Nisha Dahiya Reaches Final, Secures Paris Berth (12)
Nisha Dahiya became the fifth Indian woman wrestler to qualify for the Paris Olympics after prevailing over Romania's Alexandra Anghel in the 68kg semi-finals at the world Olympics qualifiers. This is the first time India will have five women wrestlers at the quadrennial extravaganza.
Nisha, a world U-23 bronze medallist and Asian Championships silver medal winner, beat Anghel 8-4 and entered the final.
New Zealand's Colin Munro Announces Retirement from International Cricket
Colin Munro, the hard-hitting New Zealand top-order batsman, announced his retirement from international cricket after being overlooked for the 2024 T20 World Cup. The decision marked the end of an era for the explosive left-hander, who etched his name as one of the most destructive T20 batters in the world.
Throughout his international career, Munro donned the Kiwi colours in 1 Test, 57 ODIs, and 65 T20Is, amassing a total of 3,010 runs. However, it was in the shortest format of the game that Munro truly showcased his batting prowess, earning a reputation as a T20 specialist.
Munro's career is adorned with several remarkable records and milestones. His 14-ball 50 against Sri Lanka at Eden Park in 2016 remains the fastest T20I fifty by a New Zealand batsman and the fourth-quickest of all time. He also holds the distinction of scoring a 47-ball century against the West Indies in 2018, which was the fastest T20I hundred by a Kiwi at the time.
May 11, 2024
Indian Shooters Fare Poorly in Baku World Cup (11)
Indian shooters' dismal run in the ISSF World Cup in Baku continued with none of the skeet exponents making it to the finals. Anant Jeet Singh Naruka finished 15th with a score of 120, while Mairaj Khan could only manage 105 and finished 76th. Sheeraz Sheikh aggregated 115 to finish 54th. In women's skeet, Raiza Dhillon ended up 16th with 114, while Maheshwari Chauhan was 20th with 113 points and Ganemat Sekhon finished 25th with 111 points.
Neeraj Chopra Finishes Second in Doha Diamond League 2024
In the most enthralling of encounters, it was ultimately not meant to be for Neeraj Chopra, who fell just short of the top spot, as the Indian sealed a second-place finish in the Doha Diamond League 2024.
Chopra registered a season-best throw of 88.36m with his final attempt but fell just 2 centimetres short of the crown to Jakub Vadlejch, whose best came in at 88.38m.
Doha marked Chopra's return to action, the first event of this season.
Neeraj Chopra is the only Indian to have to have become the Diamond League champion, which was done in 2022. However, in the last edition in 2023, Jakub Vadlejch from the Czech Republic took the title.
Austria's Former US Open Winner Dominic Thiem Announces Retirement (11)
Austria's Dominic Thiem, former US Open champion, announced his retirement from the sport, ending a career plagued by a long-term wrist injury.
Dominic's career nose-dived since his crowning moment in 2020, when Thiem beat Alexander Zverev in that year's pandemic-affected US Open final held behind closed doors.
The season 2024 will be my last one. I will finish my career with the end of this season, said Dominic.
Once the world number three, Thiem's ranking plummeted to 352 in June 2022 after a wrist injury sidelined him for nine months and prevented him from defending his US Open title.
May 10, 2024
T20 World Cup 2024: Wanindu Hasaranga Leads Sri Lanka Squad
Sri Lanka announced its squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup, with Wanindu Hasaranga leading the pack for the 2014 champions.
The squad announced includes Charith Asalanka as vice-captain while Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star bowler Matheesha Pathirana also made the squad despite injury ruling him out of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024).
Sri Lanka will start their campaign against South Africa on June 3 in New York and will hope to recapture glory after a decade.
World Wrestling Body Suspends Bajrang Punia; SAI Approves his Training Stint Abroad but Wrestler ...
Wrestling's world governing body UWW suspended Bajrang Punia till the end of this year following NADA's decision to hand him a provisional suspension for refusing to undergo a dope test.
However, in a rather surprising decision, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) sanctioned close to Rs. 9 lakh for his training abroad despite being well aware of NADA's order.
Bajrang, one of the country's most successful wrestlers, was suspended by NADA on April 23 after being served a whereabouts failure notice on April 18.
In his defence, the Tokyo Olympics bronze-medallist said he never refused to give his sample for testing but merely asked the Dope Control Officer to explain the presence of expired kits which were brought to take his sample.
Amul Becomes 'Official Sponsor' of Sri Lanka Men's Cricket Team for T20 World Cup 2024
Sri Lanka Cricket announced that the Indian milk producer Amul was appointed as the 'Official Sponsor' of the Sri Lanka Men's Team for the duration of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024. According to Ashley De Silva, CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket, Amul's partnership with Sri Lanka Cricket is an excellent move, as associating with an international sports brand is going to help the firm gain market growth and further enhance its brand visibility among the international audience.
May 09, 2024
Neeraj Chopra to Compete in India for First Time in 3 Years at Federation Cup
Olympic and world champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will compete at home for the first time in three years after confirming participation in the National Federation Cup to be held in Bhubaneswar from May 12 to 15.
The superstar is expected to travel to India from Doha after opening his season in the first leg of the prestigious Diamond League series on May 10.
Chopra's coach Klaus Bartonietz also confirmed to PTI that his ward is taking part in the Bhubaneswar event.
May 08, 2024
India Clinches 3 Gold, And 2 Bronze Medals at Asian Open Pickleball Championships in Vietnam
India clinched three gold and two bronze medals at the Asian Open Pickleball Championships in Vietnam yesterday. Sachin Pahwa and Priyanka Chabbra led India to its first gold medal, defeating Ruben Hellberg and Chitlada Hemasee 11-9, 5-11, 11-9, in the mixed doubles intermediate 35+ category final.
While in the women's doubles open category, the pair of Isha Lakhani and Pei Chuan Kao bagged the gold medal with a dominating 15-7, 15-3 win against Dang Kim Ngan and Tyak K.
In the men's doubles, India's Aniket Patel and Rohit Patil claimed the yellow metal despite losing the opening game. The duo defeated Nik Alessandro Isagan and Lester Ga 5-11, 11-6, and 11-8 in the final. In the men's singles advance 35+ category, Vijay Menon defeated Yu Hsuan Cher to secure the bronze, while in the women's singles intermediate 35+ event, Priyanka Chhabra defeated Marissa Phongsirikul, earning India another bronze medal.
Paris-bound Preeti Leads India's Golden Run at Asian Boxing
Paris Olympics-bound Preeti was among seven Indian boxers to have clinched the gold medal as the country's medals tally hit a high of 43 at the conclusion of the Asian U-22 & Youth Boxing Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Preeti (54kg) made a remarkable comeback after going down 0-5 in the first round to register a 3-0 win in the final against Kazakhstan's Bazarova Elina.
The Indian boxers won 12 gold, 14 silver and 17 bronze medals to finish second behind hosts Kazakhstan, who bagged a total of 48 medals. The U-22 team grabbed a total of 21 medals, including seven gold, five silver and nine bronze.
Indian Contingent Bags 43 Medals At ASBC Asian U-22 And Youth Boxing Championships In Astana, Kaz...
In boxing, the Indian contingent wrapped up their electrifying journey at the ASBC Asian U-22 and Youth Boxing Championships with a remarkable haul of 43 medals in Astana, Kazakhstan. This includes 12 gold, 14 silver, and 17 bronze medals from both categories.
The Indian U-22 team finished with 21 medals, including seven gold, five silver, and nine bronze medals, yesterday, while the youth section bagged 22 medals, including five gold, nine silver, and eight bronze medals, on Monday. India finished with the second-highest medal count, only behind the hosts, Kazakhstan, who have won 48 medals.