane to the tournament in Australia and New Zealand. We have to understand that a time comes for us to prioritize other things. Brazil coach Pia Sundhage said in an interview with The Associated Press last month that Marta, who has been the world player of the year six times, may not be in the starting lineup for Brazil right away while she continues to recover from a left knee injury. Marta played for a few minutes on Sunday, when Brazil beat Chile 4-0 in its last friendly before the trip. I can only be thankful to have lived all those years in the national team," added Marta, who is Brazil's all-time leading scorer w

Wimbledon 2023: Sofia Kenin surprises Coco Gauff in an all-US affair

Sofia Kenin used to be the up-and-coming American, the one who was a Grand Slam champion at age 21, the one who beat a teenage Coco Gauff on the way to that trophy, the one who right afterward broke into the Top 10 in the WTA rankings, then soon made another run to a major final. After all of that came a series of health issues a lingering foot injury, a bout with COVID-19, a right ankle problem and three first-round exits in a row at major tournaments, all of which added up to a slide down the rankings. Coming into Wimbledon, Kenin was ranked 128th, so low she needed to go through three qualifying rounds just to get into the main draw, where she was placed in the bracket against none other than Gauff. It's Gauff who is now in the Top 10 at age 19 and seeded No. 7 at the All England Club, who was a Slam runner-up at last year's French Open, who was a quarterfinalist or better at four of the most recent nine majors. And yet it was Kenin who came out on top in their highlight-filled

SAFF Cup Final: India up against Kuwait for ninth sub-continental title

India will be playing their 13th SAFF Championship (Cup) final and hoping to get to the ninth title when the Blue Tigers take on Kuwait on July 04 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru

Nathan Lyon ruled out of rest of Ashes series due to right calf injury

Nathan Lyon's ruling out of the Ashes brought to an end his remarkable streak of 100 consecutive Test matches

Hockey India announces financial assistance to state, district member units

Hockey India on Sunday announced financial assistance to its district and state units with an aim to improve the standard of tournaments held at the grassroot level. As part of its commitment towards promoting the sport, the national federation has disbursed a grant of Rs 2 lakh each to all of its state member units. "This initial grant will aid the district units in meeting their deliverables and complying with the necessary guidelines," said HI in a statement. In addition to the initial grant, HI will further sanction Rs 1 lakh each to respective state member units upon successful completion of the compliance by their respective district units. "This additional funding will serve as an incentive for state member units to support and guide their district units effectively. "HI will additionally provide grants of Rs 10 lakh each to respective state member units that successfully conduct state level championships and ensure the organisation of district championships in their respec

SAFF Championship: India bank on Chhetri magic to overcome Lebanon in semis

India will bank on the striking prowess of their talismanic captain Sunil Chhetri to tame a formidable Lebanon in the SAFF Championship semifinal here on Saturday. India, the defending champions, entered the semis as the second-placed team behind Kuwait from Group A while Lebanon topped Group B in their march to the last-four stage. Chhetri has been India's primary weapon in this tournament, as he has so far netted five goals from three matches to sit on top of the goal-scorers' list. The count of goals includes a hat-trick against Pakistan. The sensational tumbling volley against Kuwait during India's last league match underlined his still burning desire to lead the team's charge. Chhetri will have to be on top of his game for India to hurdle over the Lebanon challenge, and this is not to say that others will have a lesser role. The likes of Sahal Abdul Samad, Mahesh Singh and Udanta Singh will have to up the ante to support their skipper. All of them have had their moments in the

Turning into a sports hub will build Brand UP, says Navneet Sehgal

In an interview with Business Standard during the Samriddhi programme in Lucknow, Sehgal said that organising big events is necessary for the state's development

Ministry of Youth Affairs invites nominations for Tenzing Norgay Award

The Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award is the highest adventure sports honour in India

Explained: Why athletes from Arunachal face visa issues for events in China

Three karatekas from Arunachal Pradesh have qualified for the Asina Games to be held in Hangzhou, China. They are now worried about making it to the Chinese capital without visa issues

Ryan Reynolds among new investors backing F1 team Alpine in $218 mn deal

After soccer, Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are setting their sights on Formula One. F1 team Alpine has secured a 200 million euro ($218 million) investment from a group of investors that includes the actors. French automotive company Renault Group Alpine's parent company said Monday that the group has acquired a 24% stake in the team. It includes Otro Capital, RedBird Capital Partners and Maximum Effort Investments, which is led by Reynolds. The transaction values Alpine Racing Ltd. around $900 million following this investment, the team said in a statement. "It will accelerate Alpine's growth plans and sporting ambitions in F1." Other investors include actor Michael B. Jordan. Reynolds and McElhenney completed a $2.5 million takeover of Welsh soccer team Wrexham in November 2020. The club was thrust into the global spotlight because of its A-list owners and secured promotion to the fourth tier of English soccer this season. With drivers Pierre Gasly and Est

Women's doubles pair of Sutirtha, Ayhika win WTT Contender tournament title

The Indian women's doubles pair of Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee won the WTT Contender tournament in Tunis after beating the Japanese pair of Miyuu Kihara and Miwa Harimoto on Sunday. The Indian duo won 3-1 (11-5, 11-6, 5-11, 13-11) in a challenging final. The pair also became the first Indians to win a Contender title this year. Their achievement has come against the two rising Japanese teenagers who are both ranked among the top-25 in the world in singles. On Saturday, the Indian pair had advanced to the final after beating Korean duo of Shin Yubin and Jeon Jihi 3-2 (7-11, 11-9, 11-9, 7-11, 11-9) in a hard-fought last-four clash. Earlier on Saturday, the Indian mixed doubles pair of Manika Batra and G Sathiyan as well as the men's doubles duo of Manav Vikash Thakkar and Manush Utpalbhai Shah had lost their respective semifinal matches.

