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Kane Williamson and his men proved that the sum is always bigger than the parts. They also showed that the hesitancy in finals was no longer an albatross around their necks as they defeated India in the inaugural World Test Championship final.

In this issue

10-07-202128 STORIES

The pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on recreational athletes at all levels.

How to return to play after Covid – II

At every stage, the doctors should maintain close communication with athletes as they move from one stage to the next. The pace at which an athlete pr

Ramji Srinivasan

Ramji Srinivasan

The State's international exposure training programme has benefited Odisha’s premier track and field athlete Srabani Nanda (centre). Nanda, a manager with the Odisha Hydro Power Corporation, has been training in Jamaica for a while, and recently clocked a personal best of 11.36s in the 100 metres at an international invitational meet in Florida.

Odisha’s support system for sportspersons

With a robust sporting governance and finetuned welfare schemes for athletes, the state government speaks a language that sportspersons hold dear — mo

The Indian players jump for joy after beating Spain 4-3 in the final on July 31, 1980.

1980 Olympics hockey gold: We learnt everything in nine days in Moscow

Used to playing on grassy ground throughout in India, our boys had the first experience on the turf playing matches against the host.

Goalkeeper Frederic Manuel falls in front of Pakistan’s Abdur Rashid during India’s 0-2 loss in the semifinals in Munich on September 8, 1972.

1972 Munich Olympics: India's era of dominance in hockey ends

In 1972, we had a team that, on paper, was capable of regaining the gold but we came back with a bronze.

Gurbux Singh (right) and Balbir Singh II celebrate India’s second goal against Germany in the bronze-medal match in Mexico City on October 26, 1968.

1968 Mexico Olympics hockey: ‘Man-made mistakes cost us’

Muneer Sait, goalkeeper of the Indian hockey team that won bronze at the Mexico Games in 1968, gets emotional every time he holds the medal. It remind

Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya

Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya

“Redeeming the gold was the top priority,” recalls Gurbux Singh.

1964 Tokyo Olympics hockey: A minute appeared longer than an hour

I felt a strange numbness after the match, but the realisation of the great victory sunk in when the national anthem started playing after the medal c

Pakistan’s Bashir Ahmed duels with India’s Jaswant Singh in the final of the Rome Olympics on September 9, 1960. Pakistan won 1-0.

1960 Olympics hockey: Laying the groundwork for four years later

In Rome, we knew it wouldn’t be easy. India had managed to win 1-0 against Pakistan in 1956 and there were other teams coming up fast, including Austr

Charanjit Singh

India’s Raghbir Singh Bhola fights for possession in the final against Pakistan on December 6, 1956. India won 1-0.

1956 Olympics hockey: Winners again for the sixth Games running

“Come on, India!” the war cry roars from the Indian spectators after the interval. India respond with a goal. All have been waiting for this.

Khashaba Jadhav did not have the physique of a wrestler. He was a short, gawky student who attended Raja Ram College in Kolhapur and aspired to be a pehelwan, just like his father.

KD Jadhav: The man who put Indian wrestling on the world map

Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav won an independent India’s first individual medal at the 1952 Games in Helsinki.

Balbir Singh scored three goals against Great Britain in the semifinals on July 20, 1952, and a world-record five against the Netherlands four days later.

1952 Helsinki Olympics: A fifth hockey gold for India

Keshav Datt, one of the finest half-backs on the turf, had the blessings of the legendary Dhyan Chand, with whom he had toured East Africa before firs

Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya

Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya

Balbir Singh scored thrice against Great Britain in the final on August 12, 1948.

Balbir Singh Sr on 1948 Olympics hockey gold: I felt as if I was flying

“At the 1948 victory ceremony, as the Tricolour was going up, I felt as if I was going up, too,” Balbir Singh Sr said about India beating Great Britai

Ayan Acharya

An injured Ervin Zador’s (Hungary) after a violent water polo final against the Soviet Union in the Melbourne Olympics in 1956. Throughout the match, which Hungary won 4-0, elbows, knees and knuckles were used freely.

Olympic controversies: An endless list of shame

With the Tokyo Olympics set to begin in less than a month from now, we take a look at the many controversies that have marred the Games.

India’s Pooja Rani is ecstatic after defeating Mavluda Movlonova of Uzbekistan to clinch the gold medal in the women’s 75 kg category at the ASBC Asian Boxing Championships in Dubai on May 30.

Indian boxer Pooja Rani doesn’t want to overdo anything before Olympics

“More than tournaments, I want to work in a very balanced way and peak at the right time during the Olympics,” says Pooja Rani Bohra.

Max Verstappen is 12 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton at the top of the F1 drivers standings.

Redemption in France for Red Bull's Max Verstappen

The Red Bull driver chased down title rival Lewis Hamilton over 20 laps on fresher tyres as he took the first hat-trick of pole position, fastest lap

Dhyan Chand in action against the United States at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. India won the game by a record 23 goal margin.

1932 Tokyo Olympics: Indian hockey team a ‘typhoon out of the east’

At the interval, we were leading by ten goals to nil. Incidentally, the twenty-four goals scored was a world record for us. I scored eight, Roop Singh

The Indian Olympic hockey team photographed on arrival at the Berlin railway station on August 10, 1936. The Indian team was accorded a Nazi reception. Dhyan Chand is in a dark overcoat.

1936 Berlin Games: Dhyan Chand’s farewell Olympics

Dhyan Chand was told to fight on the front lines, but his commanding officer ordered him to return to the Olympics team and fight his battles for Indi

Vijay Lokapally

Colombian Andres Escobar lies on the ground after putting the ball into his own goal against the U.S in the 1994 World Cup. Escobar was shot dead on returning to his hometown, Medellin.

It’s not always about winning in sports

The story of sport is also the story of the losers. For every victor, there are multiple losers. Triumph is only one aspect of sport, and not always t

Suresh Menon

Olympic hockey team of 1928. Standing from left: Kher Singh, S. M. Yusuf, Richard Allan, Feroze Khan, Maurice Gateley, W. J. G. Cullen, Hammond. On chairs: Dhyan Chand, Morris, Rosser (manager), Col. Tumbull (I. H. F.), Major Ricketts (I. H. F.), Pinniger (captain), Rocque. On the ground: Seaman, Marthins.

1928 Amsterdam Olympics: The hockey champions of the world

On May 28, we lined up at the Olympic Stadium to receive our Olympic medals and believe me that day our happiness knew no bounds.

“The delay gave us time to work even more on our technique but the pandemic also posed a lot of challenges,” says Manu Bhaker.

Tokyo Olympics: Manu Bhaker on her preparations, training regime and missing mom's food!

“I am happy that I am getting to represent my country at the Olympics. It is the biggest and most important competition for all players. I am putting

Kamesh Srinivasan

Williamson and Kohli are men of stature, batsmen lathered in greatness and leaders guiding New Zealand and India respectively.

World Test Championship: Fillip to a quaint game

A start has been made, two deserving teams made it to the peak, and when it all ended, Williamson and Kohli showed that essentially it is a sport, and

K. C. Vijaya Kumar

Indian cricketer Shafali Verma scored two fifties in the one-off Test against England in Bristol.

Shafali Verma soars on debut, breaks records

Flamboyant batter Shafali Verma became the youngest to appear in a match in all women’s Tests played in the last 10 years.

Devon Conway won the player of the series award for 306 runs in four innings, which includes a double ton.

The Devon Conway magic to Keshav Maharaj's hat-trick

Before beating India in the World Test Championship final, New Zealand beat England 1-0 in the two-match series that welcomed Devon Conway - the new r

Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya

Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya

All-rounder Sneh Rana and wicket-keeper Taniya Bhatia, who made their Test debuts, defied the formidable England attack, adding 104 runs for the unbroken ninth wicket to ensure a draw at the Bristol County Ground.

India-England women's Test: Riveting and action-packed

The Test ended in a draw, with not even three innings completed. But it produced great drama on the final day. The kind of drama that makes Test crick

P. K. Ajith Kumar

Sneh Rana (L) and Taniya Bhatia (R) of India staved off a spirited English attack on the final day of the one-off Test.

India Women vs England Women One-off Test: Debutants call the shots

In four days of engaging red-ball cricket in Bristol, Mithali Raj’s India stonewalled Heather Knight’s England to a draw after what looked like an eas

Lavanya Lakshmi Narayanan

Lavanya Lakshmi Narayanan

With 19 Grand Slam titles, Novak Djokovic moved closer to Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, who share the record of 20.

Novak Djokovic makes history with dramatic comebacks at 2021 French Open

In the women’s singles draw, Barbora Krejcikova checkmated the field.

Paul Fein

The first day of the much-anticipated final of the ICC World Test Championship was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

WTC final: Gavaskar questions lack of full covering on England grounds after day one wash-out

The question, like a couple of years earlier during the ICC World Cup when also some matches were affected by rain, is why was the ground only partial

Sunil Gavaskar

Milkha Singh, a symbol of toil and struggle

Milkha Singh, the name synonymous with running to survive and succeed, has moved to a better world. The best-remembered Indian athlete for generations

Was he India's first Olympic hero?

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