The major developments from the world of sports on July 30 where Indians took part are as follows:
CRICKET
Nikhil Chopra to head DDCA’S CAC
Former international cricketer Nikhil Chopra will head the three-member DDCA Cricket Advisory Committee. As per the announcement, Surinder Khanna and Anjali Sharma were the other members. The committee is tasked with advising the President with the appointment of selection committee members, coaches, managers and support staff for various teams of the DDCA.
- Rakesh Rao
WEIGHTLIFTING
Siddhanta Gogoi crowned 61kg junior Asian champion; Gyaneshwari, Koyel win silver medals
India’s Siddhanta Gogoi clinched the men’s 61kg junior title while Gyaneshwari Yadav and Koyel Bar secured silver medals in the women’s 49kg event at the Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships on Sunday.
The 19-year-old Siddhanta, who had upstaged senior Shubham Todkar earlier this month at the Commonwealth Championships, lifted 265kg (116kg+149kg) to give host India its first gold medal of the ongoing edition.
It was 5kg better than his 260kg (112kg+148kg) effort that fetched him the CWC junior title and would have won him the senior title as well had he competed.
It was double delight for the host in the men’s 61kg junior event as Sankar Lapung clinched the bronze medal with a best effort of 256kg (114kg+142kg).
Earlier in the day, Gyaneshwari finished runner up among the juniors, while Koyel came second in the women’s 49kg youth category on day three of the Championships at the Gautam Buddha University here.
Gyaneshwari lifted a total of 175kg (78kg+97kg). Two failed attempts - one each in snatch and clean and jerk section - prevented her from matching her gold-winning effort at the Commonwealth Senior Championships held earlier this month.
Spearheading India’s campaign in the absence of Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanu, the 20-year-old had recorded her personal best in the snatch (78kg) as well as the clean and jerk section (98kg).
Philippines’ Rosegie Ramos was crowned the Asian Junior Champion for her effort of 182kg (83kg+99kg) while Vietnamese lifter Birch Tram Ngyun 169kg (76kg+93kg) took home the bronze.
In the youth event, Koyel heaved 69kg in snatch and 86kg in clean and jerk for a total effort of 155kg. Another Phillippine lifter, Jhodie Peralta, won the gold 160kg (73kg+87kg) while Thailand’s Phanida Denduang 151kg (67kg+84kg) came third.
- PTI
BADMINTON
Govind lifts maiden State men’s title, Andrea retains her crown
There was one phase early in the second game of the Kerala State senior badminton championship’s men’s final on Sunday when Govind Krishna felt all was lost.
The 22-year-old from Kozhikode, yet to recover fully from a recent hamstring injury, had lost the opening game against Ernakulam’s S. Abhishek and was down 0-4 in the next.
Govind Krishna (left) and Andrea Sarah Kurien | Photo Credit: Stan Rayan
“At that stage, I thought the match was gone, I felt I didn’t have anything to lose so I played a bit more freely. And then, I got into the zone,” Govind said after defeating Abhishek 13-21, 21-15, 21-17 for his maiden State senior title at the CSN Trust hall here.
“He made many mistakes in that second game, he lost the rhythm and I got in.”
And suddenly Abhishek, from Ernakulam, who had looked so inspired in the opening game, appeared to have serious doubts about himself in the second game as Govind levelled at nine and then broke away to a 19-15 lead with some telling smashes.
The two were level for a major part of the decider but Abhishek gained a 15-12 lead. But once Govind equalised at 15, the former turned jittery and committed a series of mistakes.
The top-seeded Andrea Sarah Kurien retained her State women’s title but she was also stretched to three games by second-seed Farza Nazrin.
Farza, who trains at the Prakash Padukone Academy in Bengaluru, had lost the under-19 final to Andrea a couple of days ago but she appeared to have picked up some valuable lessons from that encounter.
She looked better and stronger initially and moved Andrea around and took the opening game.
Andrea, from Ernakulam, appeared to be in some discomfort at that stage.
“My weight training hasn’t been regular so my legs are really weak now. The more I moved, the more I got tired so I tried to be really slow,” she said.
“But then in the second set, I had no choice. I really didn’t think I’d win because I was really tired.”
But while her legs were weary, her mind didn’t give in. She grabbed the openings that came her way and gained a 17-11 advantage in the second game after Farza messed up a flick and a smash. She hung on to it and slowly broke away and never looked back.
THE RESULTS
- Stan Rayan
BOXING
Three-nation camp for boxers to start on July 31
Elite Indian male and female boxers will be part of a week-long three-nation camp, starting at NIS Patiala from Monday.
A 21-member team from Philippines and a 31-member team from Russia have reached Patiala and their boxers will have sparring sessions with the home boxers, who will utilize the experience to prepare for the Asian Games.
The first and second rung Indian boxers will move to China in the first week of September for another camp prior to the Asiad.
-Y. B. Sarangi
TENNIS
Rishab and Ishaque lose doubles final
Rishab Agarwal and Ishaque Eqbal were beaten 7-5, 3-6, [10-8] by top seeds Guy Orly Iradukunda and Aziz Ouakaa in the doubles final of the $ 25,000 ITF men’s tennis tournament in Brazzaville, Congo.
THE RESULTS
$25,000 ITF men, Brazzaville, Congo
- Kamesh Srinivasan
Karthik Karunakaran wins AITA wheelchair tournament
Top seed Karthik Karunakaran overcame a late resistance from Shekar Veeraswamy for a 6-1, 7-5 victory in the final of the AITA Rs. 200,000 wheelchair tennis tournament at the DLTA Complex on Sunday.
Karthik led 6-1, 4-1 before Shekar won many rounds of applause from the appreciative gathering with his delectable game. However, at the crunch, Karthik was able to assert himself for a straight-set triumph.
Karthik Karunakaran (left) is congratulated by Shekar Veeraswamy in the AITA wheelchair tennis tournament in Delhi on Sunday. | Photo Credit: Kamesh Srinivasan
In fact, Karthik had dropped only six games in all on his way to the final.
Later, Karthik was beaten in the doubles final, in partnership with Mariappan Durai, by Indra Pandey and Balachandar Subramanian 10-8 in the super tie-break.
In the women’s final, top seed KP Shilpa beat Prathima Rao in straight sets, albeit after a tussle.
The singles champions were presented Rs. 12,500 each, and the runners-up Rs. 8,400. The doubles champions received Rs. 6,200.
The president of AITA, Dr. Anil Jain and the president of DLTA, Rohit Rajpal, presented the prizes.
THE RESULTS
- Kamesh Srinivasan
MORE SPORTS
CRPF athletes win 5 gold, 1 silver for India in World Police and Fire Games
Athletes from Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) fetched five gold and one silver medal for India on the opening day of the World Police and Fire Games in Winnipeg, Canada.
Luwangthem Gunao and M Dhiren Singh won two gold medals each in men’s physique and body building, while Ritu Rani added another yellow metal in women’s 59kg wrestling.
Rohit Kumar bagged a silver in men’s 74kg freestyle event, according to CRPF DIG (Sports) Ajay Kumar Vashist.
Nineteen CRPF athletes, including eight women, were among 138 players from various Central Armed Police Forces and state police representing India in the Games, said Vashist.
- PTI
MOTORSPORT
Three in a row for Arjun Rao at the Indian National Rally Championship
The stages were extremely rough and looked all chewed up. But Arjun Rao (co-driver Satish Rajagopal) of Mandovi Racing) found it to his liking and rallied his way to a commanding win in the Rally of Coimbatore, the third round of the FMSCI Blueband Sports Indian National Rally Championship for four wheelers, here on Sunday.
There were four stages for the day and Arjun came out the quickest in three of them.
It is Arjun’s third overall victory this season. “This is the best ever performance in my 22 years of rallying career. Three back-to-back victories and I can’t be happier than this,” said the young man after the race.
There were four stages for the day and Arjun came out the quickest in three of them. “That’s because the tyres (MRF) had the right grip. In fact, the entire team has worked hard for this win and kudos to each one of them,” he added.
Earlier in the day, overnight leader Amittrajit Ghosh (co-driver Ashwin Naik) of Arka Motorsport enjoyed a 19-second edge over Arjun going into the first stage. But he ran into issues right at the start.
His exhaust manifold opened and there was no engine power, further down the road a stone hit the brake caliper and the fluids leaked resulting in a brake failure. Despite that, he gave his best only to finish third behind Philippos Mathai (co-driver P.V. Srinivasa Murthy).
The results (provisional):
- Rayan Rozario
GOLF
Aditi slips on third day as Boutier keeps lead
Indian golfer Aditi Ashok had another rough round at a Major as she slipped to Tied-57th after carding a 3-over 74 on day three of the Amundi Evian Championship.
France’s Celine Boutier carded a 4-under 67 to maintain her second round lead.
She leads by three strokes at 11-under and is being chased by Nasa Hataoka, Minjee Lee, Brooke Henderson, Nelly Korda and Yuka Saso.
Playing in a steady drizzle on Saturday, Aditi, who is playing her 26th Major but still looking for a maiden Top-10 finish and a first win on the LPGA Tour, shot 3-over with three bogeys on sixth, 14th and 15th.
- PTI
Jeev rises to 11th amid very strong winds at Senior Open in Wales
India’s Jeev Milkha Singh compiled a highly creditable even par 71 to rise to 11th position on a day when some of the star players at the Senior Open suffered at the windswept Royal Porthcawl Golf Club that showed its teeth.
Jeev (69-77-71) was 4-over tied 11th, but only four shots behind the leader Alex Cejka (68-71-74) at even par.
Finding four birdies to make up for his four bogeys, Jeev was one of the only seven players to shoot even par 71, which was the best score of the day with no one going below par.
Alex Čejka birdied the last hole to move into the lead as the German carded four birdies and seven bogeys. He battled to a three over par 74 on day three and despite moving backwards to level par for the event.
No player was under par. Cejka was followed by Ireland’s Pádraig Harrington and Englishman Phillip Archer who were in a tie for second place with New Zealand’s Steven Alker and three-time Major winner Vijay Singh on 1-over.
- PTI
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