Indian pair of Sutirtha, Ayhika in final of WTT Contender in Tunis

Indian women's doubles pair of Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee advanced to the final of the WTT Contender tournament in Tunis after beating Korean duo of Shin Yubin and Jeon Jihi on Saturday. The Indian duo won 3-2 (7-11 11-9 11-9 7-11 11-9) in a hard-fought semifinal. They face Japanese pair of Miyuu Kihara and Miwa Harimoto in the final on Sunday. But the Indian mixed doubles pair of Manika Batra and G Sathiyan as well as the men's doubles duo of Manav Vikash Thakkar and Manush Utpalbhai Shah lost their respective semifinal matches. Batra-Sathiyan lost to Koreans Shin Yubin and Lim Jonghoon 0-3 (7-11 8-11 9-11) while Thakkar-Shah combine suffered an identical 0-3 (3-11 12-14 7-11) defeat to the duo of Cho Daeseong and Cho Seungmin, also of Korea.

Carlsen's SG Alpine Warriors beat Balan Alaskan Knights in Global Chess

World number one Magnus Carlsen's team SG Alpine Warriors emerged 9-7 victorious over Balan Alaskan Knights on the second day of the Global Chess League here on Friday. Norwegian Carlsen played his first game against Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi, a two-time challenger for the world crown. The match saw the two strongest players of the event making their first appearance in the Global Chess League. Carlsen is the reigning world champion in rapid and blitz while Nepomniachtchi is the two-time world champion candidate. The game was largely calm, ending in a draw relatively quickly, which was not the case for the rest of the matches. Balan Alaskan Knights gained a significant advantage as Teimour Radjabov won with black, earning them four crucial points. Fortunately for the SG Alpine Warriors, they made a comeback with two victories, securing six points. After draws on two other boards, SG Alpine Warriors were leading 8-6. Everything was hanging on the last game between Indian chess ho

2024 Olympics: Flame to be carried for 68 days before cauldron is lit

The Olympic flame for the 2024 Paris Games will pass through 64 departments including five overseas and 400 towns over 68 days before the cauldron is lit. Organizers announced the route for the torch relay on Friday at a Paris university. Paris 2024 is the greatest collective project in our history, organizing committee president Tony Estanguet said. The torch relay plays an important role because it has the capacity to touch so many people. The torch will be lit by the sun's rays on April 16 in Ancient Olympia, Greece. It will then be carried around the nation before its handover in Athens. The flame will leave Athens on April 27 aboard a three-mast ship named Belem for the French port of Marseille a former Greek colony founded 2,600 years ago. The Belem was first used in 1896, the same year the modern Olympics came back. It will be skippered by French navigator Armel Le Clac'h, winner of the solo around-the-world race Vende Globe in 2017. The crew will reach Marseille on May

Sale of MotoGP Bharat tickets goes live as UP CM receives 1st ticket

MotoGP Bharat is scheduled to be held at the Buddh International Circuit in Noida from September 22 and 24

Indian contingent crosses 50-medal mark at Special Olympics Summer Games

The Indian contingent continued its medal rush at the Special Olympics World Summer Games, crossing the 50-medal mark here. At the end of the day's action, SO Bharat had 55 medals, including 15 gold, 27 silver, 13 bronze spread across five different sports - athletics, cycling, powerlifting, roller skating and swimming. India registered five medals in swimming (3 golds, 1 silver and, 1 bronze) and six on the cycling course (3 Gold, 2 silver, one bronze) on Wednesday. Every member of the cycling team won a medal with Neel Yadav being the first to do so with a bronze in the 5km road race. Later Yadav, Shivani and Indu Prakash won golds in the 1km time trial, while Kalpana Jena, and Jeyaseela Arbutharaj took home the silver. In the pool, India's medals almost doubled in number thanks to the exploits of the freestyle swimmers, Diksha Jitendra Shirgaonkar, Pooja Giridharrao Gaikavada and Prashaddhi Kamble winning golds, with Madhav Madan adding another medal to his tally (gold, 25m ...

Satwik-Chirag rise to career-best World no 3 in BWF doubles rankings

India's star men's doubles pair Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy achieved their new career-high ranking on Tuesday after their historic BWF Super 1000 title at the Indonesia Open.

Bhavani Devi become first Indian fencer to win medal in Asian Championships

Olympian C A Bhavani Devi on Monday created history by progressing to the semifinal of the women's sabre event at the Asian Fencing Championships in Wuxi, China, assuring India its maiden medal at the event. Bhavani stunned reigning world champion Misaki Emura of Japan 15-10 in the quarterfinals to script history. Misaki had won the women's sabre gold medal at the 2022 World Fencing Championships held in Cairo. In the semifinal, Bhavani will be up against Uzbekistan's Zaynab Dayibekova and will look to better the colour of her medal. The 29-year-old Bhavani had received a bye in the round of 64 before beating Dospay Karina of Kazakhstan in the next round. Bhavani then upset third seed Ozaki Seri 15-11 in the pre-quarterfinals. Fencing Association of India secretary-general Rajeev Mehta congratulated Bhavani on her historic achievement. "It is a very proud day for Indian fencing. Bhavani has achieved what no one could achieve before. She is first Indian fencer to win a medal at t

Archery World Cup 2023 stage 3: Abhishek Verma clinches individual gold

India's compound archer Abhishek Verma clinched a gold medal at the Archery World Cup 2023 stage 3 in Medellin, Colombia on Saturday.

Satwiksairaj, Chirag defeat world champions to clinch Indonesia Open 2023

Indian star shuttler duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty clinched the Indonesia Open 2023 title after securing their first victory against world champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik