DailyWorld News - The First International Newspaper From India https://dailyworld.in/ Thu, 25 Sep 2025 14:29:28 +0530 en https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/your-achievements-will-encourage-budding-athletes-pm-modi-to-paralympians-156859.html New Delhi Sep 12 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday shared a glimpse of the event in a trailer video posted in the tweet where he is seen interacting with Indias Tokyo Paralympics stars Earlier this week PM Modi had a special interaction with Paralympians at his official residence He had a candid interaction with the Paralympics medallists and asked them about their journey struggles and how they defeated adversity to become successful athletes for the nation The footage of PM Modis interaction with the Indian Paralympics contingent was shared by his official handle on Twitter on Sunday Your achievement will significantly boost the morale of the entire sporting community in the country and budding sportspersons will feel encouraged to come forward to take up sports Your indomitable spirit and willpower are praiseworthy in light of the insurmountable odds that the paraathletes have overcome in their lives said PM Modi during his interaction with the paraathletes The whole contingent along with the support deserves credit for enhancing Indias reputation in Japan with their performances When you play for India you are Indias ambassadors and they see the country through you the Prime Minister added He also urged the athletes to take defeat in the stride and set an example for the society to follow A true sportsperson does not get bogged down by defeat or victory and keeps moving forward A stole signed by all the medallists was also gifted to the Prime Minister Meanwhile the paraathletes expressed their gratitude to the Prime Minister for hosting them at his residence India won five gold seven silver and six bronze medals at the Tokyo Paralympics 2020 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/your-achievements-will-encourage-budding-athletes-pm-modi-to-paralympians-156859.html Mon, 13 Sep 2021 15:14:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympic-shooting-babu-misses-spot-in-final-by-02-points-154901.html Tokyo Sep 5 Sidhartha Babu missed out on a spot in the final of the R6 Mixed 50m Air Rifle Prone SH1 by 02 points as India ended its campaign in the shooting competitions at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games with five medals on Sunday Babu finished ninth in the qualifying stage with a score of 6172 while Chinas Dong Chao took the eighth and last qualifying spot with a score of 6174 points Babu a kickboxing instructor and a black belt in the sport who suffers from paraplegia as the result of a motorcycle accident in 2002 had scores of 1033 1013 1028 1035 and 1033 in the six series as he finished ninth The 42yearold Babu who was forced to relocate and set up a new shooting range to train during the Covid19 pandemic in 2020 was the best Indian performer at the Asaka Shooting Range on Sunday but fell short by a whisker Among the other Indians Avani Lekhara ended 28th with a score of 612 while Deepak Kumar was placed 46th among participants with a score of 6022 points With this India finished its campaign in Paralympic Games shooting with five medals two gold one silver and two bronze medals Avani Lekhara and Manish Narwal won the two gold medals while Singhraj Adhana bagged silver and bronze Avani claimed the other bronze medal This is the first time that India has won medals in shooting at the Paralympic Games IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympic-shooting-babu-misses-spot-in-final-by-02-points-154901.html Sun, 05 Sep 2021 11:03:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-krishna-nagar-wins-indias-fifth-gold-in-tokyo-154947.html Tokyo Sep 5 Krishna Nagar won Indias second gold medal from the badminton courts and fifth overall beating Hong Kong Chinas Chu Man Kai in three hardfought games in the final of the Mens Singles SH6 class at the Tokyo Paralympic Games on Sunday After Suhas Yathiraj claimed silver in SL 4 in the morning Indias hopes for another gold medal from the badminton courts at the Yoyogi National Stadium depended on Nagar the world No 2 in his class and the 22yearold from Jaipur did not disappoint as he played a superb aggressive game to prevail over Chu 21 in 43 minutes After winning the first game Nagar who took up badminton in 2014 and began playing seriously three years later defeated Chu Man Kai 2117 1621 2117 to win the match and gold medal on Sunday This was Indias fourth medal in badminton at Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games after Pramod Bhagat won gold in SL3 on Saturday and Manoj Sarkar won bronze in the same class On Sunday Suhas Yathiraj won a silver medal Indias third in badminton before Nagar added a gold to the tally This took Indias overall tally to 20 medals 5 gold eight silver and 6 bronze medals IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-krishna-nagar-wins-indias-fifth-gold-in-tokyo-154947.html Sun, 05 Sep 2021 14:26:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-yathiraj-wins-silver-says-happy-and-disappointed-at-the-same-time-154993.html Tokyo Sep 5 Playing aggressively and at a good pace Indias Suhas Yathiraj won the first game against Frances World No 1 Lucas Mazur in the final of the Mens Singles SL4 class but could not close the match and went down fighting in three wellfought games The 38yearold unseeded Indian thus won a silver medal in the badminton competition at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games here on Sunday Yathiraj gave the Frenchman the threetime world champion a mighty scare as he won the first game breaking away from 77 to win 2115 as Mazur struggled to keep up with the pace set by the 38yearold Indian Yathiraj had handy leads in the second and third games but Mazur was too experienced and too skilled and fought back from a game down to win 1521 21172115 in just over an hour to win the gold medal Yathiraj said he was disappointed in letting the gold slip from his grasp Very emotional feeling for me I have never felt most happy and most disappointed in my life at the same time most happy because of the silver medal but most disappointed because I missed the gold by a whisker But at the same time destiny gives you what you deserve so at this time I deserve a silver medal so I am happy for that said Yathiraj after the medal ceremony Tarun Dhillon the second Indian in the SL4 class who had lost to Mazur in three games on Saturday failed to overcome the disappointment as he went down tamely 2117 2111 to Indonesias Fredy Seitiawan to miss out on a bronze medal Tarun was the second seed in the SL4 class behind Mazur and expected to meet him in the final But a loss to Seitiawan in the Group Stage meant he finished second and thus had to play the top seed in the semifinal But there were no such problems for Yathiraj who is the district magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar NOIDA in Uttar Pradesh and had practiced mostly in the nights after work to play in the circuit who came out all guns blazing He played aggressively and at a great pace to unsettle the seasoned French star It was the right tactics to stump the French World No 1 who is known for his power play and blazing smashes Yathiraj controlled the pace in the first game and took an early lead in the second too However he could not close the match as the French player slowed down the pace and used his superb netplay to overcome the challenge posed by his Indian opponent Mazur who was trailing 1215 at one time took control of the proceedings and mixed brilliant overhead smashes and deceptive placements with deft touches at the net to win nine of the next 11 points to bag the second game 2117 Yathiraj held a slight advantage in the third and deciding game too and was leading at the midway stage But Mazur fought back again and levelled scores at 1313 before winning the game match and gold medal at 2115 This was Yathirajs first medal in the Paralympic Games He was among the last of the Indian parabadminton players to book his berth to Tokyo Paralympic Games on a bipartite quota However the 38yearold played at a high level in Tokyo where he was unseeded Yathiraj said he missed hearing the National Anthem being played at the ceremony That is what you pray that is what you hope and that is what you dream for As I said I have never been more disappointed and more happy in my life coming so close yet so far Still winning the Paralympic Games silver medal is not a small thing I am extremely proud and happy for what I have done Yathiraj was quoted as saying in a video provided by the Paralympic Committee of India and Eurosport the official broadcaster for India IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-yathiraj-wins-silver-says-happy-and-disappointed-at-the-same-time-154993.html Sun, 05 Sep 2021 18:02:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/ias-officer-yathiraj-dedicates-paralympics-silver-to-late-father-155036.html Tokyo Sep 5 Para badminton player Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj on Sunday dedicated the silver medal he won at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in SL4 class to his late father who had always dreamed of him excelling in his career as well as in sports I remember my late father because of whom I stand here and I got my medal There are a lot of people I wish I remember and I thank because of who I am here I could deliver on big occasions Extremely happy and proud moment Yethiraj was quoted as saying in a video posted by the Paralympic Committee of India Yethiraj a Computer Engineering graduate from National Institute of Technology Suratkal Karnataka and who is currently posted as the district magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar in Uttar Pradesh said winning this medal means the world to him For any sportsperson there is no higher achievement than winning a medal in the Olympics or Paralympics So this medal means the world to me he said Yathiraj who has an impairment to one of his ankles said he never allowed the impairment to stop him from following his dream I never saw myself with the impairment and I owe this mindset to my parents I was not given any special treatment since the beginning My parents made me play with schoolmates and allowed me to participate in interschool races which many parents of special needs children didnt I also think that like most good things stigma too begins at home All the strength to lead a proper life begins at home he once told the media Yathiraj who mostly practices badminton after work from 830 pm till midnight daily started playing badminton seriously in 2012 I played badminton at school level and it was my favourite pastime in the civil services academy Some of my colleagues lauded me for the way I played and suggested that I should take it up professionally My wife Ritu also thought the same so I went ahead My interest started in 2012 the deformity in my ankle forced me to play sports more and stay more active It was then I came to know about Para badminton and it has been upwards from there It was because of his fathers dream that Yathiraj appeared for the Civil Services In 2007 he began working at the Indian Administrative Service IAS in Uttar Pradesh cadre In 2020 he was appointed district magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar I was enjoying myself working as a software engineer in SAP Labs India Worked in Bengaluru Bangkok and Germany for the company But my fathers death in 2005 brought me home and reminded me of his wish to see me as an IAS officer Pursuing badminton is a balancing act for Yathiraj as he can devote time to it only after completing his duties as an IAS officer But the 38yearold has managed that admirably well so far Yathiraj has won bronze in Team Standing SL3SU5 at the Asian Para Games Jakarta in 2018 and gold in Mens Singles at Asian Para Badminton Championship 2016 He has thus far won five gold four silver and seven bronze medals in other international competitions But the silver medal that he won on Sunday tops them all and will be a motivation for him to continue pursuing parabadminton for some more years IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/ias-officer-yathiraj-dedicates-paralympics-silver-to-late-father-155036.html Sun, 05 Sep 2021 21:46:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/ttfi-questions-manikas-timing-of-bringing-up-serious-allegations-against-national-coach-154834.html New Delhi Sep 4 The Table Tennis Federation of India TTFI is bemused why star player Manika Batra remained silent for more than five months and then levelled serious charges against national coach Soumyadeep Roy that he tried to influence her to lose in an Olympic Qualification tournament in March this year only after being served a showcause notice in August for indiscipline Manika had made history at the Tokyo Olympic Games by becoming the first TT player from the country to reach the third round at the Games before losing to Austrias Sofia Polcanova In a controversy that has been festering for some time now Manika had refused national coach Roys help during her singles matches in Tokyo after her personal coach Sanmay Paranjape was not given FOP field of play access due to limited accreditations handed out by the Tokyo Games Organisers On her return from Tokyo TTFI served Manika a showcause notice for indiscipline and asked her to explain her refusal to allow Roy to sit courtside and help her during her matches Manika in her response to TTFIs showcause denied charges of indiscipline and instead alleged that national coach Roy had pressurised me during the qualification tournament in Doha in March 2021 to concede my match to his student to enable her to qualify for the Olympics Speaking to IANS from Lucknow TTFI secretary general Arun Banerjee said that when Manikas personal coach Sanmay Paranjape was not accredited for field of play there was no way he could sit courtside and guide Manika Banerjee said that national coach Roy has still been asked to respond to Manikas allegations and he will send his reply by Monday Banerjee said that the TTFI had always kept the interest of its players ahead of everything else and that is why when Manika came to him seeking permission to take her personal coach Sanmay Paranjape along to Tokyo we immediately cleared it Ditto for G Sathiyan If players feel they can perform better by taking their personal coaches along why should we object added Banerjee However in Tokyo the Games Organisers only gave P accreditation to personal coaches from all participating countries no exceptions made Personal coaches were not given access to FOP field of play No exceptions were made for any country so how could Manika get her personal coach inside the FOP questioned Banerjee Just before her openinground match Manika started putting pressure on us that she wanted her personal coach in the FOP How could we ensure that when it was not allowed by the Games Organisers She then refused the help of national coach Roy which really set a bad precedent said Banerjee On her return from Tokyo we served her a showcause notice and in response she has levelled these charges against national coach Roy said Banerjee Banerjee questioned Manikas logics behind waiting for five months to allege that national coach Roy had pressurised her to concede her match to his student during the Olympic qualification tournament in March Why was she silent for so long She has levelled these charges only when we served a showcause notice to her last month for indiscipline Why didnt she bring it to our notice in March What was stopping her then added Banerjee IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/ttfi-questions-manikas-timing-of-bringing-up-serious-allegations-against-national-coach-154834.html Sun, 05 Sep 2021 01:06:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/narwal-proves-why-he-is-feted-as-brightest-young-para-shooting-star-154858.html By B Shrikant Mumbai Sep 4 Manish Narwal has a lot in common with compatriot ablebodied shooter Abhinav Bindra the first Indian to win an individual gold medal at the Olympic Games Just like Bindra Narwal is a shooter But he competes with a pistol unlike Bindra who won a gold medal in 10m air rifle event at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing Like Bindra Narwal comes from a family that is ready to invest in his abilities Like Bindra Narwal is taciturn and brooding and very focused on his sport He also achieved success early setting a world record and winning medals in his teens Both have their own shooting range at home so that they can practice their trade come what may On Saturday Narwal also obliterated the lone anomaly between them a gold medal at the Olympics by winning gold in the Paralympic Games in Tokyo the quadrennial extravaganza that is the pinnacle of their sport Narwal 20 is the world record holder in P4 Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 and on Saturday proved his strength by winning the gold in the event at the Asaka Shooting Range Narwal shot a Paralympic record 218 in the final while Singhraj who had won a bronze medal in the 10m Air Pistol SH1 earlier this week finished second with a score of 2167 Sergey Malyshev of the Russian Paralympic Committee RPC took bronze with a score of 1968 The 19yearold Narwal had qualified seventh while Singhraj was fourth going into the final but both the Indians shot brilliantly holding their nerves to surge to the top of the list Narwal is the world record holder in the final set at Al Ain UAE in March this year While everybody will be hailing Narwal for his triumph not many know that shooting was not his first choice sport Narwal is a football fanatic and had even started playing for a team But his father on a suggestion by a friend asked Narwal who has a congenital impairment in his right hand to consider an individual sport as he wanted to protect his son from getting blamed for mistakes in the team atmosphere because of his impairment My father suggested that I take up shooting as it suited my temperament and after I tried it I liked shooting and decided to pursue it Narwal said He said in an individual sport I will be the master of my own fate and wont have to take responsibility for anyones mistakes said Narwal His father took him to the 1OX Shooting Academy in Ballabhgarh to train under coach Rakesh Thakur and Narwal soon made his mark at the national level His talent was spotted by JP Nautiyal the HighPerformance director of the Indian parashooting team and there was no looking back for Narwal The suggestion proved right for Narwal as he soon found his groove and had a meteoric rise in the sport winning medals soon I owe my success in this sporting success to my father as he not only helped me make the decision but also helped me pursue it with singleminded zeal He always inspires me with his words and actions said Narwal His family moved from Faridabad to Ballabhgarh to allow Narwal to pursue shooting He was selected for the 2017 Bangkok World Cup where he won the Individual Gold Medal in P1 1Om Air Pistol Men SH1 with a Junior World Record both in Qualification and Final He won three gold medals in Pl Individual and Team and P4 Team and bronze in P4 at the 2018 World Cup at Chateauroux France He announced his arrival by winning gold at the 2018 Asian Para Games in the P1 mens 10m air pistol SH1 and also captured silver in the P4 mixed 50m pistol SH1 In 2019 Narwal won three gold medals in P1 P4 and P6 Team events and a silver medal in P1 Individual at the 2019 World Shooting Para Cup Osijek Croatia And early this year he won the gold medal in P4 Mixed 50m pistol SH1 event at the Al Ain 2021 World Shooting Para Sport World Cup in March setting a world record score of 2291 Narwal the Sydney 2019 World Championship bronze medallist overcame a competitive field that included Paralympic and world champions Irans Sareh Javanmardi and Ukraines Oleksii Denysiuk to win the P4 mixed 50m pistol SH1 event The Indian finished with 2291 points enough to break the previous world record of Serbias Rastko Jokic 2286 set in 2019 He did face a setback in Tokyo as he finished seventh despite topping the qualifying round in the P110m Air Pistol SH1 event But by winning the gold medal in the P4Mixed 50m Air Pistol SH1 Narwal has proved why he is considered part of para shooting sports new generation of young stars IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/narwal-proves-why-he-is-feted-as-brightest-young-para-shooting-star-154858.html Sun, 05 Sep 2021 04:16:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-yathiraj-loses-final-wins-silver-in-sl4-badminton-154877.html Tokyo Sep 5 Indias Suhas L Yathiraj went down fighting to Frances World No 1 Lucas Mazur in three wellfought games in the final of the Mens Singles SL4 class and had to be satisfied with the silver medal at the Tokyo Paralympic Games here on Sunday Yathiraj stunned the Frenchman the threetime World Champion in the first game and had handy leads in the second and third games but Mazur is too experienced and too skilled and fought back from a game down to win 1521 2117 2115 in just over an hour to win the gold medal Yathiraj who is the district magistrate of Gautham Buddha Nagar NOIDA in Uttar Pradesh and had practised mostly in the nights after work to prepare for the Paralympics played aggressively and at great pace to unsettle the seasoned French star But Mazur who was trailing 1215 at one time in the second game took control of the proceedings and mixed brilliant overhead smashes and deceptive placements with deft touches at the net to win nine of the next 11 points to bag the second game 2117 Yathiraj held a slight advantage in the third and deciding game and was leading at the midway stage But Mazur fought back again and levelled scores at 1313 before winning the game match and gold medal at 2115 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-yathiraj-loses-final-wins-silver-in-sl4-badminton-154877.html Sun, 05 Sep 2021 08:09:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-singhraj-narwal-qualify-for-final-in-mixed-50m-air-pistol-154663.html Tokyo Sep 4 Indias chances of winning a medal in the P4 Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 at the Tokyo Paralympic Games doubled with both Singhraj and Manish Narwal qualifying for the final on Saturday Singhraj shot superbly to surge into the final with a score of 536 and finish fourth while Narwal had a topsyturvy round as he went up and down the table a few times before finishing seventh with a score of 533 as eight shooters made it to the final Uzbekistans Server Ibragimov Chinas Lou Xiaolong and Irans female shooter Sareh Javanmardi finished with identicals score of 539 but the Uzbek took the top position as he had shot nine pellets into the inner10 circle 9x as compared to eight by the Chinese and five by the Iranian shooter Russian Paralympic Committees RPC Sergey Malyshev who had shot a world record score of 555 in Lima Peru in June this year could manage only 532 on Saturday as he booked the eighth and last spot in the final Serbias Zivko Papaz and Chinas Yang Chao are the other two shooters in the final Narwal who holds the world record for the final scored 79 in his fourth series of 10 shots and also had an 88 on his sixth turn These two low scores pulled him down and he had to be satisfied with the seventh position Narwal shot a 91 in the first round of 10 shots followed it up with 93 and another 91 before disaster struck in the fourth series He responded with a 91 before ending his qualification round with a score of 88 in the last10 shots Singhraj was more consistent as he shot 90 or more in four rounds He started with 93 90 and 91 in first three rounds followed by two 86s before winding off with a 90 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-singhraj-narwal-qualify-for-final-in-mixed-50m-air-pistol-154663.html Sat, 04 Sep 2021 09:17:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympic-shooting-narwal-singhraj-claim-gold-silver-for-india-154689.html EDS IMAGE POSTED BY ShootingParaSport Tokyo Gold medallist Manish Narwal of India poses for photographs during the presentation ceremony of P4Mixed 50m Pistol Shooting event at the Tokyo Paralympics 2020 in Tokyo Saturday Sep 4 2021 PTI Tokyo Sep 4 Indias Manish Narwal and Singhraj won gold and silver respectively as they finished 12 in the P4 Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 at the Tokyo Paralympic Games at the Asaka Shooting Range here on Saturday Narwal shot a Paralympic record 218 in the final while Singhraj who had won a bronze medal in the 10m Air Pistol SH1 earlier this week finished second with a score of 2167 Sergey Malyshev of the Russian Paralympic Committee RPC took the bronze with a score of 1968 The 19yearold Narwal had qualified seventh while Singhraj was fourth going into the final but both the Indians shot brilliantly holding their nerves to surge to the top of the list Narwal is the world record holder in the final set at Al Ain UAE in March this year Singhraj 39 shot into the lead after the first elimination round but Malayshev soon came back to open up a twopoint lead as Uzbekistans Server Ibragimov who topped the qualifying Irans Sareh Javanmardi and Chinas Lou Xiaolong all got eliminated one after another with the Indians maintaining their position in the top five Narwal and Singhraj overtook the Chinese duo of Xiaolong and Yang Chao in the fourth series of shots as the Chinese shooters faltered with 75 and 87 respectively Malayshev crashed out with a 69 on his 21st turn as Narwal shot a 10 and Singhraj 92 to jump to the top two positions In the next two shots Narwal managed 84 and 91 while Singhraj made 85 and 94 respectively but that was not enough for him to overtake Narwal and Singhraj had to be satisfied with the silver his second medal at Tokyo 202 Earlier Singhraj shot superbly to surge into the final with a score of 536 and finish fourth while Narwal had a topsyturvy round as he went up and down the table a few times before finishing seventh with a score of 533 as eight shooters made it to the final Uzbekistans Server Ibragimov Chinas Lou Xiaolong and Irans female shooter Sareh Javanmardi finished with an identical score of 539 but the took the top position as he had shot nine pellets into the inner10 circle 9x as compared to eight by the Chinese and five by the Iranian shooter Russian Paralympic Committees RPC Sergey Malyshev who had shot a world record score of 555 in Lima Peru in June this year could manage only 532 on Saturday as he booked the eighth and last spot in the final Serbias Zivko Papaz and Chinas Yang Chao are the other two shooters in the final Narwal who holds the World Record for the final scored 79 in his fourth series of 10 shots and also had an 88 on his sixth turn These two low scores pulled him down and he had to be satisfied with the seventh position Narwal shot a 91 in the first round of 10 shots and followed that up with 93 and another 91 before disaster struck in the fourth series He responded with a 91 before ending his qualification round with an 88 Singhraj was more consistent as he shot 90 or more in four rounds He started with 93 90 and 91 in first three rounds followed by two 86s before winding off with a 90 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympic-shooting-narwal-singhraj-claim-gold-silver-for-india-154689.html Sat, 04 Sep 2021 11:19:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-bhagat-yathiraj-in-badminton-finals-154709.html Tokyo Sep 4 Shuttler Pramod Bhagat and Suhas Yathiraj stormed into the Mens Singles final in SL3 and SL4 class respectively to assure India of two medals in the Tokyo Paralympic Games badminton competition on Saturday Bhagat the world No 1 in SL3 class defeated Daisuke Fujihara of Japan 20 2111 2116 in the semifinals while Yathiraj got the better of Sethiwan Fredy of Indonesia 20 219 2115 in SL4 class In both these sections two Indians will be figuring in the bronze medal matches Manoj Sarkar lost in the semifinals to Daniel Bathell of Great Britain in the SL3 section while Tarun Dhillon lost 1621 1621 2116 to Frances Lucas Mazur the top seed in a threesetter that went past the onehour mark Bhagat the reigning world champion in this class took an early lead in his semifinal clash with the Japanese and rode the momentum to emerge 2111 2116 to surge into the final at the Yoyogi National Stadium here In the final Bhagat will meet World No 2 Daniel Bathell the man he beat in the final of the World Championship in Basel in 2019 Bathell defeated Indias Manoj Sarkar 218 2110 in the second semifinal surging ahead from 99 in the second game to win in 38 minutes Bhagat served well and capitalised on the advantage of opening he could create by moving the shuttle up and down to win 15 points on his service He had a big lead of 10 points and did not make many mistakes as he won easily The second game was tougher as Fujihara tried to counter the Indians game But Bhagat was not to be denied as he went on to win the second game 2116 and sealed victory The SL3 class games are played in onehalf of the badminton court as the players cant make a sideways movement India can now expect two medals from this section Bhagat fighting for the gold while Sarkar will take on Fujihara in the bronze medal match to be played later in the day Yathiraj who is the district magistrate of Gautam Buddha Nagar NOIDA in Uttar Pradesh found the going easy in the first game as he controlled the rallies and moved his opponent around with measured strokes He won 14 points on his serve while taking seven off Sitawans serve The Indonesian put up a tougher fight in the second but Yathiraj won it at 15 to win the semifinal Dhillon put up a brilliant fight in the semifinal against Mauzer after losing the first game 2114 He took a seven points lead and maintained his hold to win the second set The scores went neckandneck in the third game before Mauzer broke away to win it 2118 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-bhagat-yathiraj-in-badminton-finals-154709.html Sat, 04 Sep 2021 13:18:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/pm-modi-shooter-bindra-cricketer-sehwag-shower-praise-on-para-shooters-154740.html New Delhi Sep 4 Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indias first individual Olympic Games gold medallist Abhinav Bindra were among the first to congratulate shooters Manish Narwal and Singhraj who won gold and silver respectively in the P4 Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 at the Tokyo Paralympic Games on Saturday In what has been the best performance by Indian para athletes at the quadrennial showpiece para shooters Narwal and Singhraj along with rifle shooter Avani Lekhara have erased the painful memories of 15 top Indian shooters firing blanks one after another at the Tokyo Olympics less than a month back In a series of tweets PM Modi said Glory from the Tokyo Paralympics continues Great accomplishment by the young and stupendously talented Manish Narwal His winning the Gold Medal is a special moment for Indian sports Congratulations to him Best wishes for the coming times Praise4Para For Singhraj PM tweeted The outstanding Singhraj Adhana does it again He wins yet another medal this time in the Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 event India rejoices due to his feat Congrats to him Wishing him the very best for the future endeavours Paralympics Praise4Para Bindra winner of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games gold in 10m air rifle tweeted after the success of Narwal and Singhraj The greatest gift we as a nation can give to our Paralympic Team and champions is to use this moment as a way to make the disabled population in our country more inclusive That would be amazing impact leveraging on the power of sport In another tweet Bindra said 12 for India The stuff of dreamsGold for Manish Narwal with a Paralympic record in mixed 50m SH1 And Silver for Singhraj Adhana his second medal of the Tokyo2020 Paralympics Just Incredible Congratulations to both we all are so proud Praise4Para What a wonderful moment to see two Indians winning both the Gold as well as Silver Gold for 19 yr old Manish Narwal Silver for Singhraj Adhana Make that 15 medals Brilliant display from Team India at Paralympics tweeted former India cricketer Virender Sehwag IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/pm-modi-shooter-bindra-cricketer-sehwag-shower-praise-on-para-shooters-154740.html Sat, 04 Sep 2021 16:01:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-bhagat-yathiraj-nagar-assure-india-three-medals-in-badminton-154762.html Tokyo Sep 4 India were assured of at least three medals from the badminton courts at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games as shuttler Pramod Bhagat SL3 Suhas Yathiraj SL4 and Krishna Nagar SH6 stormed into the Mens Singles finals in SL3 and SL4 and SH6 class respectively on Saturday Bhagat the World No 1 in SL3 class defeated Daisuke Fujihara of Japan 20 2111 2116 in the semifinals while Yathiraj got the better of Sethiwan Fredy of Indonesia 20 219 2115 in SL4 class Nagar the 22yearold from Jaipur defeated Krysten Coombs of Great Britain 2110 2111 in 26 minutes to reach the final in the Mens Singles SH6 In SL3 and SL4 sections two Indians will be figuring in the bronze medal matches Manoj Sarkar lost in the semifinals to Daniel Bathell of Great Britain in the SL3 section while Tarun Dhillon lost 1621 1621 2116 to Frances Lucas Mazur the top seed in a threesetter that went past the onehour mark The mixed doubles pair of Pramod Bhagat and Palak Kohli will also contest for the bronze medal as they lost to World No 1 pair of Hary Susanto and Oktila Ratri Leani 213 2115 BhagatKohli will now take on the Japanese pair of Daisuke Fujihara and Akiko Sugino for the bronze medal Bhagat the reigning world champion in this class took an early lead in his semifinal clash with the Japanese and rode the momentum to emerge 2111 2116 to surge into the final at the Yoyogi National Stadium here In the final Bhagat will meet World No 2 Daniel Bathell the man he beat in the final of the World Championship in Basel in 2019 Bathell defeated Indias Manoj Sarkar 218 2110 in the second semifinal surging ahead from 99 in the second game to win in 38 minutes Bhagat served well and capitalised on the advantage of opening he could create by moving the shuttle up and down to win 15 points on his service He had a big lead of 10 points and did not make many mistakes as he won easily The second game was tougher as Fujihara tried to counter the Indians game But Bhagat was not to be denied as he went on to win the second game 2116 and sealed victory The SL3 class games are played in onehalf of the badminton court as the players cant make a sideways movement India can now expect two medals from this section Bhagat fighting for the gold while Sarkar will take on Fujihara in the bronze medal match to be played later in the day Yathiraj who is the district magistrate of Gautam Buddha Nagar NOIDA in Uttar Pradesh found the going easy in the first game as he controlled the rallies and moved his opponent around with measured strokes He won 14 points on his serve while taking seven off Sitawans serve The Indonesian put up a tougher fight in the second but Yathiraj won it at 15 to win the semifinal Dhillon put up a brilliant fight in the semifinal against Mauzer after losing the first game 2114 He took a seven points lead and maintained his hold to win the second set The two players neckandneck in the third game before Mauzer broke away to win the game 2118 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-bhagat-yathiraj-nagar-assure-india-three-medals-in-badminton-154762.html Sat, 04 Sep 2021 17:48:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-bhagat-wins-first-gold-for-india-in-badminton-154788.html EDS TWITTER IMAGE POSTED BY PramodBhagat83 ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4 2021 Tokyo Shuttler Pramod Bhagat wins Gold medal in the Mens Singles SL3 at Tokyo 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo PTI Tokyo Sep 4 Pramod Bhagat became the first badminton player from India to win a gold medal at the Olympics or Paralympic Games beating Great Britains Daniel Bathell 20 in the Mens Singles SL3 final at the Tokyo Paralympic Games on Saturday Bhagat the 33yearold from Bhubaneswar who contracted polio at age four defeated the Briton 2114 2117 coming back from 49 deficit in the second game to claim his first gold medal as badminton made its Paralympic Games debut at Tokyo PV Sindhus silver medal in the 2016 Olympics at Rio de Janeiro was the previous best for India in the Olympics and Paralympics Sindhu has also won a bronze medal at Tokyo 2020 Olympics last month Bhagat the topranked player in the world is the reigning World Champion in SL3 class having won the title by beating Bathell in the final in Basel Switzerland in 2019 On Saturday he had reached the final by beating Japans Fujihara Daisuke in straight games IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-bhagat-wins-first-gold-for-india-in-badminton-154788.html Sat, 04 Sep 2021 19:43:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/hat-gifted-by-wife-proves-lucky-charm-for-paralympics-medallist-singhraj-154811.html Tokyo Sep 4 A trilby hat gifted by his wife turned out to be the lucky charm for Indian pistol shooter Shighraj Adhana as he ended his campaign in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games with a silver and bronze medal Singhraj who won bronze in the 10m Air Pistol SH1 three days ago bagged a silver medal in the P4 Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 at the Tokyo Paralympic Games on Saturday He finished second behind compatriot Manish Narwal 218 with a score of 2167 in the final Sergey Malyshev of the Russian Paralympic Committee RPC took bronze with a score of 1968 My hat is a gift from my wife so my very lucky hat Singhraj explained after the Mixed 50m air pistol SHI final on Saturday His wife had also sold her jewellery last year to help Singhraj set up a shooting range near his house so that he could continue to practice even during the Covid19 pandemic Both her gifts seems to have worked wonders as Singhraj now returns home with his double bonanza In a close final in the Mixed 50m Air Pistol event on Saturday Narwal and Singhraj went neckandneck as they moved up from fourth and seventh place to bag gold and silver the final few shots deciding the medals The final was very difficult today I decided when I was in third position Singhraj good please stop breathe stop OK And one shot only one shot please No other thought my mind is slow And go again Every shot is very difficult One shot is very important so my coach every time says Singhraj Manish only one shot one shot fired Asked about the memories he will have from Tokyo besides the two medals Singhraj said he will remember the people of Japan the volunteers at the Games What is the best in Japan is the people over here The people are very nice the food is very good and the competition was the best said the 39yearold from Faridabad in Haryana IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/hat-gifted-by-wife-proves-lucky-charm-for-paralympics-medallist-singhraj-154811.html Sat, 04 Sep 2021 22:04:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-canoeist-prachi-yadav-finishes-8th-in-final-154594.html Tokyo Sep 3 Indian canoeist Prachi Yadav failed to get into medal contention in the womens Vaa Single 200m VL2 finishing eighth and last in the Tokyo Paralympic Games on Friday Prachi who had qualified for the final by finishing third in the semifinal race earlier on Friday clocked 107329 in the final and finished 10301 seconds behind eventual gold medallist Emma Wiggs of Great Britain who finished the 200m course in 57028 seconds Australias Susan Seipel took silver in 101481 and Great Britains Jeanette Chippington got bronze in 102149 minutes Earlier Prachi the 26yearold from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh who has paralysis below her waist due to polio and uses her upper body to move the boat finished third in the semifinal race in 1 minute 07397 seconds She was placed behind Great Britains Jeanette Chippington 101167 and Canadas Brianna Hennessy 106316 in the fiveboat race at the Sea Forest Waterway Fridays timing by Prachi was a big improvement on the 111098 she clocked in the heats Prachi had finished fourth in Heat 1 that got her a place in the semifinals Prachi who switched to para canoing from paraswimming in 2018 and initially started practicing on a makeshift boat designed by her coach Mayank Thakur trains at the Lower Lake in Bhopal She is into parasports since 2007 when she started swimming IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-canoeist-prachi-yadav-finishes-8th-in-final-154594.html Sat, 04 Sep 2021 00:05:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-jakhar-finishes-fifth-in-mixed-25m-pistol-shooting-154382.html Tokyo Sep 2 Having made a brilliant comeback to qualify in second place Indias Rahul Jakhar failed to repeat the act in the final eventually finishing fifth in the P3 Mixed 25m Pistol SH1 Jakhar came up with a superb performance in the rapid section of the qualifying stage to finish with a score of 576 In the final he survived the first elimination round as Ukraines Iryna Liakhu was eliminated in a shootout with Chinas Yang Chao The Chinese shooter was the next to get out he finished with a score of 5 Turkeys Korhan Muharram Yamac was the next to go was the third to get eliminated with a score of 9 Just when it was looking like Jakhar will get into the medal rounds he got eliminated as he could manage only 1 and 1 points in the next two shots to finish with a score of 12 Russian Paralympic Committees Sergey Malyshev finished fourth with a score of 17 losing out in a shootout with Ukraines Oleksii Denysiuk who eventually won a bronze medal with a score of 20 Chinas Xing Huang who topped the qualifying round bagged the gold medal with a score of 27 a Paralympic Games record for the final Earlier Jakhar was placed second behind Chinas Xing with a total score of 576 Xing had a score of 585 294 precision 291 rapid with compatriot Yang Chao third with a score of 575 precision 289 rapid 286 Akash the second Indian in the field was placed 20th after the precision round with a score of 278 He could manage only 273 in the rapid round and could not improve his position and finished 20th IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-jakhar-finishes-fifth-in-mixed-25m-pistol-shooting-154382.html Fri, 03 Sep 2021 07:56:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/australia-to-give-paralympics-winners-same-medal-bonus-as-olympics-winners-154393.html Melbourne Sep 2 The Australian government announced on Thursday that Paralympics medallists are set to be given bonuses equivalent to their Olympics counterparts Olympics gold medal winners in Tokyo received a 20000 bonus from the Australian Olympic Committee AOC The silver and bronze medallists from the Olympics are also rewarded with 15000 and 10000 respectively But there was no similar bonus for Paralympics medal winners owing to Paralympics Australia not having the funds to give out bonuses to its medal winners Im very pleased to announce that the government will provide additional support to Paralympics Australia to ensure our Paralympic medallists will receive equivalent payments to our Olympic medallists said Prime Minister Scott Morrison in the Parliament The Minister for Sport at my request spoke to Paralympics Australia CEO Lyn Anderson earlier today and Im delighted we had been able to support our fantastic Paralympians in this way We have witnessed the essence of what sport is all about being the best you possibly can be You have inspired us and we are grateful that youre one of us as Australians added Morrison The discrepancy came into light when rugby sevens player Chloe Dalton launched a fundraiser to raise money for medal winners from the Paralympics in Tokyo The funding page set three days ago by the 2016 Rio Olympics gold medallist has been 76225 raised with the goal set at 100000 100 of funds from this campaign will still be distributed evenly amongst all Australian Paralympic medallists at the Tokyo 2020 games We will contact each medallist individually and distribute the funds directly to the athletes read the fundraising page hosted on GoFundMe In the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics Australia is ranked at eighth place in the medal tally with 13 gold 23 silver and 24 bronze medals IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/australia-to-give-paralympics-winners-same-medal-bonus-as-olympics-winners-154393.html Fri, 03 Sep 2021 09:21:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-canoeist-prachi-yadav-reaches-final-154472.html Tokyo Sep 3 Indian canoeist Prachi Yadav has qualified for the final of the Womens Vaa Single 200m VL2 by finishing third in the semifinal race conducted on Friday Prachi the 26yearold from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh who has paralysis below her waist due to polio and uses her upper body to move the boat finished third in 1 minute 07397 seconds She was placed third behind Great Britains Jeanette Chippington 101167 and Canadas Brianna Hennessy 106316 in the fiveboat race at the Sea Forest Waterway Fridays timing by Prachi was a big improvement on the 111098 she clocked in the heats Prachi had finished fourth in the Heat 1 that got her a place in the semifinals It is also an improvement on the 11831 she clocked while finishing 10th in the World Championship in Szegred Hungary in 2019 Prachi who switched to canoeing from paraswimming in 2018 and learned the sport on a makeshift boat designed by her coach Mayank Thakur trains at the Lower Lake in Bhopal She is into parasports since 2007 when she started swimming The final will be held later in the day IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-canoeist-prachi-yadav-reaches-final-154472.html Fri, 03 Sep 2021 15:11:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/pm-modi-sachin-shower-praise-on-silver-medallist-praveen-kumar-154474.html EDS TWITTER IMAGE POSTED BY Tokyo2020hi Tokyo Athlete Praveen Kumar participates in Mens High Jump T64 event at the Tokyo Paralympics in Tokyo Friday Sep 3 2021 Kumar won the silver medal PTI New Delhi Sep 3 Accolades have been flowing for Praveen Kumar since he won silver in the mens High Jump T64 category taking Indias tally at the Tokyo Paralympics Games to 11 On Friday Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sachin Tendulkar expressed their admiration for the 18yearold parahigh jumper Praveen broke the Asian record with a 207m jump which helped him clinch Indias fourth silver in mens high jump and 11th medal overall at the Games Proud of Praveen Kumar for winning the Silver medal at the Paralympics This medal is the result of his hard work and unparalleled dedication Congratulations to him Best wishes for his future endeavours Praise4Para PM Modi wrote on Twitter Meanwhile cricket great Sachin Tendulkar wrote Heartiest congratulations Praveen Kumar on winning the Silver Medal also setting an Asian Record in the process in the Mens T44 class high jump Praveen couldnt clear the 207m mark in his first attempt However he made a smooth finish to clear the mark in his second try making the Asian record Abhinav Bindra Indias first ever individual gold medallist at the Olympics was also among those who congratulated Praveen Just 18 years old and already a Paralympic medalist Congratulations Praveen Kumar on winning the Silver medal in the mens high jump T44 Tokyo2020 Praise4Para he stated Paralympic Committee of India president and 2016 Rio Paralympics silver medallist Deepa Malik also congratulated Praveen on his achievement Good morning India We have secured our 11th medal this time in the Mens High Jump T64 event courtesy Praveen Kumar What a fabulous performance to bring home The country will be proud of his exceptional effortPraise4Para narendramodi ianuragthakur NisithPramanik she said IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/pm-modi-sachin-shower-praise-on-silver-medallist-praveen-kumar-154474.html Fri, 03 Sep 2021 15:18:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-archer-harvinder-in-pre-quarters-of-recurve-open-section-154482.html Tokyo Sep 3 Archer Harvinder Singh stormed into the prequarterfinals of the Mens Individual Recurve Open by beating Italian Stefano Travisani 65 via a shootout in a 116 Elimination duel at the Tokyo Paralympic Games here on Friday Harvinder who bagged a gold medal at the Asian Para Games in Jakarta Indonesia in 2018 won the first two sets and taken a 40 lead claiming them 2724 and 2622 when his Italian opponent came back strongly to take the third set 2726 at the Yumenoshima Ranking Field The duo bagged a point each 2525 and the score was still in Harvinders favour 53 However Harvinder could manage only 8 7 and 10 points on his final three arrows as Travisani won the fifth set 2725 with three 9s as he tied the set scores 55 and took the match into a singlearrow shootout In the shootout Harvinder the 30yearold with a doctorate in economics from Punjabi University Patiala shot a 10 while Travisani could manage only 7 Harvinder thus set up a prequarterfinal encounter with the Russian Paralympic Committees RPC Bato Tsydendorzhiev later in the day Harvinder considered by experts in para archery as a bright prospect after his victory in the Asian Para Games in Jakarta was placed 21st after the ranking round held on August 27 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-archer-harvinder-in-pre-quarters-of-recurve-open-section-154482.html Fri, 03 Sep 2021 15:32:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/google-was-the-first-coach-of-paralympics-silver-medallist-praveen-kumar-154488.html New Delhi Sharad Kumar who bagged bronze medal in the mens high jump event at Tokyo Paralympics 2020 during a felicitation function in New Delhi Friday Sept 3 2021 PTI Mumbai Sep 3 Having no knowledge about paraathletics high jumper Praveen Kumar who won the silver medal in Tokyo on Friday depended on Google for basic information about the sport I would watch videos of high jump on Google and try and learn from it There was nobody to teach me Later during a districtlevel meeting I was told about coach Dr Satyapal and met him and he agreed to train me said Praveen Kumar who won silver in Mens High Jump T44 at the Paralympic Games on Friday Asked about his journey thus far Kumar talked about how he tried his hand at volleyball but fell in love with high jump Kumar said that initially he did not believe he would reach thus far and be successful in paraathletics I was a volleyball player but got to know about paraathletics and high jump in 2016 I got my initial knowledge by watching videos on Google It was during a districtlevel athletics championship that I was told about coach Dr Satyapal I went and met him in 2018 he checked about my classification and then he agreed to train me said Kumar On Friday Kumar was a bit low on confidence going for 197 metres in Tokyo There was a slight drizzle in the Olympic Stadium and Indias best high jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu had missed the gold medal in the T63 final in similar conditions a few days back Kumar had all the reasons to be nervous and low on confidence But once he cleared 197 and the bar was raised to 201m and he soared over it easily Praveen says he was confident of his chances as he was in the top three and thus was sure to get at least a bronze medal He went for his next attempts with a lot of confidence When the bar was set at 197 I was a bit low on confidence as I had missed an attempt at that height and was worried whether I will be able to do it or not I managed to clear it in the next attempt But once the bar was raised to 201 and I cleared it without any issues my confidence too rose as I was now in the top three and thus assured of a medal I went for my next few jumps with a lot of confidence I decided not to think of any other thing no other competitors no rain or slippery conditions just concentrated on my jumps I decided that I had to give my best the rain the conditions notwithstanding Kumar said during a media interaction facilitated by the Paralympic Committee of India PCI along with Eurosport the Tokyo 2020 broadcast rights holders for India Kumar has a personal best of 205m which he better on Friday and also set an Asian record with a jump of 207 metres Kumar who hails from Delhi said there was a lot of pressure as he attempted to clear 210 metres that Great Britains Jonathan BroomEdwards the eventual gold medallist had already cleared There was a lot of pressure as I went for 210m on the first attempt but not on second and third attempts as I was determined to clear it I thought I had best efforts on those two turns but somehow I could not soar over the bar because my landing did not come off properly said Kumar the 18yearold from Kotla Mubarakpur village in Delhi whose one leg is short since birth and thus affects the bones that connect his hip to his left leg Asked what was his first reaction after winning the silver medal Kumar said he had no words to describe how happy he is after claiming his first Paralympic Games medal Asked what message Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave him during his phone talk after winning the medal Kumar said He gave me his blessings and said he was very happy that I have won a medal in the Paralympic Games Asked about his school days when he started taking part in the high jump for the ablebodied Kumar said initially his classmates and teams were a bit sceptical about him participating in athletics but once he started doing well they supported him I used to spend most of my school time in sports and my classmates and teams were a bit sceptical unsure whether I was getting somewhere or not But when I won a silver medal in the World Junior Championship they started supporting me said Kumar IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/google-was-the-first-coach-of-paralympics-silver-medallist-praveen-kumar-154488.html Fri, 03 Sep 2021 15:46:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-avani-clinches-bronze-in-womens-50m-rifle-three-positions-154497.html EDS TWITTER IMAGE POSTED BY Tokyo2020hi Tokyo Sports shooter Avani Lekhara participates in Womens 50m Rifle 3P SH1 event at Paralympics 2020 in Tokyo Friday Sep 3 2021 Lekhara won the bronze medal PTI Tokyo Sep 3 Para shooter Avani Lekhara clinched her second medal of the Tokyo Paralympics with a bronze in womens 50m rifle 3P SH1 event on Friday The 19yearold Avani had earlier won the gold medal in womens 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 with a world record equalling score of 2496 This was Indias second medal of the day after Praveen Kumar bagged silver medal in mens T64 high jump Avani finished with a total score of 4459 to finish at third place and take the bronze medal This is Indias 12th medal at the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics She also became the first woman and second Indian after Joginder Singh Bedi to win more than one medal in the same edition of the Paralympics Bedi won a silver in shot put L6 followed by bronze medals in Javelin Throw F46 and Discus Throw L6 at the 1984 Paralympics in Stoke Mandeville Zhang Cuiping of China won the gold with a Paralympics record score of 4579 while Natascha Hiltrop of Germany won the silver with a score of 4571 With four shooters left in the final Avani was at fourth place while Iryna Shchtenik of Ukraine was placed third When it mattered the most in the bronze shootoff Avani shot a 105 compared to Irynas 99 thus putting her in the third place After shooting 102 compared to Zhangs 103 Avani won the bronze medal with a smile on her face Earlier Avani stood second in the qualifying stage finishing with a score of 1176 to make it to the final She shot 388 in kneeling 393 in prone and 395 in standing in the qualifying stage Swedens Anna Normann who had set a world record for qualifying stage with a score of 1177 finished fifth in the final Avani will be next seen in action on Sunday in the mixed 50m rifle prone SH1 event IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-avani-clinches-bronze-in-womens-50m-rifle-three-positions-154497.html Fri, 03 Sep 2021 16:05:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/golden-boy-sumit-antil-silver-medallist-devendra-jhajharia-given-warm-welcome-154515.html New Delhi Sep 3 Indias new golden boy in javelin throw F64 at the Paralympic Games Sumit Antil along with javelin stalwart Devendra Jhajharia winner of silver medal in Tokyo arrived to a warm reception at the Indira Gandhi International airport here late on Thursday night While there were fewer fans and followers at the airport compared to when the likes of Neeraj Chopra and other Olympic athletes arrived from Tokyo less than a month back because of the late arrival of the flight and the stringent Covid19 protocols at the airport the Paralympic athletes were still mobbed with Paralympic Committee of India PCI and Sports Authority of India SAI officials and fans turning up in large numbers to welcome the heroes The likes of Antil Jhajharia and Yogesh Kathuniya who won silver in discus throw were greeted with garlands and bouquets the moment they cleared immigration and arrived in the arrival lounge past midnight The usual celebratory rituals ensued as they emerged from the lounge to the deafening sound of dhols and drums reverberating from one end of the airport to the other Pillars made from balloons in the colours of the tricolour were erected on both sides of the arrival gate and with banners and colourful placards all round it was a truly memorable welcome for the Paralympic heroes Sumit Antil had set a new world record on his way to a gold medal in the javelin throw F64 final hurling the spear to 6855 metres improving on his old mark of 6288 set in November 2019 Double Paralympic Games gold medallist Devendra Jhajarias hopes of extending his legacy by winning the third gold did not materialise as the Indian had to be satisfied with a silver medal in the Javelin Throw F46 category but on Thursday night all that disappointment would have been lost after the memorable reception given to him and his fellow paraathletes IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/golden-boy-sumit-antil-silver-medallist-devendra-jhajharia-given-warm-welcome-154515.html Fri, 03 Sep 2021 17:04:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-praveen-kumar-wins-silver-in-mens-high-jump-t64-154516.html Tokyo Sep 3 Praveen Kumar bagged a silver medal for India in the Mens High Jump T64 with an Asian Record to boot at the Tokyo Paralympic Games here on Friday Praveen finished second behind Jonathan BroomEdwards of Great Britain with a best jump of 207 as he could not clear 210 metres in three attempts Praveens silver medal is Indias 11th medal at Tokyo 2020 which includes two gold six silver and three bronze medals Jonathan BroomEdwards took gold with a final jump of 210 metres while Polands Maciel Lepiato claimed bronze at 204 metres IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-praveen-kumar-wins-silver-in-mens-high-jump-t64-154516.html Fri, 03 Sep 2021 17:12:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-shooter-avani-qualifies-for-final-in-50m-3-positions-154553.html Tokyo Sep 3 Indias Avani Lekhara set herself perfectly for her second gold at the Tokyo Paralympic Games as she finished second in the qualifying round of the Womens 50m Rifle 3positions SHI and qualified for the final on Friday Avani who won Indias first gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics in R2 Womens 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 on August 30 stood second in the qualifying stage finishing with a score of 1176 to make it to the final to be held later in the day Swedens Anna Normann set a world record for qualifying stage with a score of 1177 and qualified for the final with the best score of the day Chinas Zhang Cuiping the 2016 Rio Paralympics gold medallist took third position with a score of 1171 while Slovakias Veronika Vadovicova the Rio 2016 silver medallist too made it to the eightshooter final placed fifth in the qualifying round with a score of 1163 Avani the 19yearold from Jaipur Rajasthan who is hoping to win her second medal in Tokyo after claiming gold in 10m air rifle SH1 had finished fourth in the Womens 50m Rifle 3 position SH1 in the 2019 World Championship in Sydney On Friday she shot 388 in kneeling 393 in prone and 395 in standing in the qualifying stage Anna Normann shot a brilliant 397 each in kneeling and prone but could manage only 383 in the standing position Cuipeng had a series of 388 395 and 388 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-shooter-avani-qualifies-for-final-in-50m-3-positions-154553.html Fri, 03 Sep 2021 19:40:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-praveen-kumar-wins-silver-for-india-in-mens-high-jump-t64-154584.html Tokyo Sep 3 Praveen Kumar had a personal best of 205 metres in Mens High Jump T64 So when the 18yearold World No 3 from New Delhi missed his first attempt at 201 metres at the Tokyo Paralympic Games there were some concerns in the Indian camp But those fears proved unfounded as Kumar went on to clear 207 to win a silver medal bagging Indias 11th medal in the Tokyo Paralympic Games 2 gold six silver and three bronze Kumar was engaged in a raging battle with Great Britains Jonathan BroomEdwards and Polands Maciel Lepiato from 197 to 204 metres Lepiato failed to clear 207 in three attempts and was left behind Kumar and BroomEdwards further raised the bar going neckandneck from 204 to 210 BroomEdwards cleared 210 in his second attempt but Kumar the youngest in the field that had Toru Suzuki at 41 the oldest failed in all three of his attempts thus ending with a 207 metres jump his personal best and an Asian record BroomEdwards took the gold medal with 210 Polands Maciel Lepiato took bronze at 204 metres This is Praveen Kumars first medal in his maiden Paralympic Games The 18yearold born in Kotla Mubarakpur in New Delhi had won a silver medal in Mens High Jump T44 in World Para Athletics Junior Championship2019 at Nottwil Switzerland and a gold medal with Asian record in World Para Athletics FAZZA Grand Prix 2021 Dubai But interestingly Praveen Kumar whose one leg was short since birth and thus his impairment affects the bones that connect his hip to his left leg had no idea about parasports or high jump till a few years back Interested in volleyball for years he once participated in a high jump competition for ablebodied and fell in love with athletics particularly high jump It was around this time that he came to know that there are sports for the handicapped too and decided to participate in parasports Someone told him about para athletics coach Dr Satyapal Singh and he went to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium New Delhi with his father and met the coach who changed his life Dr Satyapal Singh motivated him a lot to do parasports and started training him His hard work and perseverance for the last few years paid dividends as Kumar claimed the silver medal in Tokyo establishing himself as a medal contender in the next few editions IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-praveen-kumar-wins-silver-for-india-in-mens-high-jump-t64-154584.html Fri, 03 Sep 2021 22:48:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-rahul-jakhar-qualifies-for-final-in-mixed-25m-pistol-154347.html Tokyo Sep 2 Indias Rahul Jakhar was placed second after the tworound qualification programme in the P3 Mixed 25m Pistol SH1 making it to the final while compatriot Akash finished 20th among 30 competitors to miss out on a spot in the medal round Jakhar was placed 13th after the precision round of the qualification with a score of 284 In the rapidfire section the 35yearold from Gurugaon Haryana shot a superb 292 in the rapid round to leapfrog to the second position Jakhar was placed second behind Chinas Xing Huang with a total score of 576 Xing had a score of 585 294 precision 291 rapid with compatriot Yang Chao third with a score of 575 precision 289 rapid 286 Russias Sergey Malyshev is placed fourth with a score of 574 Polands Szymon Sowinski was fifth with 573 followed by two Ukrainians Oleksil Denysiuk 573 and Iryna Liakhu 566 with Turkeys Korhan Muharrem Yamac rounded off the eightplayer field with a score of 566 Iryna is the lone woman in the eightplayer field in the final All nine females participated in the qualifying round Akash the second Indian in the field was placed 20th after the precision round with a score of 278 He could manage only 273 in the rapid round and could not improve his position and finished 20th If he continues in the same vein in the final Jakhar would be a favourite for a medal India has so far won two medals a gold by Avani Lekhara and bronze by Singhraj in Paralympic Games shooting competitions IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-rahul-jakhar-qualifies-for-final-in-mixed-25m-pistol-154347.html Fri, 03 Sep 2021 02:49:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/elephant-entered-the-ground-farokh-engineer-recalls-1971-oval-test-154236.html London Indias Rohit Sharma left talks to Indias KL Rahul between overs as they bat on the first day of the 4th cricket Test between England and India at The Oval cricket ground in London Thursday Sept 2 2021 PTI New Delhi Sep 2 Former cricketer Farokh Engineer recalls Team Indas amazing maiden Test win in England at the Oval in 1971 with an interesting story Fifty years ago an elephant named Bella was brought to the ground borrowed from Chessington Zoo by Indian fans thinking it would bring them luck And according to Engineer the former India wicketkeeper who helped his country to a historydefining series triumph after the first two Tests were drawn they fans werent wrong were they A Daily Mail report stated that the elephant was brought to the Oval to mark the Ganesha Festival Ganesha is known as the remover of obstacles and the elephant watched on as Ajit Wadekars side smashed down a barrier that had proved insurmountable since their first Test in England back in 1932 Not that Wadekar himself was paying too much attention He was asleep in the dressing room Engineer was quoted as saying There we were winning the most important game in thecountrys history and he was having a sooze Im amazed the crwd didnt wake him up There cant have been any other Indians left in London they were all at the Oval It was a breakthrough that changed the cours of Indias cricket history I got Â1 a day for the England tour so for winning at the Oval I got Â5 for the five days he said You hardly played cricket to become rich back then Mind you when I played Test matches in India I got 50 rupees a day something like 50p a day Forget the money though that series played a massive part in turning Indian cricket into what it is today Suddenly all the players on that tour returned home as superstars They were at the rime Ministers place they were all heroes it was like they had just conquered Everest So50 years on its all to play for at the Oval again and given the unpredictable nature of the series Engineer is confident about only one thing he elephan wont be bac e laughed Shell be far too big to get on the Victoria Line now IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/elephant-entered-the-ground-farokh-engineer-recalls-1971-oval-test-154236.html Thu, 02 Sep 2021 16:31:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-yathiraj-tarun-dhillon-start-with-impressive-wins-in-badminton-154262.html Tokyo Sep 2 India got off to a good start on the second day of the parabadminton competition at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games with Suhas J Yathiraj and Tarun Dhillon winning their respective group stage matches in mens singles SL4 category Yathiraj started with an impressive win against Jan Niklas Pott of Germany winning 20 219 213 in straight games in 19 minutes Dhillon also made a similar start beating Sriripong Teamarrom of Thailand 20 217 2113 in 23 minutes in a Group A match The 38yearold Yathiraj who is the district manager of Gautam Buddha Nagar in UP started aggressively and won the first game 219 in nine minutes He won six successive points and bagged eight points off his opponents serve He opened up a 12point lead and closed the game strongly In the second game Yathiraj was even more dominant and enjoyed an 18point lead at one time as he closed his first match for a comprehensive win In a Group B match Dhillon enjoyed a 14point lead at one stage in the first game winning seven points off his opponents serve He won the first game in 10 minutes and then went on to claim the next game in 14 minutes winning 15 points off his serve Dhillon had initially trailed by five points but came back to not only take the lead but also won the game However India suffered a setback as the womens doubles pair of Palak Kohli and Parul Parmar lost to Chinas Cheng Hefang and Ma Huihui 217 215 in a Group B encounter of the SL4 category The Chinese pair is seeded second and is expected to win the threeteam Group Frances Lenaig Morin and Faustine Noel are the third team in the group IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-yathiraj-tarun-dhillon-start-with-impressive-wins-in-badminton-154262.html Thu, 02 Sep 2021 17:59:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-avani-fails-to-qualify-for-mixed-air-rifle-prone-final-153973.html Tokyo Sep 1 Avani Lekharas hopes of adding a second medal to the gold she won in the R2 Womens 10m Air Rifle SH1 did not materalise as the 19yearold Indian shooter finished 27th in the R3 Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone SH1 qualification Avani could manage only 6297 in the qualifying round as South Koreas Park Jinho topped the round with a Paralympic Record score of 6389 Germanys Natascha Hiltrop was second with a score of 6354 Avani who had scores of 1059 1050 1049 1053 1042 1044 was the best placed among the three Indians in the fray as Sidhartha Babu was 40th with a score of 6255 and Deepak finished 43rd among 47 shooters with a score of 6249 The Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone SH1 was not the strong event for Avani and that was evident as the Indian could not keep pace with the top shooters The top eight shooters in the qualifying round made it to the final which will be held later in the day IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-avani-fails-to-qualify-for-mixed-air-rifle-prone-final-153973.html Wed, 01 Sep 2021 18:08:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-i-had-shut-myself-out-after-losing-leg-recalls-sumit-antil-153797.html By Chetan Sharma New Delhi Aug 31 After years of living in the unknown para javelin thrower Sumit Antil is the talk of the town right now People in his hometown Sonipat are eagerly waiting for their hero to return Every single media house has queued up to take his interview After all the young javelin thrower has clinched the gold medal F64 event at the Tokyo Paralympics The limelight is a stark contrast to his life a few years ago when the paraathlete was in 11th standard The teenager was avoiding people and had shut himself in his home He used to only come out late at night when everybody was asleep It was 2015 when tragedy struck the budding wrestler Barely 17 Sumit lost his left leg below the knee following a motorbike accident I had no clue at that time People used to look at me differently recalled Sumit while speaking to IANS exclusively I had lost my leg and felt that life is finished now I used to come out of the house late at night to avoid contact with people It was so difficult I went into depression But then after some time I realised the reality And I had to accept it Following the realisation of the reality Sumit got his chance to turn over a new leaf in life with the javelin when he came to Delhi to pursue undergraduation giving a tailwind to his high ambitions I was introduced to paraathletics when I was pursuing my BCom from Ramjas College of Delhi University Even in college nobody knew that I dont have one leg below the knee I used to wear loose trousers But later when my name came in the newspaper after I got selected for Asian Para Games my friends in college got to know about it Then I realised that now I have to prove what I can do I remember I used to come by bus from Sonipat daily to college in Delhi and it was so painful My other leg hurt a lot I told this to my family and they arranged one good artificial limb which helped me I spent from of my pocket to go to Finland for training in 2018 and it worked for me said Sumit Success soon followed as he clinched Indias second gold in the Paralympics by winning the mens javelin throw F64 event with a world record effort Australias Michal Burian won the silver medal with the best attempt of 6629m while Sri Lankas Dulan Kodithuwakku took home the bronze medal In fact the Haryana boy bettered his previous world record of 6288m also set by him three times on the day His last throw was a foul His series read 6695 6808 6527 6671 6855 and a foul When asked if breaking records is his hobby now as in the 2019 Italy World Para Athletics Grand Prix he also shattered the world record in the F64 category and backed it up with another record throw at World Para Athletics Championships Dubai 2019 Sumit had a smile on his face It feels great In every tournament I want to give my best I want to set a benchmark in the para games I wanted to hit the 70 mark but it didnt happen Its ok I am happy that I broke the world record thrice on my way to gold he said During my qualification till last month I was injured but I worked really hard and it proved fruitful IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-i-had-shut-myself-out-after-losing-leg-recalls-sumit-antil-153797.html Wed, 01 Sep 2021 05:36:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympic-archery-rakesh-kumar-loses-to-chinese-in-quarters-153608.html Tokyo Aug 31 Archer Rakesh Kumars campaign in the Mens Individual Compound Open came to an end as he lost to Chinas Ai Xinliang in the quarterfinals at the Tokyo Paralympic Games on Tuesday Rakesh lost to Ai 143145 in the quarterfinal clash thus ending Indias campaign in the compound archery section of the Tokyo Paralympic Games Rakesh put up a good fight in the highintensity encounter against the strong Chinese archer who had finished sixth in the ranking round while the Indian was placed third He started with a hit in the inner 10 X and then shot a 10 and 9 for 29 as the Chinese came up with a perfect 30 off the first three arrows He came up with 9 9 and 10 in the next series while Ai Xinliang came up with1010 and 9 to further extend his lead 5957 The gap was reduced to one point at the end of the next series of three arrows as Rakesh made X 9 and 10 while the Chinese managed 99 and 10 and the score stood 8786 in favour of Ai But two 9s in the next series and an X meant the Chinese archers lead was back to two points as he shot X 9 10 in his three arrows In the final series Rakesh not only had to shoot a perfect score but also hope the Chinese faltered But that did not materialise as both archers shot 29 the Chinese thus winning the quarterfinal encounter 145143 Rakesh was Indias last hope in the compound section as both Shyam Sundar Swamy in Mens Individual and Jyoti Baliyan in Womens Individual Open had lost in the first knockout round Rakesh and Jyoti Balian had also lost in the quarterfinals in the Mixed Team Compound Open category IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympic-archery-rakesh-kumar-loses-to-chinese-in-quarters-153608.html Tue, 31 Aug 2021 13:58:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/building-his-own-shooting-range-during-lockdown-meditation-helped-singhraj-claim-bronze-153609.html EDS TWITTER IMAGE POSTED BY DeepaAthlete ON TUESDAY AUG 31 2021 Tokyo Indian sports shooter Singhraj Adhana at the Paralympics 2020 in Tokyo Adhana won the bronze medal in mens 10m Air Pistol SH1 event PTI Mumbai Aug 31 With the country in an extended nationwide lockdown due to the Covid19 pandemic para shooter Singhraj was losing sleep as his preparations for Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games were getting disrupted With no shooting range nearby Singhraj and national shooting coach Subhash Rana decided to build one from scratch so that Singhraj could continue his training for the Paralympics That decision to invest Rs 10 lakh to prepare a 10m range and a 50m one in association with coach Rana paid a rich dividend as Singhraj on Tuesday claimed a bronze medal in the P1 Mens 10m Air Pistol SH1 at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo Initially my family was not very happy that I was going to invest so much in building my own range But I was adamant and insisted and they relented I believe that decision proved right today as I won a bronze medal said Singhraj who took up shooting only in 2017 and participated in his first international event the next year itself I am very happy about winning the bronze medal Though like everyone I would have loved it to be gold said Singhraj during an online interaction organized by the Paralympic Committee of India PCI Singhraj had qualified in sixth place in the 10m air pistol and was worried about a few things during the break between the qualifying round and final My coach told me to meditate for some time and I did just that during the break I was always told not to worry about the shot that has already been fired but to think about the next one and I did just that Yes my performance in the qualifying round was not as I expected but we decided to take some points from it and made a fresh start in the final said Singhraj The 39yearold from Faridabad in Haryana had taken up shooting by chance at the age of 35 while accompanying his nephew to the range As he was smiling while the coach was explaining something to his wards the coach asked Singhraj to try it if he thought shooting was so easy I took five shots and hit four Xs and one 10 and the coach was really impressed He advised me to continue with shooting and I also liked it and continued said Singaraja That decision proved correct as he achieved success instantly winning medals at the national and international levels The bronze medal at the Paralympic Games has just taken the bar higher for Singhraj IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/building-his-own-shooting-range-during-lockdown-meditation-helped-singhraj-claim-bronze-153609.html Tue, 31 Aug 2021 13:58:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/from-murlikant-petkar-to-avani-lekhara-one-pioneer-to-another-153631.html Mumbai Aug 31 Murlikant Patkar is the first Indian to win a gold medal at the Paralympic Games On Monday he was ecstatic as he heard of Avani Lekhara becoming the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Paralympic Games Petkar had won a gold medal in 50m freestyle swimming in 1972 Games in Heidelberg On Monday Avani bagged gold in R2 Womens 10m Air Rifle SH1 setting a World Record in the process So Petkar penned a message from one pioneer to another wishing the 19yearold Avani more records and success Avani Lekhara won a gold medal in 10m air rifle standing at Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and become the first ever Indian woman gold medallist This news made my day Really very proud of her Petkar told IANS in a message on Monday evening All her efforts and hard work has paid off today said the 74yearold Petkar who suffered debilitating injuries in an aerial attack during the 1965 war with Pakistan In the last five decades Petkar has seen many a Indian para sportsperson struggle to succeed and is therefore aware of Avanis efforts to make it big Being a Paralympian the journey must have been difficult but she stood strong against all odds and engraved her name in the history of Indian Paralympics he said of Avanis achievement You will stand as an inspiration for all the youths in India Best wishes for further records and success said Petkar Having opened Indias medal account in the Paralympics Petkar is thrilled to see the country come up with its best performance ever in the Tokyo Paralympic Games on Monday Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit The potential for greatness lives within each of us India won 7 medals so far in the Tokyo Paralympics And many more are yet to come he said I am extremely happy and proud to see Indian Paralympians to win medals Congratulations to all our winners I wish you all the very best going forward he added The Olympics is where heroes are made The Paralympics is where heroes come All the very best and congratulations to the participants and winners of Paralympics he further said Indian Paralympians brilliant performance since Rio 2016 had excited Petkar so much that he got into a bet with his son Arjun that the country will win more medals at Tokyo Paralympics than the seven bagged at the Tokyo Olympics Petkar is on the verge of winning that bet as India has won seven medal in the Paralympic Games so far IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/from-murlikant-petkar-to-avani-lekhara-one-pioneer-to-another-153631.html Tue, 31 Aug 2021 15:24:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympic-shooting-narwal-tops-qualifying-singhraj-too-reaches-final-153654.html Tokyo Aug 31 Manish Narwal topped the qualifying round while Singhraj too made it to the eightplayer final of the P1 Mens 10m Air Pistol SH1 at the Tokyo Paralympic Games on Tuesday Narwal tied for the top spot with Chinese Lou Xiaolong both with a score of 575 points He however topped the ranking having shot 21 pellets into the inner 10 circles as compared to 15 by Lou Singhraj tallied 569 points to finish sixth in the 60shot qualifying cycle Narwal came up with scores of 96 95 9298 97 and 97 in the six rounds of 10 shots each in the lowscoring qualifying round Singhraj started with 95 and then added scores of 97 93 95 92 and 97 in the next five rounds Interestingly the eightplayer final has two from India three from China besides a Polish shooter an American and one from the Russian Paralympic Committee RPC Meanwhile Rubina Franciss hopes of winning a medal at the Tokyo Paralympics did not materialise as she finished seventh in the P2 Womens 10m Air Rifle SH1 finals played earlier in the day Rubina had qualified for the final in seventh position with a score of 1285 points and started the final with 926 points in the first 10 shots Turkeys Aysel Ozgan got eliminated first as she shot 96 and 85 as compared to 88 and 91 by Rubina The Indian came up with a 101 and 79 in the next two shots and got eliminated Irans Sareh Javanmardi won the gold medal by beating Turkeys Aysegul Pehlivanlar in the final The Iranian shot 97 and 103 in her two shots while the Turkish shoot could only manage 100 and 97 Sareh thus winning the gold IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympic-shooting-narwal-tops-qualifying-singhraj-too-reaches-final-153654.html Tue, 31 Aug 2021 16:32:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/not-done-yet-jhajharia-wants-to-hit-boundary-at-2024-paris-153734.html By Chetan Sharma New Delhi Aug 31 Indias greatest Paralympian Devendra Jhajharia who had won gold in 2004 Athens and 2016 Rio Games and now a silver at the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics in javelin said he will look to hit a boundary four of medals at 2024 Paris Jhajharias latest medal came with an attempt of 6435m in the mens javelin throw F46 final event Talking to IANS from Tokyo Jhajharia said As I am 40yearold now I believe I have challenged science Winning silver is also important My father always wanted me to make a hattrick of medals and now I did it I am sure he would be so proud of me I dedicate this medal to my late father Whatever I am today is because of his motivation and support He was struggling with cancer and when I went to meet him he said you should not avoid training I cant tell you how emotional I am feeling right now Three medals done there is also a possibility that I make it four in Paris 2024 Paralympics You never know laughed the 40yearold supremelyfit athlete But firstly I want to go home and relax a bit I am dying to meet my daughter Then later I will talk to my coaches and discuss whether I can play in Paris or not But till now there is a possibility that I can play and win gold there Jhajharia had been training at the Sports Authority of Indias Gandhinagar centre in Gujarat Before leaving for Tokyo he had spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a video call After winning silver at Tokyo he again got an opportunity to speak to Modi I feel honoured that the Prime Minister called me to congratulate me and appreciated my efforts I dedicate the medal as well as my fruitful journey to my country and countrymen he said Today when I see governments motivating athletes I feel my father would be very happy wherever he is now Jhajharia said His left arm had to be amputated when he was eight years old after he accidentally touched a live electric cable IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/not-done-yet-jhajharia-wants-to-hit-boundary-at-2024-paris-153734.html Tue, 31 Aug 2021 21:06:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-shooter-singhraj-wins-bronze-indias-eighth-medal-in-tokyo-153735.html Tokyo Aug 31 Indias Singhraj held his nerve in a topsyturvy final round to win a bronze medal in mens P1 Mens 10m Air Pistol SH1 shooting at the Paralympic Games here on Tuesday Compatriot Manish Narwal who had topped the qualifying field ended seventh getting eliminated with two poor rounds Singhraj ended with a score of 2168 in the final to finish behind Chinese duo Yang Chao 2379 and Huang Xing 2375 This was Indias second medal at the Asaka Shooting Range the eighth overall Avani Lekhara won Indias first gold medal in shooting on Monday With two Indians and three Chinese in the eightshooter final the contest was expected to be between the five with Indias Manish Narwal among the favourites as he had topped the qualifying round But Narwal could manage a modest 972 in the 10shot first elimination round and dropped out of medal contention Singraj the 39yearold from Faridabad UP had qualified for the final in sixth position but jumped into second with a brilliant score of 996 in the first 10 shots Russian Paralympic Committees Sergey Malyshev was eliminated first finishing eighth with a score of 1133 Narwhal survived the drop but could not advance any further as was out in the next round He scored a couple of 100 in the next round and survived a scare when he could manage only 94 and 97 to drop down to fourth He had to battle it out for the bronze medal with Chinas Lou Xiaolong for the third spot With Singhraj shooting 94 and 97 in his 13th and 14th shots Lou overtook him at the third spot But the Chinese shooter could not hold on to the position for long as he scored 96 and 97 in his 17th and 18th turn After another belowpar round of 91 and 96 on his 19th and 20th turn it looked like Singhraj may miss out on a medal but the Chinese shooter scored an 86 in his 20th shot and thus Singhraj survived by 03 points 1968 to 1965 In the next round the 39yearold educationist from Faridabad shot two 100s and had to be satisfied with a bronze medal Chinas Yang Chao who shot a brilliant 1003 in the first series bagged the gold medal despite shooting 87 82 and 82 in the final He ended with a score of 2379 a Paralympic Games record with compatriot Huang Xing losing out by 004 points 2375 as against 2378 of his opponent This was Singhrajs first medal in his maiden Paralympic Games IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-shooter-singhraj-wins-bronze-indias-eighth-medal-in-tokyo-153735.html Tue, 31 Aug 2021 21:17:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/avani-says-feeing-on-top-of-the-world-coach-shekhar-says-more-medals-to-come-153488.html New Delhi Aug 30 Indian para shooter Avani Lekhara who won the 10m Air Rifle SH1 gold for the country at the Tokyo Paralympic Games on Monday said that she was feeling on top of the world and would be aiming for more glory here as well as in the future The 19yearold Avani became the first Indian woman to win gold in the Paralympic Games when she shot a world record score of 2496 in the finals on Monday This is also Indias first gold medal in shooting in the Paralympic Games Im so happy I could be the one to contribute it Hopefully theres a lot of medals more to come said the para shooter who is paralysed below the waist after an injury to the spinal cord during a car accident in 2012 I cant describe this feeling Im feeling like Im on top of the world Its unexplainable said Avani who is being coached by Chandra Shekhar in her hometown Jaipur since 2016 I was just saying one thing in the finals that I have to take one shot at a time Nothing else matters now just take one shot at a time and just finish it the 19yearold said I just think that I have to follow the process Beyond that I try not to think about the score or the medal tally Avani said that she feels a connection with her rifle which keeps her motivated to pick up the gun and keep shooting good scores It seems very homely when I lift a rifle I feel a connection towards it When you have to focus and the consistency thats what I like about shooting Avani who has emerged as the new face on the Indian shooting scene after the dismal and unforgettable performance of the 15odd contingent that had competed at the Tokyo Olympics less than a month back added that he love affair with the sport began when her father took her to the JDA Shooting Range in Jaipur in 2015 Summer vacations 2015 my father took me to the shooting range I shot some shots and they were pretty OK So I just started as a hobby and here I am Chief national coach JP Nautiyal said from Tokyo that the gold was welldeserving She has done exactly what we have been doing in training and followed the process She has definitely set an example for the upcoming shooters in the country I dont tell the players to go out and win a medal but to give their best in every shot and that can together produce great result Nautiyal credited her coach in Jaipur Chandra Shekhar and national rifle coach Suma Shirur for Avanis success Chandra Shekhar trains her in Jaipur while Suma provides her with technical help in camps Me and Subhash Rana renowned shooter Jaspal Ranas brother provide her mental training said Nautiyal We were expecting this performance from Avani It hasnt come as a surprise for me Im sure she will win more medals in Tokyo as she is competing in thee more events said Chandra Shekhar from Jaipur Certainly Avani has matured as a player Now she knows what the best and how to achieve it She knows that if you have to reach the top it would be through only hard work hard work and hard work added Chandra Shekhar The parashooter will be in action again in the R3 Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone SH1 event along with Siddhartha Babu and Deepak on September 1 She will also take part in the R8 Womens 50m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 on September 3 as well as the R6 Mixed 50m Air Rifle prone SH1 event alongside Siddhartha and Deepak on September 5 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/avani-says-feeing-on-top-of-the-world-coach-shekhar-says-more-medals-to-come-153488.html Tue, 31 Aug 2021 02:02:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/tokyo-paralympics-vinod-kumar-loses-his-medal-153516.html New Delhi Aug 30 Indian discus thrower Vinod Kumar on Monday lost his F52 category bronze medal at the Tokyo Paralympics after being found ineligible in disability classification assessment by the competition panel Bronze medal Mr Vinod Kumar in F52 category sitting discus has been cancelled This has been confirmed by Chef de Mission Mr Gursharan Singh Though before the events the players were classified by the IPC officials themselves but during the competition it was found faulty A detailed report is awaited the Paralympic Committee of India PCI informed The 41yearold BSF man produced a best throw of 1991m to finish third behind Piotr Kosewicz 2002m of Poland and Velimir Sandor 1998m of Croatia on Sunday However the International Paralympic Committee IPC and Tokyo 2020 organising committee posted a notification on their websites on Monday morning informing that the results in mens Discus Throw F52 are under review The classification system for parasport is quite controversial with a large number of categories for sportspersons with unique impairments There are 10 impairment groups in the Paralympics eight involve physical impairments and the other groupings are for visual and intellectual impairments IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/tokyo-paralympics-vinod-kumar-loses-his-medal-153516.html Tue, 31 Aug 2021 05:51:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympic-archery-rakesh-kumar-in-quarterfinals-153558.html Tokyo Aug 31 Indian archer Rakesh Kumar reached the quarterfinals of the Mens Individual Compound Open beating Slovakias Marian Marecak 140137 in the prequarterfinal match at the Tokyo Paralympic Games on Tuesday Rakesh who had shot 699 in the ranking round conceded two points lead after the first three arrows managing to shoot 26 to 28 by the Slovak The 36yearold from Katra near Jammu shot 27 in the second set but the margin remained the same as Marecak too shot 27 He took a onepoint lead with a score of 28 as compared to 25 by Marecak in the third round and followed it up with a perfect 30 in the next opening up a threepoint lead as his rival managed 28 Both shooters shot 29 apiece in the fifth and final round as Rakesh Kumar won 140137 Rakesh is the lone Indian in the compound section as both Shyam Sundar Swamy in Mens Individual and Jyoti Baliyan in Womens Individual Open had lost in the previous round Next up for Rakesh is a clash with Chinas Ai Xinliang who had topped the ranking round IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympic-archery-rakesh-kumar-in-quarterfinals-153558.html Tue, 31 Aug 2021 10:53:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/bindra-sehwag-laxman-lead-the-way-in-congratulating-shooter-avani-153354.html New Delhi Aug 30 The Indian sports fraternity went all out to congratulate 10m air rifle shooter Avani Lekhara who became the first woman from the country to win a Paralympic gold with a world record score of 2496 in the finals at the Tokyo Paralympic Games on Monday Indias first individual Olympic Games gold medallist 10m air rifle shooter Abhinav Bindra congratulated the 19yearold Avani who is paralysed from waistdown tweeting Gold it is Brilliant display by AvaniLekhara to win India its first Paralympic gold medal in shooting Immensely proud Many Congratulations on your shot at history Praise4Para Tokyo2020 Avanis gold is a welcome relief for the shooting fraternity in India after a 15member contingent to the Tokyo Olympics which concluded three weeks back came back emptyhanded with plenty of controversies that created an atmosphere of negativity all around the Indian contingent before the wresters and javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra lifted the gloom The Indian shooting contingent at the Paralympic Games here has been trained by dedicated Paralympic Committee of India PCI coaches including chief coach JP Nautiyal and Subhash Rana the younger brother of Jaspal Rana the Asian Games goldmedallist pistol shooter Former India cricketer VVS Laxman tweeted What a historic feat by AvaniLekhara on becoming the first ever Indian women to win a Paralympics Gold A landmark ocassion in Indian sports And with YogeshKathuniya delivering an outstanding performance to bring home a Silver discus throw India now has 5 medals in the TokyoParalympics Cricketerturnedcommentator Virender Sehwag tweeted She has created history The first ever woman from India to win a Paralympics Gold Wow AvaniLekhara on the outstanding feat Also equals the current WR to win the Womens 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 final Flexed biceps symbol IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/bindra-sehwag-laxman-lead-the-way-in-congratulating-shooter-avani-153354.html Mon, 30 Aug 2021 14:33:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-two-poor-shots-halt-unhalkars-medal-charge-finishes-fourth-153374.html Tokyo Aug 30 A 99 followed by a 95 put paid to Indian shooter Swaroop Mahavir Unhalkars hopes as he slipped from the top position to fourth in the R1 Mens 10m Air Rifle SH1 final here on Monday Unhalkar had qualified seventh for the final but had jumped to the top spot after shooting 1021 in the first 10 shots in the final He produced six consecutive scores of 10 or more as he led the standings with the second elimination round well underway But disaster struck in the fourth series of two shots as he could manage only 99 and 95 and slumped out of medal contention At the fourth position as Slovakias Radoslav Malenovsky was eliminated with a total of 1814 Unhalkar had two more chances of making it back into the medal contention Korea Park Jinho the eventual bronze medallist shot 107 and 102 and Unhalkar needed scores of around 107 on his 17th and 18th shots However he could manage only 101 and 102 and thus ended with a total score of 2039 and had to settle for the fourth position The Korean advanced to the medal round with a score of 2050 He eventually finished with 2245 to claim the bronze medal Chinas Dong Chao the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games gold medallist retained the gold medal again with a score of 2464 a Paralympic Games record while Ukraines Andril Doroshenko took silver with a score of 2451 Unhalkar the 34yearold from Kolhapur in Maharashtra currently trains at Olympic bronze medallist Gagan Narangs Gun for Glory Academy He is a government employee and is stationed in Pune IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-two-poor-shots-halt-unhalkars-medal-charge-finishes-fourth-153374.html Mon, 30 Aug 2021 16:28:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-antil-wins-gold-with-world-record-sandeep-ends-fourth-153401.html EDS TWITTER IMAGE POSTED BY MediaSAI ON MONDAY AUGUST 30 2021 Tokyo Sumit Antil wins Gold in the mens javelin throw F64 with a new world record of 6808 at Tokyo 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo PTI Tokyo Aug 30 Sumit Antil set a new world record on his way to a gold medal in the Mens Javelin throw F64 final at the Tokyo Paralympic Games on Monday Antil hurled the spear to 6855 metres improving on his old mark of 6288 set in November 2019 Australias Michael Burian won the silver medal with 6629 metres while Sri Lankas Dulan Kodithuwakku took the bronze medal with 6561 metres Both Antil and Burian went past the old world record while the Sri Lankan came up with his personal best Antils gold in the second of the day for India making it the most successful day in the Paralympic Games Avani Lekhara won the gold medal in womens 10mair rifle SH1 while Devendra Jhajharia and Yogesh Kathuniya won silver medals in the javelin F46 and discus throw T56 final Sundar Singh Gurjar claimed a bronze medal in javelin throw F46 finishing behind Jhajharia Indias Sandeep Choudhary an F44 category athlete finished fourth with a throw of 6220m his seasons best effort just not good enough against athletes who were in great form Sandeep has a best throw of 6618 and he would have been in medals if he had managed to repeat that But the day belonged to Sumit Antil who reserved his best for the big day The 23yearold from Sonipat who lost his left leg below the knee after he was involved in a motorbike accident in 2005 participated in ablebodied javelin throw till 2015 before taking a break On comeback in 2018 he started participating in parasports and immediately made an impact winning silver in the 2019 World Championships in Dubai He opened his campaign at Tokyo 2020 with the first throw of 6695 and followed it up with 6808 in his season throw which virtually sealed the issue in his favour as nobody else could manage to come closer to 68 Sumit hurled the spear to 6855 on his fifth throw IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-antil-wins-gold-with-world-record-sandeep-ends-fourth-153401.html Mon, 30 Aug 2021 17:43:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-rajasthan-shooter-avani-gets-laurels-for-winning-gold-in-tokyo-153424.html Jaipur Aug 30 Rajasthan girl Avani Lakhara is getting laurels on social media after winning the 10m air rifle gold SH1 category at the Tokyo Paralympic Games on Monday Avani became the first Indian female athlete to win a gold medal in either the Olympics or the Paralympics when the 19yearold shot a world record score of 2496 in the finals of the air rifle event in Tokyo Before her shotputter Deepa Malik 2016 Rio and paratable tennis player Bhavina Patel 2020 Tokyo were the most decorated Indian female sportspersons at the Paralympics Avani has been confined to a wheelchair since 2012 after meeting with an accident According to her father Praveen Avani and he met with an accident while going to Dholpur from Jaipur He was posted in Dholpur at that time While he recovered soon his daughter was unable to stand as her spinal cord got damaged in the mishap Avani was quite demotivated but her parents kept pushing her to pursue shooting sport and compete at the Paralympic Games She wanted to do something different in life and hence made shooting her profession Even during the lockdown Avani continued making preparations for the Paralympic Games On Monday Avanis father was flooded with calls from wellwishers wanting to congratulate him on his daughters success Among those who have called or sent congratulatory messages include Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sports Minister Anurag Thakur Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-rajasthan-shooter-avani-gets-laurels-for-winning-gold-in-tokyo-153424.html Mon, 30 Aug 2021 19:29:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-result-under-review-for-event-in-which-vinod-kumar-won-bronze-153425.html Mumbai Aug 30 There could be a change in the medal positions in Sundays mens Discus throw F52 at Tokyo 2020 as the International Paralympic Committee IPC is reviewing the results of the event following an appeal Indias Vinod Kumar had won a bronze medal in this category with a throw of 1991 an Asian record Piotr Kosewicz of Poland won gold with 2092 metres and Velimir Sandor of Croatia took silver with a throw of 1998 metres The IPC and Tokyo 2020 organising committee posted a notification on their websites on Monday morning informing that the results in mens Discus Throw F52 are under review Such a review could mean either elevation or downgrading of a medallist Though the IPC usually does not give details of such a review process till a final decision is reached such a review is normally conducted in case of an appeal filed by one of the participants over the classification status of one of the medallists The classification system for parasport is quite controversial with a large number of categories for sportspersons with unique impairments There are 10 impairment groups in the Paralympics eight involve physical impairments and the other groupings are for visual and intellectual impairments There are always doubts about the classification as the unique differences in disabilities of athletes lead to doubts that one is getting an unfair advantage over others There have been doubts about people exaggerating their impairments to get into a specific classification IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-result-under-review-for-event-in-which-vinod-kumar-won-bronze-153425.html Mon, 30 Aug 2021 19:39:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/phenomenal-performance-avani-pm-modi-153446.html New Delhi Aug 30 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated 19yearold para shooter Avani Lekhara for scripting history by winning the elusive Tokyo Paralympic Games gold Competing in her maiden Paralympics Avani shot 2496 points in the R2 womens 10m air rifle SH1 category for a Paralympic and world recordequalling score PM Modi tweeted Phenomenal performance Avani Congratulations on winning a hardearned and welldeserved Gold made possible due to your industrious nature and passion towards shooting This is truly a special moment for Indian sports Best wishes for your future endeavours Earlier Avani who works as an Assistant Conservator of Forests in Rajasthan and trains at the JDA Shooting Range in Jaipur shot 6217 points to finish seventh in qualification and secure a place in the final She has been wheelchairbound since a road accident in 2012 Avani has won many World Cup medals since 2017 including a silver with a junior world record in R2 at the WSPS World Cup 2017 bronze at the WSPS World Cup Bangkok 2017 silver in the WSPS World Cup in Osijek Croatia 2019 and silver in the WSPS World Cup AlAin 2021 She won the Tokyo Paralympics quota in February 2019 in the UAE The parashooter will be in action again in the R3 Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone SH1 event along with Siddhartha Babu and Deepak on September 1 She will also take part in the R8 Womens 50m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 on September 3 as well as the R6 Mixed 50m Air Rifle prone SH1 event alongside Siddhartha and Deepak on September 5 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/phenomenal-performance-avani-pm-modi-153446.html Mon, 30 Aug 2021 21:30:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympic-games-avani-lekhara-wins-gold-for-india-in-10m-air-rifle-153291.html Tokyo Aug 30 Indias Avani Lekhara won the first gold medal for the country at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in Womens 10m Air Rifle SH1 with a world record score of 2496 in the elimination round on Monday The 19yearold Avani who sustained spinal cord injuries in a car accident in 2012 qualified seventh for the final but shot superbly to leapfrog to the top in the final Chinas Zhang Cuiping took silveras she did in Rio 2016 with a score of 2489 while Ukraines Iryna Schetnik finished with a total of 2275 for bronze IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympic-games-avani-lekhara-wins-gold-for-india-in-10m-air-rifle-153291.html Mon, 30 Aug 2021 08:31:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-yogesh-kathuniya-wins-silver-in-discus-throw-f56-153297.html Tokyo Aug 30 Yogesh Kathuniya of India won a silver medal in the mens discus throw F56 finishing second with a distance of 4438 in the final at the Tokyo Paralympic Games here on Monday Brazils Santos doe Claudiney Batista bagged the gold with a new Paralympic Games record of 4559 while Cubas Leonardo Alandana Diaz took bronze with a best throw of 4336 Kathuniya the 24yearold from Delhi who suffered a paralytic attack at the age of eight which resulted in impaired coordination in his limbs was in gold medal position till Batista achieved 4457 in his first throw as the seventh athlete in order of throws In Standing or Seated Discus Throw each participant makes all hisher six throws at one go before the next participant in the order gets his chance The Brazilian produced his best effort of 4559 in his sixth and last throw to set a Paralympic Games record Kathuniya who achieved his seasons best on Monday had to be satisfied with silver as the Brazilian is the world record holder in this category with a best of 4658 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-yogesh-kathuniya-wins-silver-in-discus-throw-f56-153297.html Mon, 30 Aug 2021 09:10:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-shooter-avani-becomes-first-indian-woman-to-win-gold-153315.html EDS TWITTER IMAGE POSTED BY Tokyo2020hi Tokyo Indian sports shooter Avani Lekhara waves after winning gold medal in womens 10m air rifle standing SH1 event at the Tokyo Paralympics Monday Aug 30 2021 PTI Tokyo Aug 30 Shooter Avani Lekhara on Monday became the first Indian woman to win a gold medal in the Paralympic Games The 19yearold bagged gold Indias first at Tokyo 2020 in womens 10m Air Rifle SH1 with a world record score of 2496 in the final on Monday This is also Indias first gold medal in shooting in the Paralympic Games Overall she is the fourth Indian sportsperson to win a Paralympic gold after swimmer Murlikant Petkar 1972 javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia 2004 and 2016 and high jumper Thangavelu Mariyappan 2016 Indeed Avani is the first Indian female athlete to win a gold medal in either Olympics or the Paralympics The silver medals won by Deepa Malik in 2016 Rio and paratable tennis player Bhavina Patel on Sunday were the best efforts by Indian female sportspersons at the Paralympics PV Sindhu and Mirabai Chanu have won silver medals for India in the Olympics Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first to congratulate the shooter tweeiting Phenomenal performance AvaniLekhara Congratulations on winning a hardearned and welldeserved Gold made possible due to your industrious nature and passion towards shooting This is truly a special moment for Indian sports Best wishes for your future endeavours The 19yearold Avani who sustained spinal cord injuries in a car accident in 2012 qualified seventh for the final but shot superbly to leapfrog seven shooters in the first elimination series itself in the final and never looked back Chinas Zhang Cuiping took silver as she did in Rio 2016 with a score of 2489 while Ukraines Iryna Schetnik finished with a total of 2275 for bronze The law student from Rajasthan University who sustained spinal cord injuries in a car accident in 2012 is coming from a difficult period in 2020 as her physiotherapy routine was disrupted because of the lockdown due to the Covid19 pandemic The pandemic not only affected her shooting training but also had an impact on her essential physiotherapy routine As someone with a spinal cord disability I dont have any feeling below my waist I still need to exercise my legs every day I used to have a physio who would come to my home daily to help me exercise and stretch my legs Avani had told the media a few months back Though her parents chipped in to help her with those exercises it was not the same They do the best they can My physiotherapist has to travel from across Jaipur India to come to where I stay Its a long way for her to travel she said Earlier in the qualifying round on Monday Avani started with 103 in the first series of shots and went on tally 1028 1049 1048 1021 and 1045 as she finished seventh with 6217 points and squeezed into the eightshooter final In 2019 Avani clinched 10m air rifle silver at the Para Shooting World Cup in Osijek Croatia In May the same year she set a qualification junior World Record after shooting 6317 in 10m air rifle prone mixed event R3 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-shooter-avani-becomes-first-indian-woman-to-win-gold-153315.html Mon, 30 Aug 2021 10:26:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-jhajharia-misses-gold-gurjar-bags-bronze-in-javelin-f46-153335.html Tokyo Aug 30 Double Paralympic Games gold medallist Devendra Jhajarias hopes of extending his legacy by winning the third gold did not materialise as the Indian had to be satisfied with a silver medal in the mens Javelin Throw F46 category at Tokyo 2020 on Monday Jhajharia who won gold medals in 2004 Athens and 2016 Rio with world record throws threw 6435 much farther than his world record of 6397 but Sri Lankas Dinesh Priyan Mudiyanselage Herath produced a gigantic throw of 6779 to set a new world record and win the gold medal Sundar Singh Gurjar a twotime World Championship gold medallist took bronze with a best throw of 6401 metres on Monday Jhajharia had reached Tokyo with hopes of winning a third gold medal in javelin throw F46 the first Indian to do so He was in good form coming into Tokyo Paralympics as he had crossed his world record mark during the national trials at New Delhi in June this year He was quite confident of repeating his performance and winning his third gold with a world record Indeed he did manage to produce his personal best but Herath turned out to be a surprise package Jhajharia had started with 6028 in his first throw and hurled the spear to 6435 off his third throw He tried to improve it further but fouled his next two throws and could manage only 6123 on his sixth and final attempt It was quiet redemption for Gurjar as he had tragically missed a chance to compete at the Rio Paralympics in 2016 because he turned up late for his event On Monday Gurjar started with 6226 metres in his first throw and produced his best distance of the day with 6401 in his fifth chance Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded Jhajarias silver medalwinning feat tweeting Superb performance by DevJhajharia One of our most experienced athletes wins a Silver medal Devendra has been making India continuously proud Congratulations to him Best of luck for his future endeavours Paralympics For Gurjar PM Modi tweeted India is overjoyed by the Bronze medal won by SundarSGurjar He has shown remarkable courage and dedication Congratulations to him Wishing him the very best Paralympics IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-jhajharia-misses-gold-gurjar-bags-bronze-in-javelin-f46-153335.html Mon, 30 Aug 2021 11:50:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-shooter-unhalkar-qualifies-seventh-for-10m-air-rifle-final-153343.html Tokyo Aug 30 Indian shooter Swaroop Mahavir Unhalkar has qualified for the final in the 10m Air Rifle SH1 finishing seventh in the qualifying round held here on Monday Unhalkar had a total of 6152 in the qualifying round with scores of 1031 1016 1022 1020 1028 1035 The 34yearold from Kolhapur will now be hoping to do what Avani Lekhara who had also qualified in the seventh position but had gone on to win gold in womens 10m air rifle SH1 Koreas Park Jihho scored a Qualifying World Record score of 6313 to reach the final Ukraines Yuril Stoiev was second with 6196 while Chinas defending champion Dong Chao qualified as the fifthbest with a score of 6176 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-shooter-unhalkar-qualifies-seventh-for-10m-air-rifle-final-153343.html Mon, 30 Aug 2021 12:52:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympic-tt-bhavinas-magical-run-ends-with-silver-first-medal-for-india-at-tokyo-153092.html Tokyo Dmitry Dushkin from RPC competes in the mens athletics shot put F40 final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo Sunday Aug 29 2021 PTI Tokyo Aug 29 There was no fairytale ending as Bhavina Patels sensational run in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games ended with a silver medal as she lost to world No 1 Zhou Ying of China in straight games in the final of the womens table tennis Class 4 on Sunday Bhavina thus made history for India on National Sports Day by becoming the first table tennis player from the country to win a medal in the Paralympic Games The silver she won is Indias first medal at Tokyo 2020 and 13th overall 4 gold 5 silver and 4 bronze Bhavina ranked 12th in the world had made an incredible run to the final by beating the gold and silver medallist of the 2016 Rio Paralympics On Sunday she found Zhou winner at Beijing 2008 and London 2012 too strong to handle and lost 30 711 511 611 in a 19minute encounter in womens singles Class 4 The 34yearold Bhavina who lost to the best player in the world and one who is far more experienced and superior to her became the first Indian table tennis player to win a medal at the Paralympics She also became only the second Indian female athlete to win a medal in the Paralympics after Deepa Malik who bagged silver in shot put F43 in 2016 Bhavina in her maiden Paralympic Games had lost to Zhou in her opening preliminary round Group A match too On Sunday the Indian started tentatively and was always under pressure as the Chinese did not make any mistakes and executed her shots with perfect timing Zhou opened up a handy lead midway through all three games and did not allow Bhavina to play her natural game She kept the ball wide served well and did not make many unforced errors Bhavina found her rivals spin and angles too had to handle and succumbed in 19 minutes The 34yearold Indian lost the first game in six minutes as Zhou surged ahead from 22 to go 62 up and wrapped it up 117 Zhou did not allow Bhavina to use her whiplash backhand flick to good effect and kept the ball closer to the table not allowing her Indian opponent to create wider angles The script remained the same in the second game as Zhou relentlessly built the pressure and did not allow Bhavina to execute her shots The Chinese got an early lead and pressed home her advantage to win 511 Bhavina did put up a better fight in the third game caught up with Zhou at 55 and took the lead But the Chinese was too strong and kept her nerves to wrest back the lead and won the game 116 to wrap up a deserved win IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympic-tt-bhavinas-magical-run-ends-with-silver-first-medal-for-india-at-tokyo-153092.html Sun, 29 Aug 2021 10:37:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympic-tt-bhavinas-magical-run-ends-with-silver-153102.html Tokyo Aug 29 Bhavina Patels magical run in the Tokyo 2020 Paralaympic Games ended with a silver medal as she lost to world No 1 Zhou Ying of China in straight games in the final of the womens table tennis Class 4 on Sunday Bhavina thus won Indias first medal at Tokyo 2020 and 13th overall Bhavina ranked 12th in the world who had made an incredible run to the final by beating the gold and silver medallist of the Rio Paralympics found Zhou winner at Beijing 2008 and London 2012 too strong to handle and lost 30 711 511 611 in a 19minute encounter in womens singles Class 4 The 34yearold Bhavina who lost to the best player in the world and one who is far more experienced and superior to her became the first Indian table tennis player to win a medal at the Paralympics She also became only the second Indian female athlete to win a medal in the Paralympics after Deepa Malik who bagged a silver in shot put F43 in 2016 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympic-tt-bhavinas-magical-run-ends-with-silver-153102.html Sun, 29 Aug 2021 11:37:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympic-archery-jyotis-campaign-ends-in-defeat-153147.html Tokyo Aug 29 Jyoti Baliyans challenge in the womens Individual Compound Open archery competitions at Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games came to an end with the Indian losing to Irelands KerrieLousie Leonard in a 116 Elimination round at the Yumenoshima Final Field here on Sunday Jyoti who had qualified 15th with a score of 671 lost to KerrieLousie who scored 657 in the ranking round 137141 in the 15arrow elimination round Jyoti started with an eight but followed it up with a 10 and nine as she tallied 27 points in the first end She got a onepoint lead as her Irish opponent ended with 26 from two 9s and an eight She lost the initiative in the second set of three arrows a seven after 10 and eight undid her efforts as she earned 25 points while KerrieLousie shot a 29 with two arrows in the inner 10 X and one nine to take lead at 5552 Jyoti responded with a perfect 30 in the next three arrows hitting three 10s KerrieLouise shot 29 thanks to a 10 an X and nine The 27yearold Jyoti managed 29 in the penultimate round while her 30yearold Irish rival shot a perfect 30 to maintain her upper hand The Indian could manage only 26 in the fifth and final round of three arrows as KerrieLouise shot 27 to seal the victory Jyoti will now figure in the Mixed Team compound with Rakesh Kumar in the evening IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympic-archery-jyotis-campaign-ends-in-defeat-153147.html Sun, 29 Aug 2021 15:18:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-india-beat-thailand-to-reach-quarters-in-mixed-team-compound-archery-153203.html Tokyo Aug 29 Indias Mixed Team of Jyoti Baliyan and Rakesh Kumar defeated Thailands Praphaporn Homjanthuek and Anon Aungaphinan 147141 and advanced to the quarterfinals in the compound archery competitions at the Tokyo Paralympic Games on Sunday The Indian pair which had qualified as the sixthbest with a score of 1370 shot 35 in the first round of four arrows the same as the Thai opponents They went behind in the next round as they managed 36 points because of an eight on the first arrow followed by two 9s and a 10 Thailand got 37 with an inner 10 and three 9s as they led 7271 The Indians responded with 38 points in the next four arrows with two Xs and two 9s but Thailand could manage an eight two 9s and a 10 for 36 giving India the lead at 109108 The Thai pair crumbled in the final four arrows as they could manage only 33 points three 8s and a nine while the Indians stayed steady and shot 38 two 10s and two 9s to seal a place in the quarterfinals In the quarterfinals later in the day India will take on Turkey who got a bye into the lasteight stage Meanwhile Jyotis challenge in the womens individual compound open archery competitions came to an end with a defeat of Irelands KerrieLousie Leonard in a 116 Elimination round at the Yumenoshima Final Field here on Sunday Jyoti who had qualified 15th with a score of 671 lost to KerrieLousie who could manage a score of 657 in the ranking round 137141 in the 15 arrow elimination round Jyoti started with an eight but followed that up with a 10 and nine as she tallied 27 points in the first end She got a onepoint lead as her Irish opponent ended with 26 from two 9s and an eight She lost the initiative in the second set of three arrows a seven after 10 and eight undid her efforts as she earned 25 points while KerrieLousie shot a 29 with two arrows in the inner 10 X and one nine to take lead at 5552 Jyoti responded with a perfect 30 in the next three arrows hitting three 10s KerrieLouise shot 29 thanks to a 10 an X and nine The 27yearold Jyoti managed 29 in the penultimate round while her 30yearold Irish rival shot a perfect 30 to maintain her upper hand The Indian could manage only 26 in the fifth and final round of three arrows as KerrieLouise shot 27 to seal the victory IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-india-beat-thailand-to-reach-quarters-in-mixed-team-compound-archery-153203.html Sun, 29 Aug 2021 19:06:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/you-will-see-a-different-bhavina-against-zhou-ying-next-time-153234.html Tokyo Aug 29 Bhavina Patel who made history for India by becoming the first table tennis player from the country to win a medal in the Paralympic Games here on Sunday said she would do her best to reverse the outcome of the match when she meets her Chinese opponent world No 1 Zhou Ying in future tournaments Bhavina ranked 12th in the world had made an incredible run to the final by beating the gold and silver medallist of the 2016 Rio Paralympics On Sunday she found Zhou winner at Beijing 2008 and London 2012 too strong to handle and lost 30 711 511 611 in a 19minute encounter in womens singles Class 4 Im extremely delighted to win a medal but also a bit disappointed as well I got a bit nervous said Bhavina who had also lost to the same opponent in the league fixture But I can assure you that the next time I meet her Zhou you will see a different me She clearly got the better of me and had all the shots in her book to outsmart my effort added Bhavina For a woman coming from a small village in Mahesana district of Gujarat this fairytale is laced with nothing but hard work Five years ago red tape had played a part in Bhavina missing the 2016 Rio Paralympics and she was completely shattered It took her over three months to get over it recalls husband Nikul We have been married for four years and Im saying she is much stronger than me There was an issue with her paperwork before Rio because of which she missed the International Table Tennis Federation deadline and missed the opportunity We both were devastated Im amazed the way Bhavina has kept herself motivated said Nikul Bhavina also says that missing Rio was a blessing in disguise Had that not happened probably I would not have been here with the medal she said adding that the government should provide more opportunities to people with disabilities What I went through growing up I dont want the next generation of people with disability to suffer Accessibility is a major issue and so are jobs and other opportunities If my medal can somehow make the right noise and get people at the helm to take notice I will be more than happy Paralympic Committee of India PCI president Deepa Malik too was elated From one wheelchair silver medallist to another I won at Rio and here too a woman athlete has got the first silver for the country It is a huge moment for all of us to cherish She will be a huge role model for woman empowerment and gender equality There is so much that a medal in sport can change said Deepa Zhou too was all praise for Bhavina You might be thinking the match was easy but it was a tough contest I had prepared well for this game and had worked really hard Every time I play against her it is a different contest Im really delighted for her and for myself There will be more rivalries to come between us and Im looking forward to that challenge IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/you-will-see-a-different-bhavina-against-zhou-ying-next-time-153234.html Sun, 29 Aug 2021 22:19:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/we-have-become-fearless-following-tokyo-success-hockey-player-gurjit-153047.html New Delhi Aug 28 Indian womens hockey team dragflick specialist Gurjit Kaur who was one of the architects of the sides fourthplace finish at the Olympics said the players had become fearless following their performance in Tokyo and that going forward it will help us perform well in major tournaments The 25yearold defender who has been nominated for the FIH Womens Player of the Year Award 202021 etched her name in the history books of world hockey following her heroics in the Olympics quarterfinal match against Australia She scored a matchwinning goal from a penalty corner in Indias historic 10 win which earned the side a place in their firstever semifinal at the Games People have started watching us and I am sure our performance will inspire young girls to take up hockey The Tokyo Olympics marks the beginning of a new era of Indian hockey We have gained a lot of confidence we have become fearless and going forward it will certainly help us perform well in major tournaments I also hope we get the same amount of love and respect going forward she added On her nomination for FIH Womens Player of the Year Award Gurjit said Its a huge thing for me to be nominated for the FIH Womens Player of the Year Award For an athlete its one of the best things when all your hard work and sacrifices get recognised at a world level and I am really happy to see my name on that list It will give me extra motivation to do even better for the team Asked about the decisive goal against Australia Gurjit said I think thats my job and I just did it My job is to dragflick and I got a chance which I converted No doubt there is my name on the scoresheet but that doesnt mean it was mine alone it was a team goal Each one of us contributed to it from the defence line to midfielders to strikers who created the penalty corner and eventually it was my responsibility to convert it she added The team missed out on the Olympic medal by a whisker losing to Great Britain in the bronzemedal playoff match However the Amritsarborn player feels that there are a lot of positives to take from this dream campaign Even though we missed out on winning the medal by a whisker there are a lot of positives to take from this dream campaign IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/we-have-become-fearless-following-tokyo-success-hockey-player-gurjit-153047.html Sun, 29 Aug 2021 04:51:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympic-archery-rakesh-kumar-in-pre-quarters-swami-exits-153055.html Tokyo Aug 28 India continued to have a mixed day at the Tokyo Paralympic Games archery competition as Rakesh Kumar made it to the prequarterfinals while Shyam Sundar Swami crashed out of the Mens Individual Compound Open Kumar the 35yearold from Katra near Jammu defeated Hong Kongs Ka Chuen Ngai while Swami went down to Matt Stutzman of the United States in the 116 Elimination round Kumar who was placed third after the 72arrow ranking round continued with his superb run by outclassing Chunen Ka Ngai of Hong Kong 144131 in the 116 Elimination Round at the Yumenoshima Final Field on Saturday Kumar got off to a superb start as he shot 29 10 109 out of a possible 30 in the first three arrows called end in archery opening up a twopoint lead as Ngai could manage only 9 10 8 He shot a 10 and an inner 10 X and a nine in the second end with Ngai managing a poor 25 with two 8s and a nine Kumar continued in the same vein as he shot 29 28 and 29 in the next three rounds for a total score of 144 out of 150 Ngais game went downhill as he shot a 27 24 and 28 in the last three rounds for a total of 131 Swami gave Stutzman a tough fight as he lost 139142 The 24yearold Swami who had lost to Kumar in the final of the FAZZA World Para Archery Ranking Tournament in February this year started with 27 and conceded a point lead to the American who shot 28 the Indian levelled the scores at 5555 when he shot an arrow in the inner 10 for 28 while Stutzman managed three 9s Swami again fell behind by a point after the third end shooting 28 as against 29 by his rival He managed another 28 in the fourth round but Stutzman shot a perfect 30 to open up a threepoint lead Swami could not bridge the gap in the fifth and final round of three arrows as both players tallied an identical 28 Kumar will now take on Marian Marecak of Slovakia in the prequarterfinals on Tuesday Aug 31 On Sunday he will figure in the Mixed Team Compound Open prequarterfinals along with Jyoti Baliyan India will take on Thailand for a place in the quarterfinals IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympic-archery-rakesh-kumar-in-pre-quarters-swami-exits-153055.html Sun, 29 Aug 2021 06:00:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympic-tt-sensational-bhavina-continues-historic-run-reaches-final-152973.html Tokyo Aug 28 Indian paddler Bhavina Patel continued her sensational run at the Tokyo Paralympic Games reaching the Womens Singles Class 4 final with a brilliant win against Chinas Zhang Miao on Saturday Bhavina came back strongly from a game deficit to stun World No 3 Miao 32 in the thrilling semifinal clash on Saturday setting herself up for a historic attempt at winning a first gold medal at the Paralympic Games for herself and the fifth overall for the country After losing the first game 711 the 34yearold government employee from Ahmedabad Gujarat fought back brilliantly to beat Miao the Rio Paralympic Games silver medallist 711 117 114 911 118 in the 34 minutes contest Firsttime Paralympian Bhavina has now assured India at least a silver medal the first in table tennis at the Paralympic Games Indias 12 medals at the Paralympics so far have come from three sports athletics 10 including 3 gold powerlifting 1 bronze and swimming 1 gold In the final to be played on Sunday Bhavina will take on Chinese World No 1 Zhou Ying the player to whom she had lost in straight games in her first match in Tokyo Paralympics in the group stage It is a sensational comeback for the Indian paddler as she not only made it past the preliminary round after losing to Zhou but also beat three strong opponents including the Rio 2016 gold medallist Borislava Peric Rankovic of Serbia and silver medallist Miao to reach the final But the semifinal clash on Saturday did not get off to a good start for Bhavina a paraAsian medallist Bhavina found Miaos topspin serve too hard to tackle and went down tamely in the first game conceding five points in a row from 55 to eventually lose the game 711 But just when it looked like the bestoffive games match was following scripts of their previous encounters in which Miao enjoyed an 110 headtohead record Bhavina stunned her Chinese nemesis with an unexpected fightback Bhavina had different ideas on Saturday and she played as a player possessed She stitched together a brilliant combination of powerful Tomahawk serves impeccable backhand defence and a whiplash backhand smash that forced the 30yearold Miao ranked third in the world into submission In the second game Bhavina broke away from 55 to win the next five points and levelled the scores at 116 With both players winning one game apiece the third game held the key to the encounter as it was crucial for both of them to take lead and establish their ascendancy Bhavina surged ahead with some impeccable returns and sensational shots to take a 50 lead and went on to win the game 104 Though the Chinese player committed some unforced errors Bhavina won the game by superbly mixing her shots creating angles with deft placements and attacking Miao on the backhand Stunned by the reverse Zhang Miao came up with a strong response as she fought for every point Scores went neck and neck till 99 in the third game as neither player was ready to give an inch But Miao won the next two points to take the match into the decider Bhavina came out all guns blazing in the fifth and final game as she surged to a 50 lead But Miao had some more fight left in her as she controlled her nerves and reduced the margin to eventually bring it down to 97 At 98 when it looked like things will get difficult for Bhavina the Indian paddler pulled two superb shots from her repertoire to seal the game 118 and secured a historic medal for India If she wins the final against Zhou Ying on Sunday Bhavina will become the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Paralympic Games She will be only the fourth person ever after swimmer Murlikant Petkar 1972 javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia 2004 2016 and high jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu 2016 to win a gold medal for India at the Paralympic Games If she loses she joins Deepa Malik as the only woman to win a medal for India in the Paralympic Games IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympic-tt-sensational-bhavina-continues-historic-run-reaches-final-152973.html Sat, 28 Aug 2021 17:02:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympic-tt-nothing-is-impossible-if-you-try-hard-says-bhavina-after-reaching-final-152979.html Tokyo Aug 28 So strong have been the Chinese in para table tennis that Bhavina Patel has always been told that beating them is impossible But I have always believed that nothing is impossible if you give it your best shot And today I did it Bhavina said on Saturday after beating Chinas Zhang Miao in the semifinals of the womens singles Class 4 section at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo Bhavina defeated Miao the world No 3 and 2016 Rio Paralympic Games silver medallist 32 711 117 114 911 118 in a 34minute encounter to reach the final and assure India its first medal in table tennis at the Paralympic Games It is the first time that an Indian player had beaten a Chinese opponent Its a huge huge achievement for me Everyone used to tell me that beating a Chinese player is impossible But today I have proved that nothing is impossible in the world Everything is possible if you want to do it said Bhavina after winning her semifinal match She thanked the people of the country the Paralympic Committee of India PCI the Sports Authority of India SAI her sponsors Olympic Gold Quest OGQ Blind Peoples Association Ahmedabad where she learned table tennis and Target Olympic Podium Scheme TOPS for supporting her It is because of their support that I could reach this stage today Thank you everyone she added I have never considered myself disabled Today I have proved that nothing is impossible she said Bhavina a government employee working for ESIC in Ahmedabad Gujarat on Saturday became the first Indian table tennis player to reach the final at the Paralympic Games If I maintain the same standard of play I can win the gold medal she said adding that she did not expect to reach this stage when she started her journey in her first Paralympics When I started I never thought I would reach this stage I came here with the aim of giving my hundred per cent in every game And that is what I have done so far If you give your 100 per cent to something then medals will come Bhavina said in a video posted by the Paralympic Committee of India on Twitter Asked about the final Bhavina said she was mentally ready for the encounter with Zhou Ying of China to whom she had lost in her opening match in Tokyo I am ready mentally for that match I will give my 100 per cent in that match too said Bhavina IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympic-tt-nothing-is-impossible-if-you-try-hard-says-bhavina-after-reaching-final-152979.html Sat, 28 Aug 2021 18:21:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-bhavina-reaches-pre-quarters-in-womens-table-tennis-152555.html Tokyo Aug 26 Indias Bhavinaben Patel reached the Round of 16 in womens Table Tennis Class 4 at the Tokyo Paralympic Games on Thursday Bhavina defeated Megan Shackleton of Great Britain 31 117 911 1715 1311 in 41 minutes in their Group A preliminary round match Bhavina who had lost her opening match to higherranked Chinese Zhou Ying 30 on Wednesday came back strongly to beat Megan She won the first game easily but had to use all her experience and skills to quell a strong challenge from Megan who had won the second game and took her Indian rival to extra points in the next two games She finished second in the threeplayer group and thus qualified for the next stage Bhavina is ranked eighth in the world and defeated the British player to keep alive her hopes of getting into the medal rounds Bhavina who won the bronze medal in International Table Tennis Federation Asian Para Table Tennis Championship that was organised from 23 to 31 August 2017 in Beijing China She reached the ranking of World No 2 by winning a silver medal in the individual category at the PTT Thailand Table Tennis Championship in 2011 is participating in her first Paralympic Games She trains with coach Lalan Doshi at the Blind Peoples Association in Ahmedabad IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paralympics-bhavina-reaches-pre-quarters-in-womens-table-tennis-152555.html Thu, 26 Aug 2021 17:55:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/gained-a-lot-of-confidence-playing-top-teams-hockey-olympian-sharmila-152303.html New Delhi Aug 25 Indian womens hockey team forward Sharmila Devi who played a key role in the Rani Rampalled side finishing fourth at the Tokyo Olympics and making history said on Wednesday that the girls had gained a lot of confidence after playing the best teams in the world The 19yearold made several brilliant runs during the tournament and put pressure on the opposition to create many goalscoring opportunities Sharmila also scored a goal in Indias Pool stage match against Great Britain For her incredible efforts at the Olympics Sharmila has been nominated for the FIH Womens Rising Star of the Year Award 20192020 We were very close to winning a medal but we couldnt do so It was heartbreaking for us to not close out the game against Great Britain However we will focus on the learnings from the tournament in the upcoming days We have gained a lot of confidence from the way we took on the top teams in the world We just need to finetune a few things and then we will certainly perform well regularly in the biggest of tournaments said Sharmila On her being nominated for the FIH award Sharmila said Its a great honour to be nominated for the FIH Womens Rising Star of the Year Award 20192020 It feels fantastic when your efforts and performances are recognised I have always played to help my team win and we have always believed in collective efforts therefore this nomination is a testament to the way the entire team has played in the last year and especially at the Tokyo Games Sharmila also congratulated her teammates defender Gurjit Kaur and goalkeeper Savita for being nominated for the FIH Womens Player of the Year Award and FIH Womens Goalkeeper of the Year Award respectively The fact that we have made the shortlist of all the categories of FIH Hockey Stars Awards 202021 shows that each department of the team is contributing to the teams success on the field Gurjit scored some crucial goals for us in the knockout stages the one against Australia in the quarterfinal being the most important goal and Savita made many brilliant saves throughout the Tokyo Games I am really happy that their performances have been recognised and would like to congratulate them for being nominated for the FIH Player of the Year Award and FIH Goalkeeper of the Year Award respectively said Sharmila IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/gained-a-lot-of-confidence-playing-top-teams-hockey-olympian-sharmila-152303.html Wed, 25 Aug 2021 19:02:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/tokyo-paralympics-mariyappan-in-quarantine-tek-chand-new-flag-bearer-152008.html Tokyo Arhan Bagati Deputy Chef de Mission Indian Paralympic Contingent to Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Game with flagbearer of the Indian contingent for the opening ceremony Javelin thrower Tek Chand in Tokyo Tuesday Aug 24 2021 PTI New Delhi Aug 24 Hours before the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Paralympics flag bearer Mariyappan Thangavelu along with five other members of the Indian contingent have been put into quarantine after they came in close contact with a person who tested positive for Covid19 According to the information received here none of them have tested positive since the past six days As a precautionary step they will remain in quarantine and another Indian paraathlete Tek Chand will be the new flag bearer for the country at the opening ceremony Confirming the development the Paralympic Committee of India PCI stated Thangavelu Mariyappan will not be part of Indias opening ceremony today He has been replaced by Tek Chand as the countrys flag bearer On his flight to Tokyo Mariyappan came in close contact with a covid positive foreign passenger Though on reaching the village he has been Tested for 6 days and all his reports are negative but the Organizing Committee has advised not to make Mariyaapan participate in the Opening Ceremony today The ceremony starts at 430 PM IST The opening ceremony will be telecast Live on EurosportHD The Live feed from Eurosport will also be streamed on the Discovery app Mariyappan who would be competing in the mens high jump F42 event is allowed to train but have specific timings F42 category is for athletes with a leg deficiency leg length difference impaired muscle power or impaired passive range of movement in the legs IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/tokyo-paralympics-mariyappan-in-quarantine-tek-chand-new-flag-bearer-152008.html Tue, 24 Aug 2021 16:09:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/archer-rakesh-kumar-overcomes-depression-ready-to-shine-at-tokyo-paralympics-151596.html By B Shrikant Mumbai Aug 21 From attempting suicide thrice to qualifying for his maiden Paralympic Games in Tokyo life has come a long way for Rakesh Kumar Indias top compound paraarcher Kumar who won gold in the Open Compound section in Fazza World Ranking Archery Championship in Dubai in February this year is Indias highestranked compound archer with a world rankings of No 11 and a contender for a medal in the Paralympics starting on August 24 He will be participating in the Mens Compound Open and Mixed Compound Open which will be held on August 27 and 29 respectively While he was on a high after his recent good performances in paraarchery events in the last couple of years between 2009 and 2014 Kumar went through emotional turmoil following an accident Unable to walk after the accident and with his familys meagre income stretched to the limit Kumar was extremely depressed I was just getting on my feet had started earning enough to take care of my family But the accident turned my world upside down At an age when I had to take care of my old parents they had to take care of me I had become a huge financial burden on my parents and younger brother Kumar says Suicide looked the only way out says Kumar who won a gold medal in the mens compound open section of the 7th Fazza Para Archery World Ranking Tournament in Dubai UAE in February this year After the accident Kumar was confined to a wheelchair and ran a small roadside shop in his hometown Katra near Jammu when coach Kuldeep Vedwan spotted him The coach felt that I had strong arms and insisted I should try archery and continue if I like it recalls Kumar He tried it and was soon hooked to the sport He also saw it as a means to support his family as his younger brother was the sole breadwinner He got a lot of support from the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board which has taken care of his funding for equipment and coaching The Archery Association of India the Paralympic Committee of India and the Sports Authority of India too have chipped in Otherwise it would have been impossible for me to take up the sport as I come from a very poor family and didnt have the financial resources to take up such an expensive sport adds Kumar In the last three years Kumar has emerged as the best in the country in open compound archery ranked 10th in the world He was part of the team that won gold in the team competition at the European Circuit 2nd leg in 2018 and a bronze in the mixed team event at the 5th Fazza Para Archery World Ranking Tournament in 2019 He has had top10 finishes in the international tournaments he has participated so far His consistent performance helped him qualify for the Paralympics and is considered Indias best medal hope in compound archery Such expectations can result in huge pressure but Kumar is not fazed by expectations I am not thinking of a medal God willing it will happen What I am more bothered about is my performance I will be happy if I manage to give my 100 per cent but fail to win a medal However I will be very disappointed if I fail to give my best performance in Tokyo says Kumar The 35yearold Kumar who travels for tournaments with his younger brother and coach was part of a camp at the Sports Authority of India SAI Sonipat for the last few months and the pandemic disrupted his preparations for the Paralympics The lockdown and shutdown of the camp did disrupt my preparations but I had some space near my house in Katra where I set up a target and practiced whenever I could I also kept in touch with my coach over the phone and would send him videos of my practice Kumar explains Kumar also utilised the break to work with a sports psychologist to work on the mental aspect of the game He is aware the Paralympics will be the biggest event hes participated in so far and therefore he worked on concentration and mental toughness aspects that may come into focus when Kumar takes on some of the worlds best compound archers The field at Tokyo includes Marcel Pavlik of Slovakia the World No 1 in W2 category No 3 Nail Gatin of Russian Paralympic Committee RPC Serhiy Atamanenko of Ukraine the top seed in ST class and Bair Shivaev of RPC World No 5 in W2 category The work on mental aspects during the Covid19 break will come in handy at the Yumenoshima Ranking Field in Tokyo And Kumar is ready for the challenge IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/archer-rakesh-kumar-overcomes-depression-ready-to-shine-at-tokyo-paralympics-151596.html Mon, 23 Aug 2021 00:26:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/we-have-wings-unveiled-as-concept-of-paralympics-opening-ceremony-151470.html Tokyo Aug 21 We Have Wings has been announced as the concept of the Tokyo Paralympic Games opening ceremony to be held on August 24 The Tokyo 2020 organising committee also said in a statement on Saturday that the concept of the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games is Harmonious Cacophony As announced in July the overall concept behind all four ceremonies of both the Olympic and Paralympic Games is Moving Forward and the concept of the Olympic Games opening ceremony is United by Emotion which is also the slogan of the Olympics and the concept of the Olympic Games closing ceremony is Worlds We Share The Tokyo Paralympic Games will run from August 24 to September 5 reports Xinhua Meanwhile the organisers have said that Afghanistan will not send athletes to the Paralympic Games Toshiro Muto CEO of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee said that he has been aware of the information that Afghanistan is unable to take part in the Paralympic Games Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani left the country while the Taliban ordered its members to enter the capital of Kabul Currently a situation exists in Afghanistan That situation is the reason for their inability to come to Japan he said We regret that they are not able to come for the Afghanistan athletes officials and stakeholders I hope they are spending their time safely in their own country said Muto IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/we-have-wings-unveiled-as-concept-of-paralympics-opening-ceremony-151470.html Sun, 22 Aug 2021 13:17:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/bhavina-sonalben-aiming-for-tt-medals-at-tokyo-paralympics-151519.html New Delhi High jumpers Ram Pal and Varun Singh Bhatti with coach Satyapal Singh at a practice session at JLN Stadium ahead of Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in New Delhi Friday Aug 20 2021 A total of 54 paraathletes will be representing the country across 9 sports at the Summer Paralymics staring from Aug 24 PTI New Delhi Aug 22 Bhavina Patel and Sonalben Patel both from Gujarat will be aiming to put their best foot forward when the Paralympic Games competitions begin in Tokyo on August 25 The duo is participating in the womens table tennis wheelchair Class 4 category and womens singles wheelchair Class 3 categories respectively They will then pair for the womens doubles event Bhavina and Sonalben start their qualification rounds in Tokyo on the opening day The qualifying rounds are scheduled for August 25 26 and 27 while the semifinal and the final are scheduled for August 28 and 29 respectively The duo has been training under coach Lalan Doshi at the Blind Peoples Association in Ahmedabad While Bhavina is ranked eighth in the world in her category Sonalben is ranked 19th Both have been recipients of the Sardar Patel Award and the Eklavya Awards and have been medallists at the Asian Games They are a part of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme TOPS core group and have received key interventions from the government in terms of participation in international competitions Bhavina has also received financial assistance towards procuring TT tables robot and TT wheelchair for personal training assistance towards physiotherapy psychologist and coaching fees to prepare for the Paralympic Games In para powerlifting India is sending two of the best in Jai Deep and Sakina Khatun While Sakina born in West Bengal has been training at the SAI National Centre of Excellence in Bangalore Haryanabased Jai Deep has been training at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Rohtak Both are part of the TOPS core team Sakina who will participate in the womens up to 50kg category is the only Indian woman paralympian to ever clinch a Commonwealth Games medal when she won in 2014 in Glasgow She is also a Para Asian Games 2018 silver medallist Sakinas impairment is a result of the effects of contracting polio as a baby Post her matriculation she started powerlifting training in 2010 and is coached by Farman Basha Jai Deep who is participating in the mens up to 65kg category is an assistant coach in the Sports Authority of India Both have received key government interventions in terms of participation in over three international competitions and participation in national coaching camps with sports science support along with sports kit They will both be in action in Tokyo on August 27 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/bhavina-sonalben-aiming-for-tt-medals-at-tokyo-paralympics-151519.html Sun, 22 Aug 2021 17:03:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/tokyo-paralympics-10-young-stars-to-watch-out-for-151532.html New Delhi Para Athlete Simran Sharma with husbandcumcoach Naik Gajendra Singh during practice ahead of Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games August 24September 5 2021 at JLN Stadium in New Delhi Friday Aug 20 2021 Simran Sharma became the first Indian woman to qualify for the 100m track event in Tokyo Paralympics Sharma was born with semideveloped ears PTI Tokyo Aug 22 The Tokyo Paralympic Games will be held from August 24 to September 5 and the 12 days of competitions will see around 4400 para sportspersons participating in 22 sports Among the sportspersons that will reach Tokyo there are many young stars expected to make their mark on the world stage Watch out for these 10 exceptional young talents about whom you will listen even after the Tokyo 2020 Games are over 1 Liu Yutong 17 China para badminton A twotimes World Championship gold medallist in womens WH2 singles Liu Yutong will be the playertobeat in her category at Tokyo 2020 as parabadminton makes its Paralympic Games debut Liu Yutong burst onto the scene aged 13 when she won gold at the 2017 World Championships and two years later defended her title to prove that her first medal was not a fluke Now ranked world number one in WH2 Liu has great racquet skills and anticipation which compensate for her limited speed and flexibility A fan of Chinese badminton legend Lin Dan Liu had won two gold medals in the Para Asian Games at Jakarta in 2018 2 Olivier Hendriks 17 Netherlands paraathletics The 17yearold Dutch sprinter Hendriks is a star for the future Hendriks sprinted to a gold medal in both 100m T62 and 400m T62 at the European Para Athletics Championships in Bydgoszcz Poland in June proving that he is hitting top form just in time for the mega event Hendriks who had bagged a silver in 400 T62 at the Para Athletics World Championships in Dubai in 2019 will be competing in 400m T62 at Tokyo and can dominate the sport in the next few years 3 Palak Kohli 18 India para badminton Palak has had a meteoric rise in the sport as she took up the sport only a few years back By the dint of her talent and hard work Palak is currently ranked 15th in womens singles SU5 and sixth in womens doubles SU5 with Parul Parmar Palak will be participating in SU5 singles and doubles in Tokyo and hoping to bag at least one medal Though she has recently recovered from bone marrow edema in her left tibia Palak showed glimpses of her standard when she won silver in the 3rd Dubai ParaBadminton International 2021 in April and looks good to continue that form in Tokyo 4 Manish Narwal 19 India para shooting The youngster from Faridabad Haryana is the brightest shooting sports star of India He won the gold medal in P4 Mixed 50m pistol SH1 event at the Al Ain 2021 World Shooting Para Sport World Cup in March setting a world record score of 2291 Narwal announced his arrival by winning gold at the 2018 Asian Para Games in the P1 mens 10m air pistol SH1 he also captured silver in the P4 mixed 50m pistol SH1 Since then Narwal has added two World Championship bronze medals to his kitty and has also been awarded the Arjuna Award for his feats 5 Salma Ali Abd Al Moneem Hassan 17 Egypt para taekwondo Since winning a silver medal in the 58 kg K44 division at the 2019 African Open para Taekwondo championship Moneem Hassan has emerged as one of the most exciting upandcoming fighters to keep your eye on in the coming years As para taekwondo makes its debut at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo Moneem Hassan is the one to beat in her division She claimed her berth at Tokyo in 2019 by winning the African qualifying championship Moneem Hassan had knocked off USAs No 2 Brianna Salinaro on her way to a surprise silver medal in the womens up to 58kg K44 in her first international competition 6 Isabella Vincent 15 Australia swimmer The youngest member of the Australian contingent Isabella came first in S7400m freestyle and S6S13 100m backstroke and finished second in SM7 200m individual medley at the Australian Swimming Trials 2021 in her home town Adelaide Isabella suffers from sacral agenesis caudal regression syndrome from birth and took up competitive swimming in 2018 after a stint of postoperative hydrotherapy The same year she won nine medals including seven gold at the 2018 School Sport Australia Swimming Championship in Hobart 7 Juan Diego Garcia Lopez 18 Mexico ParaTaekwondo The new kid on the block Lopez caused a sensation when he won gold in the para taekwondo World Championships in 2019 and has emerged as the sports best fighter in the mens up to 7kg class Lopez entered 2019 ranked No 5 won five titles in the season including the world title and the ParaPan Games and finished the year at No 1 His achievements earned him Mexicos top sports award in the Paralympics category last year 8 Anastasia Pagonis 16 USA paraswimming Swimming is an easy act for those who have a vision But even though she is vision impaired Anastasia Pagonis makes both swimming and a lot of other things look easy For example putting her makeup which she does with ease In February this year the S11 star won two gold medals at the Melbourne World Series event Pagonis from Long Island New York got into swimming when she first began losing her vision at 12 years old due to genetic retina disease and autoimmune retinopathy At the US trials the 17yearold set a world record in the preliminaries in the S11 400meter freestyle and then lowered it during the finals the same night While she is not swimming Pagonis is the star on Instagram 9 Lise Petersen Germany javelin throw Lise Petersen is a multifaceted athlete and participates in javelin throw long jump and 60m and 200m sprints In Tokyo she will participate in javelin throw T46 and long jump F46 The 16yearold was a surprise choice in the German track and field squad and the youngest member of the Germany contingent for the Tokyo Paralympic Games Born in June 2005 at Haselund North Friesland district has a best of 3553 metre in the javelin and a leap of 454m in the long jump She has an impairment in her right arm 10 Merle Menje Germany wheelchair racing The 16yearold emerged winner in womens 5000m T54 at the European Para Athletics Championships in Bydgoszcz Poland in June 2021 and will be participating in 100m 400m 800m1500m and 5000m She won another gold in the womens 400m T54 and added two more silver medals in the womens 100m and 800m T54 No other athlete in Bydgoszcz won four medals and that puts her at the top of the pack for the Tokyo Paralympics I just want to train be better and then we will see what I can achieve Menje said after the European meet about her plans for Tokyo Indeed the world will be a witness to her unique talent in Tokyo IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/tokyo-paralympics-10-young-stars-to-watch-out-for-151532.html Sun, 22 Aug 2021 17:58:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/from-400-in-1960-to-4-400-in-tokyo-the-growth-of-paralympic-games-151188.html Mumbai Aug 20 From a gathering of 400 physicallychallenged athletes from 23 countries at Rome in 1960 to 4400 participants from 137 countries at Tokyo the Paralympic Games have come a long way in the last 61 years The Paralympic Games were founded by Sir Ludwig Guttmann a Jewish doctor who fled Nazi Germany to England where he opened a spinal injuries centre at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in London The first edition of the Stoke Mandeville Games the predecessor of the Paralympics was held on July 29 1948 with 16 injured servicemen and women competing in archery Initially the Games were restricted to only the warinjured The Stoke Mandeville Games later became the Paralympic Games which first took place in Rome Italy in 1960 The International Paralympic Committee IPC was founded in 1989 to act as the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement Initially the Games were for those injured in the war and all those disabled by birth or due to accidents were added at the time of the first edition in 1960 Amputees and visionimpaired athletes were included into the programme for the first time ever in the 1976 edition in Toronto The Tokyo Paralympic Games the 15th edition of the quadrennial event will be held from August 24September 5 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/from-400-in-1960-to-4-400-in-tokyo-the-growth-of-paralympic-games-151188.html Sat, 21 Aug 2021 10:42:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/tokyo-paralympics-will-be-our-best-ever-games-chef-de-mission-gursharan-singh-151052.html New Delhi Aug 20 Indias Chef de Mission for the 2020 Paralympic Games Gursharan Singh on Friday said that the country will bag at least 15 medals including five gold in Tokyo and added that this will be our best ever Games Singh who is the secretarygeneral of the Paralympic Committee of India was nominated as the chef de mission of the Indian team at the AGM of the governing body I am confident that this would be our best ever Paralympic Games Our paraathletes have worked very hard in the past years and shown great results in international competitions They are raring to go at the Games We are expecting around 15 medals including five gold at the Games We have high medal hopes in athletics badminton shooting and archery Singh said India has a total of 12 medals including four gold in 11 Paralympic appearances In Tokyo India will field the largest contingent ever with 54 para athletes set to compete in nine sports including archery athletics badminton canoeing shooting swimming powerlifting table tennis and taekwondo Badminton and canoeing are making their debut at the Tokyo 20 Paralympics The first batch of Indian players has arrived in Tokyo with the CDM already in Tokyo to oversee the arrangements T Mariyappan who is Indias flag bearer at the Games has also arrived in Tokyo and there will be a lot of expectations from the high jumper to clinch his second Paralympic gold in Tokyo Meanwhile shooting coach JP Nautiyal was upbeat about the shooters chances mentioning Avani Lekhara Singhraj and Manish Narwal as Indias best medal prospects We have a balanced team with young and senior players and many of them are coming up with excellent scores during training that has been ongoing since last month It has been a great journey for the entire team which has shown great results in the last few years said Nautiyal World No 1 and multipletime world champion Pramod Bhagat will lead Indias badminton contingent with gold medal hopes resting on him in the mens SL3 event Among others world No 2 shuttler Krishna Nagar SH6 and Tarun Dhillon SL4 are other para shuttlers who are expected to do well In archery India will have Rakesh Kumar and Shyam Sundar compound Vivek Chikara and Harvinder Singh recurve and woman archer Jyoti Baliyan compound individualmixed event IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/tokyo-paralympics-will-be-our-best-ever-games-chef-de-mission-gursharan-singh-151052.html Fri, 20 Aug 2021 19:01:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/dont-get-bogged-down-by-defeat-pm-modi-to-vinesh-phogat-150545.html New Delhi Aug 18 Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the breakfast meeting with Tokyo 2020 Olympians at his residence had a special chat with grappler Vinesh Phogat currently suspended by the Wrestling Federation of India WFI for alleged indiscipline Modi reached out to Vinesh to boost the wrestlers morale following a tumultuous last few weeks since the Olympics Modi reportedly told the grappler that not only was he a fan of her skills but also he respected the contribution her family has made to the sport The PM also told Vinesh that emotions of selfanger and dejection needed to be avoided in what could prove to be a vital pep talk for the 26yearold Jeet ko sar par chadhne na do haar ko man mein basne na do Do not get arrogant in victory and do not get bogged down by defeat is what Modi told Vinesh IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/dont-get-bogged-down-by-defeat-pm-modi-to-vinesh-phogat-150545.html Wed, 18 Aug 2021 18:50:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/post-aditis-tokyo-success-golfer-lahiri-wants-more-public-courses-in-india-150601.html Norton Massachusetts Aug 18 Top Indian golfer Anirbn Lahiri made a strong pitch for public courses and public driving ranges in India in the wake of woman golfer Aditi Ashok coming up with a commanding performance at the Tokyo Olympic Games where the 23yearold missed the bronze by just one stroke finishing fourth Speaking ahead of The Northern Trust a PGA Tour event beginning August 19 at the Liberty National Golf Course here Lahiri said Theres a whole conversation about public courses and public driving ranges Its been going on now for easily over a decade Ive been a pro myself now for well 14 years starting my 15th year now and really havent seen any more ranges or public courses that have come up in India I understand there are a lot of other challenges Theres a lot of premium to real estate and what we need to use it for We have a lot of other challenges in our country and Im totally respectful of that but it doesnt take a lot to have a small driving range Liberty National itself if you look at the history was built on what used to be a garbage dump and we have another couple of golf courses in America where weve had PGA Tour events which has a similar history So whats stopping us from maybe doing that said Lahiri who had finished tied42 at the Tokyo Olympics Lahiri said there was a lot of scope for India to be able to take waste areas that were not going to really be of prime usage and convert it into something that could be constructive and meaningful for sport in general and golf is one of those sports So the fact that there were so many eyeballs on golf thanks to Aditi Ashok the way she played the fact that a lot of people were talking about it and a lot of politicians and government officials were congratulating and waving about it which Im so glad to see Id love to see some action being taken towards having more of us more athletes and other people who could go ahead in the future Olympics and do something meaningful for the country We all know what a medal at the Olympics means to our country but we also need to be able to develop on a grassroots level said Lahiri You and I cant do as much at the grassroots level as the authorities can So my tweet and my plea was more to do with that because there are opportunities We dont have to make 400 acres sprawling luxury golf courses but you could make three small ranges in areas that we have land thats not going to be used for something else that nobodys stopping us from doing that but somebody needs to take the initiative That was what my plea was more about because thats where youre going to find the diamonds in the rough Thats where youre going to find the talent Youre not going to find it if theres nowhere for someone to go and even get introduced to the sport IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/post-aditis-tokyo-success-golfer-lahiri-wants-more-public-courses-in-india-150601.html Wed, 18 Aug 2021 23:12:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/mary-kom-apologised-pm-says-wins-and-losses-are-part-of-life-150609.html New Delhi Aug 18 Talking to MC Mary Kom while hosting the Indian Olympic contingent for breakfast Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Indian boxing star had brought the limelight on women athletes in India for the past decade We miss you in Parliament said the Prime Minister To which the Rajya Sabha MP replied I could not attend due to practice Mary Kom then apologised for not winning a medal at the Tokyo Games However the Prime Minister said Wins and losses are part of life You have contributed in a big way in the sports world especially in India It is because of you that women sportswomen have grabbed the spotlight now The last decade has been in your fists so you have achieved a lot IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/mary-kom-apologised-pm-says-wins-and-losses-are-part-of-life-150609.html Wed, 18 Aug 2021 23:57:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/pm-modi-meets-tokyo-olympics-contingent-over-breakfast-150077.html New Delhi Aug 16 Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the Tokyo Olympics contingent over breakfast at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg here on Monday Photos were shared on social media after breakfast and the athletes were seen enjoying the moment On Sunday the Prime Minister in his Independence Day speech had applauded the Indian Olympic athletes saying the country was proud of them for bringing glory to the nation and that their feat has inspired the future generation India recorded its bestever medal haul in Tokyo bagging a total of seven medals one gold two silver and four bronze Indias Tokyo heroes will now return to their respective homes IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/pm-modi-meets-tokyo-olympics-contingent-over-breakfast-150077.html Tue, 17 Aug 2021 02:30:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/two-time-paralympic-gold-medallist-aims-for-his-third-in-javelin-throw-149804.html By Chetan Sharma New Delhi Aug 15 When everybody is busy cheering for Indias new golden boy Neeraj Chopra there is a double gold medallist in the same discipline far away from the limelight finetuning his skills to clinch a third gold for himself and India And unlike Chopra Devendra Jhajaria has only one arm His is a name that not many may know but Devendra was the one who made India proud by winning their first gold in the F46 javelin throw even at the 2004 Athens Paralympics and followed it up with another at the 2016 Rio Paralympics His efforts including a world record throw of 6215m were recognised with a Padma Shri making Devendra the first paraathlete to be accorded this national honour In a candid conversation with IANS Devendra 40 and supremely fit said he was ready to represent India at the upcoming Tokyo Paralympics The javelin thrower whos from Churu Rajasthan was working with the Railways and is now with the Sports Authority of India SAI Some days ago I was remembering 2004 My father was the only one who came to see me off for the Athens Games Devendra said Neither the state nor the central government gave any money My father is no more but I still remember his words If you do well the country and government will come and support you The paraathlete who has been active in sport for over two decades says his father was right for other sports have come a long way in the country since he began Today when I see governments motivating athletes I feel my father would be very happy wherever he is now Jhajharia said The Target Olympics Podium Scheme TOPS is really good and Khelo India is benefiting young athletes as well He added Sports has come a long way Athletes are getting all the basic facilities Back in 2004 I didnt even know what a physio or fitness trainer was Today SAI has all the facilities at their centres The government moreover is supporting athletes and paraathletes equally Having said that Devendra added that the country was still to achieve the desirable excellence in sports He made a pitch for sports universities to be opened These universities could lead India to those levels of excellence We need to do research Sports universities are required in India We do not have a shortage of talent but sports science is an area where a lot of work needs to be done he said The javelin thrower whose left arm had to be amputated when he was eight years old after he accidentally touched a live electric cable is all prepared for his third Paralympics in a muchdecorated career thats spanned nearly two decades I have the experience so I am pretty confident Devendra said I will keep myself calm and focused Last year I was tested Covidpositive As a result my training got hampered But I overcame it and worked really hard Weight was also an issue for me My coach had said that if I gain even one kg of weight then I should forget about a medal So I started lifting the gas cylinder at home to control my weight I reduced it by 7 kilos and I now weigh 79 With these inspiring words the gritty Paralympian signed off all set to pursue his dream of bringing home another gold IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/two-time-paralympic-gold-medallist-aims-for-his-third-in-javelin-throw-149804.html Mon, 16 Aug 2021 05:01:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-a-major-turning-point-for-the-country-pm-narendra-modi-149612.html New Delhi Aug 15 Speaking from the historic ramparts of the Red Fort on the 75th Independence Day Prime Minister Narendra Modi showered praise on Indias Olympians and urged the nation to give them a big round of applause for their achievements In his 88minute address the Prime Minister made a pointed reference to the way the Olympics have impacted thinking within the country It is a major turning point for our country he said In this decade we have to speed up the drive to bring talent technology and professionalism into sports in the country Drawing the nations attention to the Olympians present in the audience the Prime Minister said The athletes who have made us proud at the Tokyo Olympics are here among us today I urge the nation to applaud their achievement today They have not only won our hearts but also inspired future generations He also highlighted the achievements of Indian women athletes when he announced that Sainik Schools for the first time in their history will be opened up for girls It is a matter of pride that Indias daughters are performing splendidly be it in Board exams or the Olympics the PM declared Emphasising the importance of sports in the school curriculum he said There was a time when sports were not considered to be a part of the mainstream Parents used to say to children that they would spoil their life if they kept playing But today awareness about the importance of sports and fitness is widespread all over the country We have experienced it in the Olympics this time As many as 240 Olympians including gold medallist Neeraj Chopra and silver medallist Mirabai Chanu the mens and womens hockey teams their support staff and officials of the Sports Authority of India were present to listen to the Prime MInister On his way out of the Red Fort the Prime Ministers cavalcade stopped at the enclosure reserved for the Olympians and he walked around waving at them In view of the Covid protocols the sportspersons remained seated The athletes surely were excited and shared pictures from the Red Fort on social media platforms as well Olympian shooter Sanjeev Rajpoot took to Twitter to express his feelings from Red Fort Nothing comes close to the feeling of representing your country Saluting the sacrifices and valour of our freedom fighters Happy Independence Day Jai Hind IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-a-major-turning-point-for-the-country-pm-narendra-modi-149612.html Sun, 15 Aug 2021 11:38:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/world-athletics-showcases-neeraj-chopra-on-its-main-page-149389.html Tokyo Aug 14 World Athletics WA the global governing body for the sport has featured Indian gold medallist at the Tokyo Olympic Games javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on its front page saying that With a mark of 8758m at the Games the 23yearold had launched himself to sporting superstardom as he became Indias first ever Olympic champion in athletics Chopra hurled the javelin to a distance of 8758 metres in a field that had the likes of Germanys Johannes Vetter the top javelin exponent in the world to become the first track field athlete from India to win gold at the quadrennial showpiece Tracing the 23yearolds journey from the IAAF World Under20 Championships in 2016 where he achieved a world U20 record throw of 8648 metres till the Tokyo Olympics WA wrote The final throw was taken in Tokyo and only then could Neeraj Chopra breathe a sigh of relief It was a moment so monumental that 7 August will now be celebrated as National Javelin Day in his home country The Athletics Federation of India AFI has decided to celebrate August 7 each year as National Javelin Throw Day and all states and union territories will hold events to mark the occasion But it was not the first time Chopra had made history for his nation Five years earlier the rising javelin star had broken the fiveyearold world U20 record in Bydgoszcz Poland to win Indias first ever gold medal at the World U20 Championships As the next generation gets ready to compete at the 2021 edition of the age group event in Nairobi Kenya from 1722 August Chopra hopes his performances have helped to inspire wrote WA in its article on Friday Chopras javelin journey started in 2011 when the 13yearold son of farmers joined a local sports group to be active He never looked back and Chopras win at the 2016 World U20 Championships was a major milestone Chopra who was coached by Gary Calvert to his world U20 title and then teamed up with Klaus Bartonietz went on to claim his Asian title in 2017 before Commonwealth and Asian Games gold in 2018 But then while training for the 2019 World Athletics Championships he was struck with injury which required surgery on his throwing arm He returned in 2020 but then the world went into lockdown wrote WA One year later he announced his comeback with a national recordbreaking throw of 8807m in Patiala IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/world-athletics-showcases-neeraj-chopra-on-its-main-page-149389.html Sat, 14 Aug 2021 15:30:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/tokyo-2020-podiums-made-from-plastic-waste-recycled-aluminium-149498.html Tokyo Aug 14 While its a known fact that the medals for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games have been minted from metals extracted from discarded mobile phones and laptops few would know that the podiums were created using 245 tonnes of recycled household plastic waste On Friday the Tokyo2020 Twitter page posted an article detailing the victory ceremony at the Tokyo2020 Paralympics which said that The podiums were created using 245 tonnes of recycled household plastic waste which was donated by people across Japan to show how sustainability in society can be achieved Waste material was also used to make the symbols embedded along the sides Designer TOKOLO Asao who also created the Tokyo 2020 emblem based it on the traditional Japanese chequered pattern ichimatsu moyo used aluminium recycled from temporary housing provided in the regions affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake the Tokyo Games organisers explained As for the medals for the Paralympic athletes the organisers mentioned that the design of the medals was based on the idea that to achieve glory athletes must strive for victory on a daily basis They medals resemble rough stones that have been polished and shined with light and brilliance to symbolise the energy of the athletes and those who have supported them as well as the warm glow of friendship The medals also represent diversity and show how people who compete in sports and work hard are honoured The Japanese government had to launch a twoyear nationwide campaign to collect ample recycled material for the production of 5000 bronze silver and gold medals for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games While the concept of making medals from discarded laptops mobile phones and other electronic commodities is not new the Japanese took it to an altogether different level enlisting the support of nearly 90 per cent of the countrys cities towns and villages In the end the country was able to produce 32kg of gold 3492kg silver and approximately 2200kg of bronze from nearly 80 tonnes of electronic devices which then went into the crafting of the glittering Olympic medals IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/tokyo-2020-podiums-made-from-plastic-waste-recycled-aluminium-149498.html Sat, 14 Aug 2021 21:13:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/australian-olympic-committee-slams-further-quarantine-restrictions-on-returning-athletes-149016.html Sydney Aug 11 The Australian Olympic Committee AOC has slammed the South Australian government over the decision to force athletes returning from Tokyo Olympics to complete an additional 14day home quarantine on return to the state There are 56 Australian team members returning to South Australia with 16 currently quarantined in Sydney Through a statement released on Wednesday the AOC has expressed its frustration over the decision to ignore expert medical advice by South Australia They also added that the decision will lead to 28 days of quarantine presenting a significant risk to mental health of athletes who are returning from a highly constrained Tokyo Olympics While other countries are celebrating the return of their athletes we are subjecting ours to the most cruel and uncaring treatment They are being punished for proudly representing their country with distinction at the Olympic Games said AOC CEO Matt Carroll He further said We are all promoting the obvious benefits of vaccination but this important layer of protection is not working in favour of these athletes given this decision By any measure this group of returning Olympians is extremely low risk Not only are our Olympians fully vaccinated but they have also been living in a highly controlled bubble in Tokyo taking the upmost precautions tested daily over many weeks Carroll confirmed that an application was written to the Chief Medical Officer of South Australia to convince them for exemption for athletes But the application was rejected We have received no explanation as to why our application on behalf of these athletes has been rejected If you run an exemption process presumably that includes the prospect that exemptions can be granted based on scientific advice We have received no response related to the expert advice we have provided Dr David Hughes Chief Medical Officer of the Australian Institute of Sport AIS has called the decision by the South Australian government profoundly flawed To have individuals quarantined for such a lengthy period of time is in my opinion unreasonable and cannot be scientifically justified It poses a significant risk to the physical and mental wellbeing of the individuals concerned said Dr Hughes Carroll said that the home quarantine option is no less impactful The athletes are first required to apply for home quarantine with no certainty of approval Athletes subject to home quarantine will not be permitted a welcome home hug Either the athletes family must move away the athlete must find a way of isolating from the family or the entire family goes into quarantine That is not an acceptable option for someone who is fully vaccinated and who has already just completed two weeks quarantine concluded Carroll Australia won 46 medals at the Tokyo Olympics winning 17 gold medals along with 7 silver and 22 bronze finishing at sixth place in the medals table IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/australian-olympic-committee-slams-further-quarantine-restrictions-on-returning-athletes-149016.html Fri, 13 Aug 2021 04:54:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/biggest-ever-indian-paralympic-contingent-given-virtual-send-off-by-thakur-149058.html New Delhi Union Minister for Information Broadcasting Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur L with MOS sports Nisith Pramanik R take part in the Fit India Freedom Run at Dhyanchand Stadium in New Delhi Friday Aug 13 2021 PTI New Delhi Aug 13 A 54member Indian contingent for the Tokyo Paralympic Games was given a virtual sendoff late on Thursday evening by Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag The athletes were addressed and sent best wishes by Thakur via a video message India is sending its largestever contingent to the Paralympic Games in Tokyo 54 parasportspersons across nine sports disciplines The passion of our ParaAthletes shows their phenomenal human spirit Remember that when you play for India you will have a 130 crore Indians cheering for you I am extremely confident that our paraathletes will give their optimum best Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met our Rio 2016 Paralympic Games athletes and has always had a keen interest for the welfare of our athletes and focused the governments approach on nurturing talent along with development of sports Infrastructure across the country Heres wishing them the very best said Thakur Minister of Tourism GK Reddy said Blessings of the whole nation are with the athletes and national flag should fly high again in Tokyo It is dream of every player to do good at international level and make the country proud and we firmly believes that Paralympic athletes will fulfil this dream The Union Minister also added that the government has always supported sportspersons and said that the vision of the Prime Minister needed to be lauded in conceiving the Target Olympic Podium Scheme TOPS in 2014 Deepa Malik president of Paralympic Committee of India PCI said Everyone has worked very hard and we are looking at very amazing competition at Tokyo 2020 and are very confident that we are going to bring lot of joy lot of glory to the tricolour A total of 54 athletes in nine disciplines including archery athletics badminton swimming and weightlifting among others will compete in Tokyo IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/biggest-ever-indian-paralympic-contingent-given-virtual-send-off-by-thakur-149058.html Fri, 13 Aug 2021 10:25:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/mathematically-proved-javelin-thrower-neeraj-chopra-is-the-best-148991.html New Delhi Aug 11 From people trying to mathematically calculate javelin thrower Neeraj Chopras speed of projectile to those visiting sports shops selling cricket bats and asking Bhaiya Javelin Hai do you sell javelins social media has gone into overdrive following the Tokyo Olympic Games gold medallists performance and it bodes well for the sport in the country From the moment Chopra landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on August 9 people started clicking pictures of the ace throwers javelin at the arrival lounge neatly packed in a black bag with Neeraj Chopra written prominently on it Soon calculations came into play and hundreds of people mathematicians biomechanics experts and common people started gauging the speed of the projectile applying complicated formulae and rules of gravity to reach a conclusive figure to Chopras gold medalwinning throw of 8758 metres Someone calculated the velocity of Chopras gold medal throw at 10552 kmph posting a scribble of the complicated calculations he had done to arrive at the figure Minimum velocity by which Indias Gold Medalist Neeraj Chopra threw the Javelin at Tokyo Olympics is 10552 kmph a fan tweeted Hundreds of people started discussing the calculations with one of them agreeing that the calculation was spot on and that the only thing needed was to factor in wind speed temperature and the density of the atmosphere at that point in time Another fan posted a picture of a sports shop with cricket bats neatly lined up on the shelf asking Bhaiya Javelin Hai while another posted an illustration of Chopras javelin firmly stuck in the ground resembling a blossoming shoot and wrote Neeraj Blossomed Congratulations Another picture showed the javelin thrower taking a longshot with a sophisticated camera with the caption Nothing just Neeraj Chopra trying to locate his javelin The best calculation though was done by someone who tweeted a sketch of a pencil shaped like a javelin and drew a gold medal captioning it History The Athletics Federation of India AFI has immortalised the day by announcing August 7 each year as National Javelin Throw Day with competitions in all states and union territories to commemorate Chopras feat of winning the countrys first athletics gold medal at the Olympic Games Some succeed because they are destined to but most succeed because they are determined to wrote a fan and it summed up Chopras journey IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/mathematically-proved-javelin-thrower-neeraj-chopra-is-the-best-148991.html Fri, 13 Aug 2021 01:21:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/national-javelin-throw-day-receives-thumbs-up-from-sports-enthusiasts-148740.html New Delhi Aug 11 While javelin throw might not be a popular track and field sport in the country Neeraj Chopras gold medalwinning feat at the Tokyo Olympics and the Athletics Federation of Indias AFI decision to celebrate August 7 each year as National Javelin Throw Day has received a big thumbs up from sports enthusiasts across the country Fans on social media termed AFI decision ground breaking while others said this will help our young generation to achieve more Brilliant Hope they AFI make it a big event every year with Javelin competition across the country Will be truly ground breaking tweeted a fan while another wrote Good move everyone must support this will help our young he generation to achieve more On Monday during a felicitation ceremony for Chopra AFI had announced that August 7 each year would be celebrated as the National Javelin Throw Day with competitions in all states and union territories to commemorate the athletes feat of winning the countrys first athletics gold medal at the Olympic Games with a throw of 8758m We will celebrate August 7 as National Javelin Day from next year to mark Neerajs victory All our affiliated units will hold Javelin competitions in the respective States and Union Territories And a year later we will get all our 600plus district units also to have similar competitions on August7 AFI Planning Committee chairman Lalit Bhanot had said at the function on Tuesday The 23yearold Chopra had said he was humbled by the announcement I am feeling good that the AFI is making my achievement to be remembered in the years to come I will be happier if my gold medal win inspires youngsters to take to athletics especially javelin throw he said If the children are getting the Javelins and other facilities I am sure they will come and take up the sport I will be happy to cheer for them and they can be medal winners in the future he said Chopra said the turning point in his career was his inclusion in the national camp after he finished fifth in the National Games in Kerala in 2015 Everything changed after my joining the national camp equipment training facilities and diet The feeling of training with the best javelin throwers in the country was special he said I had already won the gold in Commonwealth Games and Asian Games and now the Olympic Games So my next target is the gold in the World Athletics Championships in Oregon next year The World Championships is a big competition and sometimes tougher than the Olympic Games I am not going to be content with this Olympic gold I will want to win the Commonwealth Games Asian Games and Olympic Games titles again he said pointing out that he was concerned about a few athletes testing positive for Covid19 in the Games Village and that he was worried for himself IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/national-javelin-throw-day-receives-thumbs-up-from-sports-enthusiasts-148740.html Thu, 12 Aug 2021 07:26:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/below-par-showing-in-tokyo-social-media-trolls-taking-a-toll-on-athletes-148767.html By Chetan Sharma New Delhi Aug 11 Athletes and mentalhealth issues seem to almost go hand in hand with many sportspersons dealing with it on a regular basis These issues are not just confined to sports such as cricket or tennis as we saw last year when three Australian cricketers and Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka succumbed to mental pressures but cover the entire spectrum of sport The competitive atmosphere takes a toll on athletes who are pushed into depression when the outcome is not what they had desired Losing is not the end of the problem but trolling on social media which has become the latest tool of intimidation is Indian boxers who came up with belowpar performances at the Tokyo Olympics found out how ruthless social media trolls can be after they lost their bouts Twotime Asian champion boxer Pooja Rani 75kg says she is unable to sleep The Haryana boxer was just one win away from clinching a medal in Tokyo but lost her quarterfinal bout Since then she has been trying hard to mentally overcome her defeat Speaking to IANS Pooja said It is easy to say we will winfocus on the next Olympics But it is not that easy one has to start from zero Again perform in small events to keep yourself ready for major events then fight to qualify for the Olympics Too much pressure I am feeling right now I need to relax a bit I guess I was so angry with myself when I lost in the quarterfinals I knew that I could win but dream crashed I am not feeling mentally fit right now I cant sleep properly The pain of losing so near the medal is really disturbing I have started some yoga to overcome all these past things Lets see what happens said Pooja Another boxer Vikas Krishan Yadav urged people to not hate him after he lost in the first round Asian Games gold medallist boxer Vikas who lost his Roundof32 welterweight bout apologised to his fans for his belowpar performances saying he deserves all the bashing but not hate Vikas has now undergone surgery to fix the shoulder injury which will keep him out of action for the next few months The 29yearold one of Indias most celebrated boxers after winning bronze at the 2014 Incheon and 2018 Jakarta Asian Games besides gold at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou had taken painkillers before the firstround match against Sewon Okazawa but the injury was so severe that he could use only one hand to punch I respect peoples views They have all the right to bash me because I was not able to perform They wanted me to win gold and that is why they are angry I want to say sorry to them and promise them that I will come back stronger Injury has forced me to not perform well but now my surgery is also done I will start training once getting fully recovered Peolle trolling me on social media Please dont hate me I know I had promised that I would win a gold I am really sorry Vikas added When contacted Amit Panghal who didnt live up to the expectations as well refused to comment I am not in a position to talk right now Please give me some time Please There are other athletes who said they were having mentalhealth issues postOlympics but were not willing to come on record to speak about it A shooter said on condition of anonymity that It is easy to criticise or slam somebody The field is open Please join us and win Nobody wants to lose Social media is brutal sometimes the shooter added IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/below-par-showing-in-tokyo-social-media-trolls-taking-a-toll-on-athletes-148767.html Thu, 12 Aug 2021 09:50:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-rings-in-tokyo-removed-will-be-replaced-with-paralympic-logo-148769.html Tokyo Aug 11 The Olympics symbol monument consisting of five interlocking rings in blue yellow black green and red colours was taken down from the Tokyo Bay area on Wednesday after the completion of the Tokyo Olympics The giant floating rings monument set on a concrete platform at Odaiba Marine Park will be replaced by the Three Agitos symbol coloured red blue and green encircling a single point on a white field of the Tokyo Paralympics scheduled to take place from August 24 to September 5 I had worries at first about going ahead with the Olympics amid the coronavirus pandemic but I now feel it was good to have it held as the strong performances by young athletes cheered me up Hiroto Sato 58 who was watching the removal of the monument from a nearby commercial facility was quoted as saying by Kyodo News The Olympic monument around 326 meters wide 153 meters high and weighing 69 tons was first unveiled in January 2020 But the iconic symbol was taken down for safety and maintenance reasons in August 2020 after a decision was made to postpone the Olympics for one year due to the COVID19 pandemic The monument was then reinstalled in December 2020 Lit up at night the giant Olympics rings played a key role in creating momentum for the Tokyo Olympics which started on July 23 and ended on August 8 The Odaiba Marine Park offers panoramic views of the Tokyo skyline while overlooking the Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo Tower It served as a venue for the triathlon and marathon swimming events during the Olympics It is scheduled to host competitions for para triathlon athletes IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-rings-in-tokyo-removed-will-be-replaced-with-paralympic-logo-148769.html Thu, 12 Aug 2021 10:09:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-bring-injury-problems-for-real-madrid-and-barcelona-148810.html Madrid Aug 11 Both Real Madrid and FC Barcelona have paid a heavy price for players representing Spain in the Tokyo Olympic Games with Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos and Barcelona defender Oscar Mingueza facing spells on the sidelines after participating in the tournament Ceballos has come off worst of the two after Real Madrid confirmed that he has suffered a complete tear in his anterior talofibular and calcaneofibular ankle ligaments The news is surprising given that the Spanish Football Federation announced at the Olympics that he had suffered a grade two twisted ankle in the first match of the Games against Egypt and Ceballos was thought to have been close to playing in the final which Spain lost 21 to Brazil reports Xinhua The injury is a blow to Ceballos who is looking to cement his place in the Real Madrid squad after two years on loan to Arsenal while it is also a setback for the club given that Toni Kroos is also sidelined for an indefinite period with a groin injury Mingueza meanwhile has a hamstring injury and will be out of action for the next three or four weeks meaning he wont play any part in Barcas first three games of the new campaign which they kick off at home to Real Sociedad on Sunday IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-bring-injury-problems-for-real-madrid-and-barcelona-148810.html Thu, 12 Aug 2021 13:42:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/tokyo-paralympic-games-to-set-a-record-in-women-participation-148865.html Tokyo Aug 11 The Tokyo Paralympic Games 2020 scheduled to be held from August 24 till September 5 will be an event of many firsts with the most striking being a record number of female athletes who will be competing in the quadrennial showpiece At least 405 per cent of all the athletes will be women according to the IPC Qualification Criteria This equates to 1782 athletes an increase on the 1671 women who competed at Rio 2016 386 per cent Tokyo which will make history as the first city to stage the Paralympic Games for a second time having hosted the event in 1964 will also see badminton a sport with mass viewership make its debut along with taekwondo Despite the pandemic restrictions the Tokyo organisers are expecting to surpass the viewership numbers logged at the 2016 Rio Paralympics which had a cumulative audience of 41 billion on television In India the Paralympic Committee of India PCI has awarded the rights to broadcast the Games to Eurosport India This will be the first time Eurosport will broadcast a global multisport event in the country and expand on a diverse range of sports already available to fans across its platforms With a focus on local heroes Eurosport Indias coverage of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympic Games will start on August 27 to coincide with the mens and womens archery events at Yumenoshima Park Archery Field The Eurosport feed will also be live on the discovery app for the fans to stay up to speed with all the action from Tokyo India will be fielding its largest ever contingent this year with 54 Paralympic athletes participating across nine disciplines Among those in medal contention are world No 3 and world No 2 in javelin Sumit Antil and Sandeep Chaudhary Manish Narwal 10m air pistol Singhraj 10m air pistol and Avani Lekhara 10m air rifle 50m air rifle in shooting and Mariyappan Thangavelu in high jump In a unique innovation to help those with vision impairments recognise the different Tokyo 2020 Paralympic medals by touch a series of circular indentations have been included on the side of the medals for the first time in Paralympic history One indentation represents gold two distinguishes silver and three identifies bronze Braille letters also spell out Tokyo 2020 on the medals face IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/tokyo-paralympic-games-to-set-a-record-in-women-participation-148865.html Thu, 12 Aug 2021 16:28:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/neeraj-chopras-gold-in-tokyo-is-one-of-world-athletics-10-magical-moments-148731.html Tokyo Aug 11 Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopras gold medalwinning performance has been rated as one of the 10 magical moments of the Tokyo Olympic Games by World Athletics WA the global governing body for track and field events In its page titled 10 magical moments from the Tokyo Olympic Games WA wrote for Chopra Deserved recognition Most keen followers of the sport had heard of Neeraj Chopra before the Olympic Games But after winning the javelin in Tokyo and in the process becoming Indias first athletics gold medallist in Olympic history Chopras profile skyrocketed He had 143000 followers before the Olympics but now has a staggering 32 million making him the most followed track and field athlete in the world wrote WA Soon after winning the gold Chopra had tweeted Still processing this feeling To all of India and beyond thank you so much for your support and blessings that have helped me reach this stage This moment will live with me forever WA said that with three world records 12 Olympic records and dozens of area and national records the Tokyo Olympic Games were officially the highest quality major event in athletics history But beyond the recordbreaking performances what made the Games truly memorable were the other moments that happened on and off the field of play from heartbreaking postrace interviews to midrace fistbumps the 10 days of athletics action were one long emotional rollercoaster Posting a picture of New Zealand shotput legend Valerie Adams who won a bronze medal in Tokyo and celebrated by holding a postcardsize photograph of her two small children WA wrote Shot put legend Valerie Adams values her bronze medal from Tokyo as much as she does any of her 10 global gold medals Since the 2016 Rio Olympics the New Zealander has given birth to two children and has bounced back from persistent elbow and shoulder injuries WA wrote Valerie had said after clinching bronze that The feeling of winning a bronze medal was just as good as when I won the gold medal Since the last Games Ive had these two humans come out of me Theyre in my training diary and I have one on the wall in the Olympic Village she said holding up a photo of her daughter Kimoana and her son Kepaleli They go everywhere with me on my journey They are my family It just goes to show the strength of a woman You can be a mom and come back and be a mother as well IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/neeraj-chopras-gold-in-tokyo-is-one-of-world-athletics-10-magical-moments-148731.html Thu, 12 Aug 2021 05:57:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/delhi-govt-never-gave-us-monetary-help-for-olympic-preparation-athletes-148500.html By Chetan Sharma New Delhi Aug 10 The Delhi government appeared to have done its bit by putting up banners of five Delhi athletes who competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Huge banners consisting of sketches of table tennis star Manika Batra shooter Deepak Kumar and two 400m runners Amoj Jacob and Sarthak Bhambri were put up all over Delhi but upon speaking to one of the athletes it appears the banners are just a paint job to hide the deficiencies of the government I can tell you that Delhi government never came to my help no monetary help was ever offered to me said 22yearold Bhambri who lives in Rajouri Garden and is currently pursuing his undergraduation education Posters have been put up saying Delhi bole jeet ke ana kaise jeet ke ana Delhi says win medal at Olympics How to win this way I saw somewhere that crores have been spent on hoardings and posters for the Olympics Even If they gave us 1015 per cent of that for our preparations months before going to the Olympics we could have put it to good use on our performance Bhambri and Jacob were members of the 400m relay squad that set the Asian record at the Olympics with a timing of 30025 seconds with Jacob who was part of the main team putting the best Indian timing of 4468 seconds while running the last leg Delhi government is currently running a Mission Excellence scheme to financially aid top athletes from the national capital However Bhambri who earned a spot in the India 400m relay team after a string of medalwinning performances at multiple national events alleged that he is yet to benefit from the scheme Mission Excellence is a good scheme they have but they need to really revamp it because if I do well today in the Olympics and I want to prepare for Asian Games and Commonwealth Games next year then I wont have any funding until 2023 then whats the use of it I have 810 months left for CWG but if no funding is going to come then how will we grow Bhambri said Earlier World Championship bronze medallist boxer Gaurav Bidhuri and wrestler Divya Kakran had also slammed the city government for providing any help IANS tried to speak to the sports department of the Delhi Government but didnt get any response The officials were unavailable to comment on the matter IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/delhi-govt-never-gave-us-monetary-help-for-olympic-preparation-athletes-148500.html Wed, 11 Aug 2021 13:45:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympian-sindhu-says-meditation-helps-everyone-must-try-it-148423.html Hyderabad Aug 10 Olympic bronze medal winner and badminton champion PV Sindhu has credited meditation for her ability to face difficult situations during matches Sindhu said that meditation helps calm her mind and understand her emotions Participating in an event Monday at the Heartfulness Institute to celebrate Indias performance at the Tokyo Olympics Sindhu clarified that there is nothing like a magic pill for success People also wonder whether meditation leads to success I want to convey that meditation is not a magic pill for success but it brings clarity within your mind and heart For me it calms my mind and helps me understand my emotions better It also helps me plan my next steps Especially during stressful situations like the pandemic meditation helps maintain calmness Heartfulness Guide Daaji and Sindhu also launched the nationwide environmental initiative Forests by Heartfulness to celebrate Team Indias performance at the Tokyo Olympics by planting 7 lakh trees near the Yatra Garden at the Heartfulness global meditation center Kanha Shantivanam Hyderabad The drive aims to plant saplings in various land pockets including schools and colleges industrial lands village panchayat lands private farmer lands and individual homes Each sapling will be geotagged to monitor and track its growth accurately Carefully selected trees native to the region and with medicinal values will be a part of the drive IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympian-sindhu-says-meditation-helps-everyone-must-try-it-148423.html Wed, 11 Aug 2021 02:14:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympian-boxer-vikas-krishan-recovering-after-shoulder-surgery-148441.html New Delhi Aug 10 Asian Games gold medallist boxer Vikas Krishan who lost his Roundof32 welterweight bout at the Tokyo Olympic Games to a Japanese boxer has undergone surgery to fix his dislocated shoulder The 29yearold Krishan had been nursing an injury since the preparatory camp in Italy which got aggravated during his bout at the Tokyo Olympics on July 24 Neeraj Goyat a profession boxer who made it to the WBC World Rankings tweeted on Monday officialvkyadavs unfortunate injury that happened while he was training in Italy only got worse during his bout in the Olympics Big thank you to Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala for successfully completing Vikass shoulder surgery in Mumbai Please pray for his speedy recovery Krishan one of Indias most celebrated boxers who has also won bronze at the 2014 Incheon and 2018 Jakarta Asian Games besides gold at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou had taken painkillers before the firstround match against Okazawa but the injury was so severe that he could use only one hand to punch Krishan finally lost the bout by unanimous decision His MRI on return from Tokyo revealed a tear in the muscle and a ligament along with the dislocated shoulder Krishan had turned pro in 2018 but returned to compete in Tokyo his third Olympics In an earlier tweet soon after Krishans bout Goyat had posted MRI scans of the boxers shoulder with the diagnosis saying officialvkyadav you fought today despite your shoulder injury and the agonizing pain that youve been under It needs strength of character to fight a battle such as this one with one working arm and what matters is that you tried your best Youre an inspiration a true Flag of India IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympian-boxer-vikas-krishan-recovering-after-shoulder-surgery-148441.html Wed, 11 Aug 2021 04:30:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/chopra-third-most-talked-about-athlete-globally-on-twitter-hockey-logs-record-high-148464.html New Delhi Aug 10 Tokyo Olympic Games gold medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra Neerajchopra1 was the third most talkedabout athlete globally while hockey was the most talkedabout sports on Twitter in India recording an increase of 134 per cent compared to the 2016 Rio Olympics Following Chopras success at the quadrennial showpiece on the penultimate day the official Olympics handles Olympics video celebrating the throwers iconic win was the most watched Olympics video on Twitter in India The 23yearold Chopras tweet expressing gratitude for the country folks support for his goldwinning Olympics journey was also the most liked and retweeted tweet among Olympics conversations in India This was also the tweet that received the most number of replies Still processing this feeling To all of India and beyond thank you so much for your support and blessings that have helped me reach this stage This moment will live with me forever Folded hands Flag of India Chopra had tweeted following his success Hockey became the most talked about Olympic sport on Twitter in India recording an increase of 134 per cent compared to 2016 Rio while the other sport that recorded massive increase in conversations were javelin throw 5631 and golf 703 where Aditi Ashok aditigolf became the first Indian golfer to represent the country at the Games Fencing thanks to Bhavani Devis exploits registered a 1086 per cent increase FieldHockey was the most mentioned hashtag sports in India during the Games followed by badminton wrestling boxing and golf While Chopra was the most talkedabout athlete in India Mirabai Chanu mirabaichanu was second followed by PV Sindhu Pvsindhu1 Lovlina Borgohain LovlinaBorgohai Bajrang Punia BajrangPunia and Rani Rampal imranirampalin that order IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/chopra-third-most-talked-about-athlete-globally-on-twitter-hockey-logs-record-high-148464.html Wed, 11 Aug 2021 08:04:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/neeraj-chopra-coaching-row-naik-refutes-afi-chief-sumariwallas-statement-148469.html Bengaluru Aug 10 Kashinath Naik an army jawanturnedcoach in the Athletics Federation of India AFI on Tuesday refuted president Adille Sumariwalla statement that he did not coach Neeraj Chopra the javelin throw gold medallist at the recently concluded Tokyo Olympic Games I stand by my words I coached Neeraj Chopra between 2015 and 2017 I had gone to Poland as an assistant coach to Neeraj Chopra Gary Calvert was the main coach Naik clarified I felt very sad after knowing hearing the statement by Adille Sumariwalla that he does not know anything about me I am the first person to secure a bronze medal in the Commonwealth Games held in 2010 at Delhi in the Indian history of javelin throw he said Naik stated that he was a gold medallist at the South Asian Games held in Dhaka in 2010 I made it to the fourth position at the World Military Games in 2011 I dont want any publicity I have spoken to Neeraj Chopra about all this he said Naik said India has been securing gold medals in wrestling boxing and other sports at the Olympics in athletics we had to wait till the 2021 Tokyo Olympics for gold Indian coaches are looked down upon he stated IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/neeraj-chopra-coaching-row-naik-refutes-afi-chief-sumariwallas-statement-148469.html Wed, 11 Aug 2021 08:56:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/feeling-yet-to-sink-in-says-neeraj-chopra-at-athletics-federation-function-148281.html New Delhi Olympic gold medal winning athlete Neeraj Chopras mother Saroj Devi poses for photographs after a press conference in New Delhi Tuesday Aug 10 2021 Chopra won gold in the javelin throw event of the Tokyo 2020 PTI New Delhi Aug 10 Tokyo Olympic Games gold medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra said on Tuesday that the feeling had yet to fully sink in that he had achieved a huge career milestone Speaking during a felicitation function organised by the Athletics Federation of India AFI on Tuesday morning and attended by 2003 World Championships bronzemedallist in long jump Anju Bobby George besides discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur among others Chopra said that there is no better feeling than clinching the gold medal at the Olympics Every athlete dreams of winning at the Olympics and theres no better feeling than winning gold It was like a dream when I finally won it The reception I got on my return from Tokyo made me realise the magnitude of my achievement said Chopra On the occasion AFI Planning Committee chairman Lalit Bhanot said that the national athletics body had decided to further promote javelin throwing and will hold competitions every year throughout the country on August 7 to mark Neeraj Chopras goldmedal feat in Tokyo About his throw on August 7 Chopra said I was in a good rhythm on that day I was trying to exceed my ability and as soon as my second throw went well I decided to not take any more risks I did not exert myself anymore because I knew that I almost secured gold for the country Just before the felicitation function Anju Bobby tweeted Such a delight to meet Neerajchopra1 and his parents today Thank you for giving us the moment that the nation will be celebrating for a long time IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/feeling-yet-to-sink-in-says-neeraj-chopra-at-athletics-federation-function-148281.html Tue, 10 Aug 2021 14:17:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/how-the-tokyo-olympics-were-different-from-previous-games-148160.html Tokyo Aug 8 Empty stadiums Face masks and social distancing Due to the Covid19 pandemic the Tokyo Olympic Games looked and felt so different from any of the past events But there were some things that did not change The Games were as competitive as ever the participants gave their all and at the end of it all celebrated it with passion and exuberance just like their predecessors had done for over a century Humanitys passion for sports as well as friendship and unity among the Games participants never ceased to impress The passion and feeling of kinship was expressed in the winners showing respect for the vanquished the medallists consoling those who fell short narrowly Like the women hockey players of Great Britain consoling their distraught Indian counterparts after winning a nervetingling thriller 43 Here are some ways in which the Tokyo Olympic Games were different from the previous editions NO SPECTATORS IN VENUES All spectators were banned from Olympic venues in Tokyo during the Games This included both overseas and domestic ticket holders But it did not prevent people from enjoying the Games on television or via online streaming reports Xinhua After Yang Qian a student shooter from Tsinghua University grabbed the first gold medal for China in the womens 10m air rifle more than 130000 people took to her Sina Weibo account to congratulate her Quan Hongchan a 14yearold Chinese diver put on a nearly flawless performance to win the womens 10m platform event The teenage girl from a rural family in south Chinas Guangdong Province said her favorite snack was spicy sticks A couple of days later boxes of spicy sticks were delivered by fans to her home in Maihe Village There are similar stories of people reaching out to the athletes after watching their performance on the television The IOC too make special arrangements for the athletes to interact with their families and supporters from the venues Though the Games were closed they were not at all silent FACE MASKS AND SOCIAL DISTANCING All participants at the Games were required to wear a face mask at all times except when eating drinking training competing or sleeping Participants were also urged to minimize social interaction with others As a result media interviews were done in a different way at times from a distance at the venues There was more emphasis on virtual interaction PUTTING ON THEIR OWN MEDALS To keep in line with social distancing rules athletes had to put on their own medals on the victory podium They were also discouraged from kissing the medal as they were required to wear masks on the podium But the moments were equally memorable for athletes who might have waited for years for such an occasion Chinese shooters Pang Wei and Jiang Ranxin chose to put medals on each other after they finished first in the 10m air pistol mixed team event Pang 35 said he improvised the idea at the medal ceremony We are a team We trust and support each other mentally I knew she would do well and I told myself that I should not be a burden on her GAMES OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA Though the IOC had strict rules on what athletes could share or not on the social media the Games ruled the social media in the twoweek long games and were a great source of sharing the joy with people back home With no spectators allowed family members of the sportspersons were also absent and therefore the social media was the only avenue to share their joy and sorrow MEDAL CEREMONY DURING CLOSING CEREMONY For the first time in the history of the games victory ceremony for the mens and womens marathon winners was conducted during the closing ceremony It is a big departure from previous editions as the medal ceremony is held soon after the event and the closing ceremony usually heralds the end of the Olympics But on Sunday IOC president Thomas Bach presented medals to the winners led by Kenyans Peres Jepchirchir womens winner and Eliud Kipchoge gold medallist in mens section TOGETHER With more than 200 million Covid19 cases reported globally so far the Tokyo Olympics managed to draw more than 11000 athletes from 200 plus countries and regions Social distancing regulations didnt pull the athletes away emotionally from each other American gymnast Sunisa Lee posted a selfie with her Chinese friend and rival Guan Chenchen on Twitter saying reunited shortly after her arrival in Tokyo During Guans performance on the balance beam Lee watched attentively and cheered She later posted another selfie with Guan saying Im so proud Nelson Mandela once said Sport has the power to change the world When the Olympics was inevitably changed by Covid19 it also lit up the lives of many around the globe inspiring people to always strive to be better to be Faster Higher Stronger Together IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/how-the-tokyo-olympics-were-different-from-previous-games-148160.html Tue, 10 Aug 2021 00:52:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/karnataka-announces-rs-10-lakh-for-chopras-former-coach-naik-148167.html Bengaluru Aug 8 Karnataka on Sunday announced a Rs 10 lakh award for former national javelin coach Kashinath Naik who was also one of the trainers of Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra Naik a former national javelin throw athlete and coach hails from Bengle village in Sirsi taluk in the states Uttara Kannada district Karnataka Sports and Youth Empowerment Minister KC Narayana Gowda said that Naik who trained Chopra and paved the way for the latter to win the gold at the Olympics and make the nation proud is himself is an achiever having won a bronze medal in the 2010 Commonwealth Games Naik who was coach of the national team between 2013 to 2018 had trained Chopra between 2015 to 2017 at the Indian Army facility at Patiala In view of this achievement I am announcing a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh to Naik which is in a way to show our gratitude the minister said in a statement Gowda also stated that the state government would also honour all Indian Olympic medallists IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/karnataka-announces-rs-10-lakh-for-chopras-former-coach-naik-148167.html Tue, 10 Aug 2021 01:36:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-tokyo-bids-adieu-with-grand-closing-ceremony-148169.html Tokyo Aug 8 International Olympic Committee IOC president Thomas Bach declared the 32nd Olympic Games at Tokyo closed on Sunday as Japan gave the world one more glimpse of its culture and tradition But what shone through more clearly for the entire world was the resilience humanitys passion for sports as well as friendship and unity among the Games participants And it proved that the human spirit can prevail even over a pandemic When the world is still battling the Covid19 pandemic over 11500 competitors and over 60000 volunteers officials administrators and media persons gathered in one city for the biggest sporting carnival in the world And a carnival it was at the closing ceremony with song dance smiles and laughter prevailing over the gloom and feeling of despair before the Games Wrestler Bajrang Punia who won a bronze medal in mens 65kg wrestling carried the Indian flag as athletes from all contingents came into the main Olympic stadium to celebrate the Tokyo Olympics one last time Olympic athletes and billions of people watching the live broadcast got a surreal glimpse of everyday Tokyo life on Sunday as the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Games was briefly transformed into a park with grass buskers and BMX riders in a valediction Performers danced skipped and played football mingled and waved to the athletes who had gathered closely together on the grass The Organising Committee for the Tokyo Olympics said the scene was meant for athletes to experience Tokyo as they had spent all their time in Japan cooped up in rooms or competing in venues The participants did not get a chance to experience daily life in Tokyo and therefore a glimpse of it was made available The Olympic flag was brought down and handed over to administrators from Paris which will host the next edition of the Games in Paris A medal distribution ceremony was held during the closing ceremony for the marathon runners with IOC president Thomas Bach presenting medals to Kenyans Peres Jepchirchir womens winner and Eliud Kipchoge gold medallist in the mens section As fireworks lit the Tokyo skyline inside the stadium Japanese musicians played traditional songs and the athletes gathered in the main stadium danced and hummed with them and all forgot the Covid19 pandemic that is still raging IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-tokyo-bids-adieu-with-grand-closing-ceremony-148169.html Tue, 10 Aug 2021 01:50:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-neeraj-chopra-the-star-as-india-claims-best-medal-haul-148171.html Tokyo Aug 8 Finally after a gap of 13 years India tasted another golden moment when javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra broke the jinx and became the first Indian track and field athlete in history to win a gold medal The feeling which had come when a reticent 10m air rifle marksman Abhinav Bindra had first won a bar of individual gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games returned Only that this time it was more profound as an athlete from the hinterland the heart of the country had won a gold medal Chopras lionhearted effort was perhaps a reflection of the newfound confidence of Indian athletes who have fronted the pandemic with determination and come out stronger over the last 16 months Barring the Indian shooters and tennis players who let the country down big time and created an atmosphere of dismay and dejection every other athlete who donned the Indian jersey was a winner whether heshe won a medal or not Golfer Aditi Ashok ranked 200th in the world battled the debilitating aftereffects of Covid19 and led the worlds top golfers till the last shot before missing out on a bronze medal by just one stroke The womens hockey team led by Rani Rampal fought tooth and nail before losing 34 to Great Britain after defeating world No 2 Australia in the quarterfinals Boxer Satish Kumar fought with 13 stitches above his eye and on his chin against world No 1 Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan before bowing out with head held high in the superheavyweight category There were several such heroic tales over the last fortnight which caught the imagination of the diehard Indian fan even as some of the best Indian shooters ranked among the best in the world continued to fire blanks Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu provided the silver lining on a day when some of the most talented shooters including pistol marksman Saurabh Chaudhary and rifle ace Elavenil Valarivan flattered to deceive on the first full day of competitions at the Olympics The 26yearold Manipur lifter exorcised the ghost of the 2016 Rio Olympics with a total lift of 202kg to clinch Indias second medal in weightlifting after Karnam Malleswaris bronze in 2000 Sydney Olympics Shuttler PV Sindhus bronze her second at the Olympics after the silver at 2016 Rio and the fight she put up against He Bingjiao of China on the first day of August was the spark the country needed to emerge from the gloom Wrestlers Ravi Dahiya and Bajrang Punia and boxer Lovlina Borgohain then took it as a challenge to push the limits of their mental and physical endurance to win medals for the country The mens hockey team bagged a bronze a medal in hockey after a gap of 41 years fighting back to beat Germany in a close encounter Last day last show The signs were propitious Golfer Aditi Ashok had finished fourth after leading the field in all four rounds galvanising the country to wake up at 200 am on Saturday for a miracle on the golf course A miracle it was as the 200th ranked player with mother as caddie upset the formbook by becoming the first golfer from the country to come this far Half an hour before Neeraj Chopras javelin final wrestler Bajrang Punia removed the kneecap and layers of tape from his injured right knee to go all out for bronze risking a careerthreatening injury to beat Kazakh wrestler Daulet Niyazbekov Bajrang won bronze Over to Neeraj Chopra and the Subedar with 4 Rajputana Rifles in the Indian Army created history by hurling the spear to a distance of 8758 metres Abhinav Bindra welcomed Chopra to the Club It is not the most happening of places yet and needs more members but I feel your entry is going to pave the way for many more deserving athletes Bindra wrote in his letter to Chopra Chopra has probably shown India the way to Olympic glory in the years to come IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-neeraj-chopra-the-star-as-india-claims-best-medal-haul-148171.html Tue, 10 Aug 2021 02:11:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-facts-and-figures-about-tokyo-2020-148178.html Tokyo Aug 8 With the Tokyo Olympic Games closing on Sunday night heres a look at some facts and figures about these special Games held under the influence of Covid19 pandemic after a oneyear postponement 1 World records broken Tokyo 2020 saw world records broken in 24 events with swimmers and rowers making the most breakthroughs shattering six world records each Four world records were broken in weightlifting and three in athletics and cycling track events 2 Most decorated athletes Australian swimmer Emma McKeon won seven medals at Tokyo 2020 the most among all athletes The 27yearold triumphed in womens 50m and 100m freestyle as well as 4x100m freestyle and medley relay reports Xinhua Caeleb Dressel of the United States is the athlete taking home the most gold medals With five victories from mens 50m and 100m freestyle 100m butterfly 4x100m freestyle and medley relay he is the most successful male swimmer in the pool in Tokyo 3 Youngest and oldest medal winners At 13 years and 330 days Momiji Nishiya of Japan womens street skateboarding champion is the youngest Olympic gold medalist in Tokyo American diver Marjorie Gestring at 13 years and 267 days set the record for the youngest winner at the 1936 Berlin Games The oldest Olympic champion at Tokyo was the German equestrian rider Dorothee Schneider At the age of 52 she won dressing team gold with teammate Jessica von BredowWerndl and Isabell Werth who is also 52 months younger than her 12yearold Japanese skater Kokona Hiraki the silver medalist of womens park is the youngest Olympic medalist in Tokyo while 62yearold Australian equestrian rider Andrew Hoy is the oldest Olympic medal winner here with a silver from team eventing and a bronze from the individual 4 Best tested community Tokyo 2020 is unique not only in the way that is a historic first to be postponed but it is held with the COVID19 pandemic still rampant especially with its variants According to the organizers since July 1 436 Olympic and Paralympicrelated personnel tested positive for COVID19 as of Sunday 42500 arrival tests were conducted at a positivity rate of 008 and 571000 screening tests at a positivity rate of 002 I think its fair to say that the Olympic community here in Tokyo has been the besttested Community anywhere in the world during the last few weeks said the International Olympic Committee IOC president Thomas Bach 5 Digital engagement As no spectators were allowed in the vast majority of the venues the IOC resorted to digital engagement to create an atmosphere that made athletes feel they were not alone A cheer wall was established in the stadiums with more than 250 million videos coming from different corners of the world supporting athletes from their National Olympic Committees and the Refugee Olympic Team According to the IOC Tokyo 2020 social posts have generated more than 47 billion engagements as of Friday with the majority of them during games time 6 Antidoping Zero positive cases were discovered in the competitions which means no athletes are disqualified for antidoping violations in Tokyo However Georgias national shot put record holder Benik Abramyan missed his qualifying event on Tuesday after being provisionally suspended from competition due to a positive result in an outofcompetition test on July 31 Brazilian Olympic volleyball player Tandara Caixeta was sent home before their final clash with the United States after she was suspended in a doping case prior to the Olympics IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-facts-and-figures-about-tokyo-2020-148178.html Tue, 10 Aug 2021 03:13:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/ten-big-disappointments-of-the-tokyo-olympics-148184.html Tokyo Aug 8 There were some athletes who were tipped to be the stars in their events but failed to do so Heres a look at the ten big disappointments from the Tokyo Olympics 1 Kento Momota badminton The biggest medal hope for the host nation the world number one Momota failed to live up to the expectations The 26yearold was knocked out from the group stages of mens singles in badminton He won in straight games against Timothy Lam of USA But lost to Heo KwangHee of Korea leading to his exit from the Olympics 2 Naomi Osaka tennis The 23yearold Japanese tennis star had the honor of lighting the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony and was one of the biggest hopes for the hosts Touted as an overwhelmingly favourite for the gold medal in womens singles Naomis journey was shockingly cut short in a thirdround loss to the Czech Republics Marketa Vondrousova Marketa ranked 42 in the world defeated Osaka the world number 2 in straight sets Eventually Marketa won the silver medal 3 Novak Djokovic tennis After winning Wimbledon his third Grand Slam of the year Novak Djokovic landed in Tokyo with just one ambition an Olympic gold medal in mens singles and complete a Golden Slam All went well for him till he entered the semifinals Djokovic was beaten by Germanys Alexander Zverev the eventual gold medal winner The world number one went emptyhanded from Tokyo as Spains Pablo Carreno Busta defeated him in the bronze medal match Later he withdrew from the mixed doubles bronze medal match 4 Kohei Uchimura artistic gymnastics The Japanese gymnast entered as one of the star attractions in the Olympics The gold medallist in allaround event of 2012 and 2016 chose not to defend his title due to shoulder issues His preference to focus on horizontal bars turned into a horror show when he slipped off the bar on day one of the qualifications and failed to qualify for the final The dejected 32yearold didnt retire immediately and would take a call after the World Championships in October in Japan 5 Jade Jones taekwondo Great Britains Jade Jones arrived in Tokyo with hopes of becoming taekwondos first threetime gold medallist in the Olympics But the world No1 was knocked out in the opening round of her 57 kg event 1612 by Kimia Alizadeh of the Refugee Olympic Team Alizadeh who won bronze while competing for Iran in 2016 Rio Olympics defected from her home country in 2020 and became a member of the Refugee Olympic Team The loss left Jade in tears marking it the first time she left Olympics without a medal 6 Trayvon Bromell athletics Marked as a favourite to win the mens 100m by none other than Usain Bolt Bromell was the overwhelming favourite for the gold medal for the competition in Tokyo The American however barely made it to the semifinals with a 1005s in his heat and finishing fourth Eventually he was not even able to qualify for the final as he recorded 10 seconds in the semifinals He finished third as he was one millisecond behind secondplace holder Enoch Adegoke of Nigeria 7 Russian Olympic Committee rhythmic gymnastics Since 2000 Russia had established itself as a force which cant be defeated in rhythmic gymnastics At Tokyo the tables flipped Under a new name Russian Olympic Committees 21yearold streak came to an end when Israels Linoy Ashram won the individual allaround competition on Saturday On Sunday Bulgaria won the allaround group competition On backtoback days it marked the first time a Russian rhythmic gymnast wont return with a gold from the Olympics settling for silver in both events 8 Johannes Vetter athletics The German who arrived in Tokyo eyeing a gold medal made a shock early exit from the final of the javelin throw on Saturday He finished ninth out of the 12 competitors and didnt make the cut to compete for the last three attempts The 28yearold opened with 8252m but fouls on the next two attempts didnt do anything good to him as others surged past him After Neeraj Chopra won the gold Vetter posted on his social media with a picture of him while throwing and wrote Paris 2024 9 Nyjah Huston skateboarding The highest paid skateboarder in the world with more than four million Instagram followers was seen as a favourite for gold in mens street skateboarding making its debut in the Olympics In the final the world number one considered as the worlds best street skater with a record 10 street gold medals and 16 medals overall at the X Games finished seventh in Tokyo to the dismay of many 10 Timothy Cheruiyot athletics The 2019 World Champion in mens 1500m was a late addition for the Olympics after Kenya dropped four athletes due to doping issues In the final he dictated the pace for a major part of the competition But Norways Jakob Ingebrigtsen who was overtaken by Cheruiyot in the start sped past him on the last lap to clock a personal best of 32832 and clinch the gold medal IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/ten-big-disappointments-of-the-tokyo-olympics-148184.html Tue, 10 Aug 2021 03:53:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/bumrah-congratulates-neeraj-chopra-on-gold-medal-at-the-tokyo-olympics-147994.html Nottingham Aug 8 Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah congratulated Neeraj Chopra on winning Indias first gold medal in athletics at the Tokyo Olympics On Saturday Chopra won the gold in mens javelin throw competition at the Olympic Stadium with a distance of 8758m The 23yearold Chopra began his quest for a medal with a massive throw of 8703m on the first attempt He bettered it with the second throw of 8758m enough to get him the coveted medal Chopra is now the second Indian after Abhinav Bindra to win a gold medal in an individual event at the Olympics We got to know about Neeraj Chopra winning gold during the lunch break when we were inside so yeah congratulations to him said Bumrah at a press conference at the end of the fourth day of the first Test between India and England Just participating in the Olympics is a big achievement and representing your country to win a gold medal in track and field it is Indias first in athletics a proud achievement and we are very happy for him observed Bumrah Bumrah picked his sixth fivewicket haul in Test cricket when England were all out for 303 Chasing 209 India were 521 at the end of the fourth day They require 157 runs on the final day of the Test to go 10 up in the fivematch series Another Indian cricketer KL Rahul tweeted at wrestler Bajrang Punias bronzemedal effort saying You fought like a lion determined as ever and gave your best Congratulations BajrangPunia on winning the bronze medal Wishing you the very best for the road ahead Folded hands Tokyo2020 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/bumrah-congratulates-neeraj-chopra-on-gold-medal-at-the-tokyo-olympics-147994.html Mon, 09 Aug 2021 14:28:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/us-wins-gold-as-usual-but-teams-catching-up-in-olympic-basketball-148005.html Tokyo Aug 8 The United States won both the mens and womens basketball gold medals as expected while the basketball world welcomes new blood to expand its influence Team USA beat France 8782 against all adversity to win its fourth consecutive Olympic gold while their womens counterpart defeated Japan 9075 for its seventh straight title at the Olympics In one of the hardest championship finals in its history the US fought back several surgeups from France to maintain the victory for the once Dream Team Losing to France in the opener of the Games and two losses during the exhibition games the US faced a tonne of doubt about the chemistry of the squad and the commitment to the national duty Without top stars like LeBron James Steph Curry and Anthony Davis Kevin Durant was the one to go to when the US had trouble Durant averaged 202 points to lead his team for the title The relationships he builds with teammates the respect he garners the joy he has in playing is like osmosis It goes into all the other players That sort of love of the game and of people is what makes him more special than as a player US head coach Gregg Popovich said talking about Durant Unlike the mens team the US women stamped their superiority with another dominating victory in the Olympic finals From the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta to the 2016 Games in Rio the US narrowest gold medal matchwinning margin was an 11point victory over Australia in 2004 Otherwise they have won every Olympic final by more than 20 points They have won nine gold medals in the past 10 Olympics with the only blemishes on their record a bronze medal in 1992 after a semifinal defeat to the Unified Team Besides the dominating US teams Japan Slovenia and China had come up with some eyeopening performances in the tournament The Japanese womens team finished with the first medal in its history after losing to the US in the finals The silver medal is the best result for hosts Japan whose previous best fifth placing came from the 1976 Montreal in Canada It also ties the best Olympic result in Asian womens basketball as the second place as China won the silver medal in 1992 The Chinese womens team won all three matches in the group phase and topped the chart of 12 teams even edging off the US to second place by points difference But the young and inexperienced Chinese stopped in the quarterfinals as they lost to Serbia and did not make history with the talented and promising squad Firsttimer Slovenia also stormed into the mens semifinals after finishing first in its group only losing to France 9089 to finish fourth in the tournament Slovenias top star Luka Doncic scored the Olympic secondbest 48 points in the opener averaging 238 points third in the Tokyo Olympics 97 rebounds 2nd and 95 assists 1st Both China and Slovenia had shots to medal finishing in Tokyo and the door is open to more teams to grab the top honour IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/us-wins-gold-as-usual-but-teams-catching-up-in-olympic-basketball-148005.html Mon, 09 Aug 2021 15:18:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/indian-athletes-to-return-from-tokyo-today-security-beefed-up-at-igi-airport-148057.html EDS HANDOUT PHOTO MADE AVAILABLE FROM PIB ON MONDAY AUGUST 9 2021 New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with the farmer beneficiaries during the release of the 9th instalment of financial benefit under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi PMKISAN scheme through video conferencing in New Delhi PTI New Delhi Aug 9 Delhi Police have tightened the security at Indira Gandhi International IGI airport hours before Indian athletes are to return from Tokyo A team comprising senior police officials under the Airport Police station took around for checking of Terminal2 and Terminal3 where a flight carrying Indian athletes will land anytime between 3 pm and 4 pm according to the Airport Authority Sensing the enthusiasm of the people after the stellar performance by both men and womens hockey teams and then especially Neeraj Chopra who made a history by winning the Gold medal for javelin heavy security has been deployed at the exit gate at Terminal3 Along with the Delhi Police the Central Industrial Security Force CISF and dog squad teams also took a round of the area to ensure the security of the athletes A senior police official told IANS Though general people are not allowed to gather here but in enthusiasm a crowd may gather Therefore an elaborate arrangements has been made to avoid any untoward incident Apart from ensuring the safety of the Indian athletes Delhi Police is also preparing to ensure Covid norms are followed It is expected that a large number of people will gather to welcome Indian athletes Though entry for the general public is completely prohibited there is a possibility of a large gathering as people want to have a glimpse of athletes who made the country proud in the Tokyo Olympics said Krishna Kumar SHO of Terminal3 IGI The Exit gate would be barricaded and no one would be allowed to reach close to athletes They will exit from the airport and will board buses parked close to the exit gate said another police official who was part of the patrolling team Later in the evening all the medal winners for the country will be felicitated at an event at Hotel Ashoka As per the reports Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also interact with players through a video conferencing during the event India won a total of seven medals at the Tokyo Olympics including one Gold two Silver and four Bronze medals IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/indian-athletes-to-return-from-tokyo-today-security-beefed-up-at-igi-airport-148057.html Mon, 09 Aug 2021 17:48:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/afis-decision-to-train-chopra-with-german-expert-bartonietz-bears-fruit-148063.html New Delhi Aug 8 The Athletics Federation of Indias AFI appreciation of German coach Klaus Bartonietz who helped guide javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra to gold at the Tokyo Olympic Games speaks a lot about the commitment the biomechanics expert brought to the table when he started training the Indian for the big event On Sunday the AFI tweeted Thank you King Klaus for making NeerajChopara the New OLYMPIC CHAMPION In response Bartonietz who took over as Chopras coach from compatriot and javelin throw legend Uwe Hohn in late 2019 posted a video saying I feel overwhelming joy joy for Neeraj that he could win not just bronze but gold He became the best javelin thrower in the world Its a great joy for the Athletics Federation of India and for all people who are interested in athletics in India In November 2019 the AFI keeping Tokyo 2020 in mind had turned to Bartonietz to help out Chopra before the Athletics Central North East Meeting in Potchefstroom South Africa in January 2020 which was an Olympic qualification event Chopra made an impressive return to the circuit after recovering from an elbow injury with a throw of 8786 metres in Potchefstroom to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics The AFI had reportedly taken the decision in late 2019 that Chopra would not train with Hohn keeping the preference of the athlete in mind Chopra respects Hohn because it was while training with him that he won the 2018 Asian Games and the 2018 Commonwealth Games gold and set the national record However he wanted a change when it came to the training method an AFI official had told Indian Express in November 2019 Chopra felt that he may not be able to handle the volume of the workload Hohn would have wanted him to do He has trained with Hohn for two years and there is nothing wrong in wanting to train with Bartonietz There is nothing personal in him wanting to change the coach AFIs gamble seems to have worked IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/afis-decision-to-train-chopra-with-german-expert-bartonietz-bears-fruit-148063.html Mon, 09 Aug 2021 18:06:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/we-missed-bronze-but-won-hearts-womens-hockey-team-coach-148091.html Muri Swiss soccer coach Murat Yakin speaks during a press conference where he is presented as the new coach of Switzerlands national soccer team in Muri Switzerland Monday Aug 9 2021 Yakin former player and coach of different Swiss teams and of Spartak Moscow follows long time coach Vladimir Petkovic who joined French team Girondins Bordeaux PTI Bengaluru Aug 9 The Indian women hockey teams sterling performance at the Olympic Games has shown that the sport is still alive and kicking in the country said assistant coach Ankitha BS While the mens hockey team won bronze the womens hockey team lost to Great Britain in the bronze medal playoff Now everyone is talking about hockey In India the talk surrounds only cricket But after this event each household is talking about hockey Being a hockey player coach I can say the marvellous performance by the womens team has shown the world that hockey is still alive Ankitha told IANS on Sunday night We might not have won a medal but surely we have won hearts The Indian womens hockey team began badly but raised its level towards the end of the group stages and made it to the last four after defeating world No 2 Australia in quarterfinals However it lost to Argentina in the semis and then Great Britain in the third place playoff After the defeat in the final stages it was emotional for all coaches supporting staff as well as players We knew that what we had to achieve we achieved Opposition team players from Argentina and the United Kingdom came back to our players after seeing them crying their hearts out after the loss added Ankitha Being on the winning side they told our girls that we have done well The British team had initially thought the match against India would be a cakewalk After the game they described the performance of Indian womens hockey team as really amazing and they complimented by saying great job Ankitha recalled After three defeats each player was determined to prove herself They were selfmotivated and we encouraged them she said Ankitha a long distance runnerturnedhockey player and coach hails from Karnataka She became a national team coach on January 4 2020 She has been working with the womens national hockey team since then My parents Suresh BA Dharmavathi encouraged my dreams as an athlete at the age of five Now I am well supported by husband Honnampadi Suresh Kushalappa Time has arrived for girls to fight the odds and achieve It is the duty of parents and husbands to support them Ankitha said IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/we-missed-bronze-but-won-hearts-womens-hockey-team-coach-148091.html Mon, 09 Aug 2021 20:02:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/time-to-ensure-we-dont-have-to-wait-four-decades-for-the-next-olympic-medal-148108.html Mumbai Aug 8 Indian hockey had been wallowing in despair for four decades as teams returned home from the Olympics emptyhanded The tide turned this week at the Tokyo Olympics On Thursday Manpreet Singhs team defeated Germany 54 in a playoff to claim a bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics their first medal in 41 years A day later the womens team led by Rani Rampal nearly did the unthinkable as it went 32 against Great Britain in the playoffs before losing out 43 to end a brilliant campaign for India at Tokyo The womens team may not have won a medal but it did capture a billion hearts with their fighting display At the start of the tournament experts believed that the mens team could reach the quarterfinals easily and a lot will depend on who we play in the last eight Even the most ardent fans of Indian hockey would have difficulty believing that both the Indian mens and womens teams would reach the semifinals and the men would eventually return with a bronze But the Olympics are done and dusted Its now time for us to build on this success and take things forwards The teams performance has generated a lot of goodwill for hockey the administrations now need to build on it so that the future is secure said Joaquim Carvalho who represented the country in the 1984 Olympics There are four key things that need immediate attention to build upon this success Number one is to improve the supply line of players provide nationallevel training facilities from the subjunior level and give them exposure trips so that we have a steady supply line of good players Joaquim told IANS Indeed he has hit the nail on the head as Manpreet Singhs team included many players who were part of the 2016 Junior World Cupwinning team Hockey India should also strengthen the domestic structure They need to get facilities similar to the national teams then only we have a steady supply of players We also have to conduct National championships in a proper atmosphere with players getting proper facilities we often hear complaints of poor accommodation from the nationals said Carvalho According to him Hockey India should strengthen the allIndia tournament structure conducted by private parties now that the Hockey India League has been discontinued Carvalho also wanted Hockey India to spend more money on the sport and less on administration States should get more grants so that they can spend more money on unearthing talent Hockey India is getting good sponsorship money from the Odisha government it has good reserves of funds so it should increase the grants for states he said Maybe Hockey India should follow BCCI and give grants to set up synthetic turfs in all states Why should we depend on SAI and Sports Ministry for funds for everything The sport has got a lot of attention it is time to milk it and put that money back into the game said Carvalho The next two three years are very crucial Next year we have the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games The women have their World Cup in Spain and Netherlands in 2022 and the mens World Cup is in January 2023 at Bhubaneswar and Rourkela The focus now should shift to these events and we need to make a similar concentrated effort for these events As far as the womens team is concerned Sjoerd Marijne the outgoing coach has said that they need to play more matches get more exposure trips Have a league of their own so that they dont suffer because of lack of experience Skipper Rani Rampal said continuity of coaching and support staff has to be maintained Carvalho said in the past the federation has sacked coaches after a few poor results This has to stop You cant sack a coach after every poor match They have to select the right coach and give enough time and the coaches should also select the right players It is not necessary to select a foreign coach every time There are good coaches in India too Pick a good local coach and give himher the same facilities that are provided to a foreign coach and see the results he added Well one thing is clear from what they all are saying the players have done their job It is now for the administrators to improve things and ensure that we wont have to wait for another four decades for our next medal a the Olympics IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/time-to-ensure-we-dont-have-to-wait-four-decades-for-the-next-olympic-medal-148108.html Mon, 09 Aug 2021 21:10:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/not-only-medal-you-have-won-hearts-of-indians-anurag-thakur-148112.html New Delhi Bronze medalist in Tokyo Olympics boxer Lovlina Borgohain addresses during her felicitation ceremony in New Delhi Monday Aug 9 2021 PTI New Delhi Aug 9 Union Sport Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday felicitated the Olympians who returned home after winning medals from Tokyo Olympic at Ashoka Hotel The felicitation ceremony was held to honour the Indian players performance at Tokyo On Monday a special ceremony honouring all seven Indian Olympic medalists including all other national players who participated in the Tokyo Olympics was held at the grand Ashoka Hotel Felicitating the Olympians Union Minister Anurag Thakur said Not only medals You all have won the hearts of Indians He continued saying You are the new heroes of new India The minister said that you are the real inspiration for youths who will play to win the medal now He added further Indian youths will turn towards sports with new dream and aspirations Thakur added PM Modi has kept the spirit of Olympians always high He talked with them before leaving for Tokyo and even in between to keep the morale high He said PM Modi was in contact with their parents also during these days and enquired about their health This year India has won 7 medals at the Tokyo Olympics which has been the best ever performance till date Indias hero at the Tokyo Olympics Neeraj Chopra won Gold medal for Javelin Throw Ravi Dahiya won Silver medal for Wrestling Mirabai Chanu won Silver Weightlifting PV Sindhu Bronze Badminton Lovlina Borgohain Bronze Boxing Bajrang Poonia won Bronze Wrestling and the mens hockey team won the bronze medal India has won one gold medal two silver medals and four bronze medals during the Tokyo Olympics 2020 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/not-only-medal-you-have-won-hearts-of-indians-anurag-thakur-148112.html Mon, 09 Aug 2021 21:22:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/top-10-medal-winners-at-the-tokyo-olympics-148114.html Tokyo Aug 8 The Tokyo Olympics finally began on July 23 after a years delay More than 11000 athletes across 33 sports competed in the showpiece event New names were made and reputations established They showed their peak game and mesmerised everyone Heres a look at the 10 individuals who took the most medals in the Tokyo Olympics 1 Emma McKeon With seven medals the swimmer from Brisbane earned the most medals by an individual athlete in Tokyo She is now tied with gymnast Maria Gorokhovskaya for the record for most medals won by a woman in a single edition of the Olympics The 27yearold picked four gold medals in 50 and 100m individual freestyle followed by 4x100m medley and freestyle relays Emma won bronze medals in 100m butterfly 4x200m freestyle relay and 4x100m mixed relay 2 Caeleb Dressel The star swimmer was selected as a cocaptain for the USA mens swimming team The 24yearold was on a gold rush in Tokyo collecting five medals on top of the podium His first gold came in the 4x100m freestyle relay He went on to establish two new Olympics Records in 50m and 100m freestyle He signed off with two new World Record timings in 100m butterfly and 4x100m medley relay By winning five gold medals in Tokyo Dressel becomes the 4th male USA swimmer in the history to achieve the feat after Mark Spitz Matt Biondi and Michael Phelps 3 Kaylee McKeown The 20yearold Queenslander made a splash at the biggest stage of swimming She took the gold in 100m setting a new Olympic record She took another gold this time in the 200m backstroke Kaylee clinched her third gold at Tokyo in the womens 4x100m medley relay She also had a bronze in the mixed 4x100m medley relay 4 Zhang Yufei One of the breakthrough stars of the Tokyo Olympics Zhang had a memorable outing She won the gold in the 200m butterfly setting a new Olympic record She was a member of the 4x200m freestyle team which took the gold by breaking the world record She took the silver in the 100m butterfly and 4x100m mixed relay 5 Kathleen Ledecky The most decorated female swimmer of all time bagged four medals in Tokyo She began with a silver medal in 400m freestyle losing to Australias Ariarne Titmus This was her first loss in an individual event In the final of the 200m freestyle she finished fifth In the 4x200m freestyle relay she took the silver medal But Kathleen roared back to be the inaugural gold medallist in the 1500m freestyle and closed her Olympics with a gold in 800m freestyle for the third time 6 Ariarne Titmus Nicknamed Terminator the Tasmanian swimmer was the cynosure of all eyes Going into the Olympics she was seen as a big challenger for Kathleen Ledeckys gold medals in the 200m and 400m freestyle events Ariarne lived up to the billing by winning the gold in both events edging out the competition from the American swimmer In 200m freestyle she set a new Olympic record The Tasmanian took the silver in 800m freestyle behind Kathleen She finished her Olympics with a bronze in the 4x200m freestyle relay 7 Duncan Scott The man from Glasgow became the first swimmer from the Great Britain contingent to win four medals at the Olympics He won a gold from the 4x200m freestyle relay He took silver medals in 200m freestyle 200m individual medley and 4x100m medley relay The four medals at Tokyo have resulted for calls for him to be given knighthood 8 James Guy The freestyle and butterfly specialist had an Olympics to remember The 25yearold was a member of the goldmedal winning 4x100m mixed medley and 4x200m freestyle relays He also clinched a silver in 4x100m medley relay 9 Adam Peaty The swimmer played a major hand in Great Britain having its bestever time at the Olympics Peaty became the first British swimmer to defend his title by winning the 100m breaststroke He won a second gold in the mixed 4x100m relay followed by a silver in the mens 4x100m medley relay He has now taken a break from the game to focus on his mental health 10 Daike Hashimoto The 20yearold artistic gymnast from Chiba became the first Japanese man to win two individual gold medals in one edition of the Olympics since 1984 He guided Japan to a silver in the mens team event He followed it up with a gold in the individual allaround carrying the legacy of Japan winning gold in the event for the third time He signed off from his maiden Olympics outing with a gold in mens horizontal bars IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/top-10-medal-winners-at-the-tokyo-olympics-148114.html Mon, 09 Aug 2021 21:32:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/kenyas-eliud-kipchoge-retains-olympic-mens-marathon-title-147865.html Tokyo Aug 8 Kenyas Eliud Kipchoge retained the Olympic mens marathon title crossing the finish line in the gruelling event held at the in Sapporo Odori Park in a time of two hours eight minutes and 38 seconds Kipchoge running in his fourth Olympics clocked a time faster than his 2016 Rio Olympic Games goldwinning performance It means a lot for me especially at this time said Kipchoge after winning his second Olympic gold It was really hard last year it Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 was postponed I am happy for the local organising committee who made this race happen the Kenyan longdistance running stalwart was quoted as saying by the Olympic channel It is a sign that shows the world we are heading in the right direction we are on the right transition to a normal life I can say congratulations to them that they made this Olympics happen Kipchoge winner of the bronze at the 2004 Athens Olympics and silver at the 2008 Beijing Games in 5000m already had a full set of medals coming into the energysapping race in Tokyo as he had won the 2016 Rio Olympic marathon gold But the latest addition to his collection is Kenyas fifth medal in mens Olympic marathon since the Games in 2008 Beijing Kipchoge now joins a select club of runners who have successfully defended the Olympic marathon title The others are Ethiopias Abebe Bikila 1960 and 1964 and East Germanys Waldemar Cierpinski 1976 and 1980 I think I have fulfilled the legacy by winning the marathon for the second time backtoback Kipchoge added I hope now to help inspire the next generation Kipchoge was one minute and 20 seconds ahead of the next closest finisher The Kenyans winning margin is the biggest ever in an Olympics marathon since 1972 when Frank Shorter of the USA defeated Belgiums Karel Lismont by two minutes and 12 seconds in Munich The race for the silver and bronze here on Sunday came down to a sprint finish Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands outsprinted his training partner Bashir Abdi of Belgium and Kenyas Lawrence Cherono to claim the silver in a time of 20958 Bashir the winner of the Boston and Chicago marathons in 2019 finished two seconds later in 21000 for the bronze Cherono was a further two seconds adrift in fourth I love it I dont want to mention names but many people they had doubts said Nageeye on what winning silver means to him They never believed in me I always believed in myself I was a nomad I packed my bags and trained in France America Ethiopia Kenya People think Im doing too many things with training but I just kept believing in myself To stand on the podium with former training partner Eliud Kipchoge the greatest of all time we are still good friends It is amazing A total of 105 athletes started the event in the hot and humid Sapporo but several top runners and preevent favourites failed to finish the because of the hot and humid conditions Ugandas Stephen Kiprotich the London 2012 champion and Ethiopias Shura Kitata the 2020 London Marathon champion were just two of the runners that struggled in the humidity and withdrew in the first 15 kilometres However Kipchoge the world record holder looked comfortable throughout It was a pleasing sight to see the Kenyan icon handing water bottles and ice to the rivals he passed in the early stages of the race Having suffered a rare loss in the London Marathon in 2020 Kipchoge was clearly a man on a mission and seemingly back to his dominant best The Kenyan made his move at the 25km mark and added pace to stretch the lead As he approached the line Kipchoge continued to make the race look easy following a masterful display of his abilities IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/kenyas-eliud-kipchoge-retains-olympic-mens-marathon-title-147865.html Mon, 09 Aug 2021 03:03:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/perennial-underachievers-at-olympics-brazil-mens-football-team-now-on-a-roll-147867.html Tokyo Aug 8 Brazils extratime victory over Spain in the final was a fitting climax to an entertaining 17 days of mens Olympic football Here are some of the tournaments major talking points Brazil on a roll For years they were the perennial underachievers of mens Olympic football However Brazils 21 victory over Spain in the final here on Saturday which follows their maiden title in Rio five years ago means they are now equal second on the alltime gold medal list Only Hungary and Britain with three gold medals apiece have won more Alaves trophy record Dani Alves extended his list of career titles to 43 in Tokyo the most by any player in footballs history The 38yearold now has a fivetrophy lead over secondplaced Lionel Messi though the Argentine is likely to overtake the Brazilian eventually given he is four years younger Alves who was absent from the Brazil squad that won gold in Rio provided the assist for Matheus Cunhas goal in the final The Sao Paulo rightback wept tears of joy after the final whistle and described the triumph as the realization of a lifelong dream reports Xinhua Best match Television audiences around the world were treated to a rare goalfest when Mexico beat South Korea 63 in the quarterfinals Henry Martin and Francisco Cordova both scored twice for the El Tri while Eduardo Aguirre and Luis Romo were also on target for the victors Lee DongGyeong netted a brace and Hwang UiJo was also on the scoresheet for South Korea in a pulsating battle of attacking endtoend football Best midfielder Just as he did in the European Championships Spains Pedri showed off his vast passing range and displayed composure beyond his years as the midfield fulcrum of Luis de la Fuentes team The final against Brazil was his 73rd match of the season more than any other European player Despite the taxing workload the 18yearold Barcelona starlet was arguably the best player on the pitch in the final running tirelessly throughout the 120 minutes and posing a constant threat to Brazils defence Best forward Brazils Richarlison gets this award for scoring a tournamenthigh five goals The 24yearold Everton forward became the first Premier League player to bag a hattrick at the Olympics in Brazils 42 win over Germany in their tournament opener Mexicos Francisco Cordova Frances Andre Pierre Gignac and South Koreas Hwang Uijo were next best with three goals each Best defender Villarreal centreback Pau Torres confirmed his status as one of the most promising defenders in world football by leading a Spanish backline that conceded just five goals in six matches His polished performances in Tokyo followed an impressive showing at the European Championships earlier in the summer It is little wonder that the Spanish press has linked him with a move to La Liga giants Real Madrid IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/perennial-underachievers-at-olympics-brazil-mens-football-team-now-on-a-roll-147867.html Mon, 09 Aug 2021 03:25:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/success-at-olympics-reflects-new-indias-desire-to-dominate-anurag-thakur-148130.html Paris Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo smiles as she accompanies athletes walking the Olympic flag outside the Paris Town Hall Monday Aug9 2021 during an event to mark the arrival of the flag Sundays Closing Ceremony brought the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to a close and gave a spectacular glimpse of whats to come at the 2024 Paris Olympics PTI New Delhi Aug 9 Indias success at the Tokyo Olympic Games reflects New Indias desire to dominate the world even in sports Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said as he felicitated the medallists who brought laurels to the country at a function here on Monday The success of Team India at the Olympics is a reflection of how New India desires and aspires to dominate the worldÂeven in sports The Olympic Games showed us that with selfdiscipline and dedication we can be champions Thakur said at a function organised by the Ministry at the Ashoka Hotel here to celebrate Indias success at the Tokyo Olympics that concluded on Sunday Team India excelled and inspired while Indians cheered and celebrated all around Truly sports is a great unifier as our athletes come from villages and cities north to south from east to west Their journey is an incredible story of resilience and sporting excellence the minister added Among those who were felicitated at the event on Monday were Neeraj Chopra the first Indian to win a gold medal in athletics and only the second from the country to win an individual gold medal in the Olympics wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya and Mirabai Chanu both of whom won silver medals and bronze medallists PV Sindhu badminton Bajrang Punia wrestling boxer Lovlina Borgohain and members of the mens hockey team Also present at the gala felicitation programme at the Ashoka Hotel were Union Minister of Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju and Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Nisith Pramanik Gold medallist Chopra silver medallist Dahiya bronze medallists Punia Lovlina and the hockey team returned home after a long flight on Monday after attending the closing ceremony of Tokyo 2020 Olympics on Sunday night The Sports Minister further said that there were many firsts for India at Tokyo A 128member Indian contingent seven Olympic medals our first Olympic gold medal in athletics two successive medals in consecutive Olympic Games by PV Sindhu a medal bronze won by the Indian mens team in hockey after a gap of 41 years and a historic entry to the semifinals by the womens hockey team he said We also had the first female sailor from India to qualify for the Olympics Nethra Kumanan first Indian fencer from India to make it to the Olympics Bhavani Devi the best place achieved by an Indian in equestrian eventing Fouaad Mirza the bestever finish for Indian rowers the highestplaced finish by an Indian in golf by Aditi Ashok and a national record was set in steeplechase by Avinash Sable he said as he listed the major achievements by the Indian contingent And let me add the foundations of sports in India are firm under Prime Minister Narendra Modis leadership various schemes such as TOPS and Khelo India have shown results ensuring podium finish We will continue to support our sportspersons and we endeavour to make India a sporting powerhouse the minister affirmed Former Sports Minister Rijiju praised the performances of the athletes and reiterated that India will be a force to reckon with by the 2028 Olympics I am thrilled beyond words to share this space with our champion athletes today This is a historic event with India registering its bestever performance in the Olympics said Rijiju We have much to be proud of we have a hockey medal after 41 years and a firstever gold in athletics And its not just our medal winners each athlete has put their best in Tokyo and I congratulate all of them This is just the beginning because Indias resurgence in sport is visible now and I am confident that by 2028 Olympics India will be a force to reckon with Rijiju mentioned IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/success-at-olympics-reflects-new-indias-desire-to-dominate-anurag-thakur-148130.html Mon, 09 Aug 2021 22:54:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/now-joy-pride-of-wrestler-dahiyas-village-wont-stink-148137.html Chandigarh Aug 8 Now villagers of 23yearold wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya who belongs to a humble family from Nahri in Haryana will not have to suffer the stink emanating from the drainage as Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on learning the condition there has directed authorities to resolve the issue on priority basis Also as a goodwill gesture towards the wrestler for winning a silver medal at the Olympics the Chief Minister who is brimming with pride announced to set up a school in his village Wrestlers father Rakesh Dahiya a farmer who worked in rented fields along with fellow villagers met the Chief Minister here on Saturday evening and presented a demand letter to the Chief Minister in which the grievances of the locals were listed an official told IANS The Chief Minister immediately took up the grievances and asked the officers concerned to resolve them on a priority basis Among the key issues which the representatives shared with the Chief Minister was the problem of water drainage in the area Taking up the matter the Chief Minister spoke to the Deputy Commissioner of Sonipat and asked him to resolve the matter immediately The representatives urged the Chief Minister to open a Model Sanskriti School which was accepted by him on the spot Besides the Chief Minister asked the officers to resolve the issue of clean drinking water of the area The family and representatives of Nahri village expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister for boosting the morale of the sportspersons and creating a harmonious environment for them to grow and perform at the international platform Besides wrestlers father his uncle Mukesh Dahiya members of the Gram Panchayat and former sarpanch of the village were present among others They invited the Chief Minister to visit Nahri village which was accepted by him an official statement said The day Dahiya bagged silver in mens 57 kg freestyle wrestling on August 5 the Chief Minister announced a cash reward of Rs 4 crore for him along with a Class I government job He won the silver after losing 47 to Zavur Uguev of Russian Olympic Committee ROC in the final Also an indoor wrestling stadium will be built at Nahri the chief minister announced IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/now-joy-pride-of-wrestler-dahiyas-village-wont-stink-148137.html Mon, 09 Aug 2021 23:19:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/us-women-win-seventh-consecutive-olympic-basketball-gold-147883.html Tokyo Aug 8 Brittney Griner scored 30 points to lead the United States to its seventh consecutive Olympic Games gold medal after beating Japan in the womens basketball competition here on Sunday The US have won nine gold medals in the past 10 Olympic Games dating back to 1984 The silver medal is also the best result for hosts Japan whose previous best fifth placing came at the 1976 Montreal in Canada It also ties the best Olympic result in Asian womens basketball as the second place as China won the silver medal in 1992 reports Xinhua The US dominated the paint with seven blocks in the first quarter to open a 185 lead before Japan found the rhythm for the outside shooters Japan who shot 41 per cent on 3pointer before the match did not let the US pull away with constant long shots until a layup of Brittney Griner who scored 18 points in the first half built up a 4632 lead Leading by 5039 to enter the second half the US used a 154 run to extend the lead to 7349 Losing 8669 to the US in the group phase Japan could not find a better way to close the gap of height three inches lower than the US average to finish as the silver medallists Maki Takada buried 6outof9 threepointers as the Japanese team shot 20outof46 to lead her team with 17 points IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/us-women-win-seventh-consecutive-olympic-basketball-gold-147883.html Mon, 09 Aug 2021 05:52:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/aditis-tokyo-showing-will-bring-about-a-positive-change-in-golf-lahiri-147894.html Tokyo Aug 8 Top Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri who had finished joint 42nd in the mens event at the Tokyo Olympic Games has said that woman golfer Aditi Ashoks monumental effort of finishing fourth at the quadrennial showpiece on Saturday should brings a change in attitude in people about the sport Despite India having produced some top golfers who have played and won on tours across the world golf is still considered an elitist sport and Lahiri said that the 23yearold Aditis performance in Tokyo should bring about a positive change in the games ecosystem in the country The world No 200 carded a 3under 68 in the final round to register a combined score of 15under and missed out on a medal spot by one shot Indias No1 mens golfer Lahiri appreciated Aditis performance and said I hope it brings a change in attitude in people and golf as a sport can grow like any other Olympic sport in India The biggest win for Aditi is that so many more Indians now know what golf is how it works And then really just putting golf on the map in India I think this is really quite a turning point for golf Lahiri told Olympicscom Lahiri added that the fact that a large number of Indians woke up early on Saturday to watch Aditis final round in Tokyo was a big win for the sport I think more people woke up and learnt about the sport this morning than even if she would have won a major or someone from the mens contingent would have won I think its a win for golf Thats the biggest win Lahiri felt Aditis performance will inspire a whole generation to take up the sport and represent the country on a big stage I think its fantastic Aditi just played absolutely unbelievable golf Given all the challenges that she had to face The competition the stage so many people wanting her to do well She has done phenomenally well It will be a big boost for golf Lahiri said Aditi will be a superstar for young girls and she totally deserves to be so There is a whole generation of girls who want to grow and play like her Its not just girls people are going to take notice of the sport Parents are also going to take notice of the sport he added IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/aditis-tokyo-showing-will-bring-about-a-positive-change-in-golf-lahiri-147894.html Mon, 09 Aug 2021 07:31:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/farmersshineinolympics-hashtag-ruled-on-day-chopra-bajrang-won-medals-147907.html Tokyo Aug 8 Amidst the celebration of javelin thrower Neeraj Chopras gold at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday another monumental performance by grappler Bajrang Punia who also hails from Haryana like Chopra got overshadowed But the social media was quick to set things right posting hundreds of pictures of the two Haryana athletes complimenting them for their efforts at the Olympics after the initial Twitter storm over Chopras success had subsided a bit The hashtag FarmersShineInOlympics started trending on social media with a fan posting a collage of four athletes at the Olympics Neeraj Chopra and wrestlers Deepak Punia Bajrang Punia and Anshu Malik and tweeting Farmers of Indians Shine in Olympics Proved since long and again in Tokyo Olympics Congratulations India Sons and daughters of farmers Another fan posted a picture of the Indian mens hockey team which won an Olympic medal a bronze after more than four decades captioning it tractor2twitr Sons of farmers won bronze medal at the Olympics Proud of our players they are the sons of farmers who are saving the food of every common peoples plate FarmersShineInOlympics Several mens and womens hockey players who competed at the Tokyo Olympics are either from Punjab or Haryana the farming belt of the country Another fan posted a picture of the womens hockey team which fought brilliantly but lost to Great Britain to finish fourth and wrote Bravery is what definite defines us We have a great history and by winning medals we have proved it again FarmersShineInOlympics Another fan tweeted with pictures of Bajrang Chopra and the mens hockey team saying Farmers are everywhere Farmers are in fields farmers sons and daughters are on international borders Farmers sons and daughters are winning medals in Olympic U cant ignore farmers FarmersShineInOlympics Bajrang who hails from Khudan Village in Jhajjar Haryana took the Olympic bronze on Saturday less than an hour before Chopra won the historic gold The 65kg grappler scored a comfortable 80 victory over Kazakhstans Daulet Niyazbekov to win the countrys sixth medal before Chopra added a seventh Up against Niyazbekov who beat him in the 2019 world championships semifinals Bajrang Punia took a measured approach in the initial stages Bajrang scored the first point through a passivity penalty on Niyazbekov The Kazakh tried hard to erase the deficit quickly but the Indian defended well to avert the danger and finally went on to win the bout IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/farmersshineinolympics-hashtag-ruled-on-day-chopra-bajrang-won-medals-147907.html Mon, 09 Aug 2021 09:21:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/us-sweep-brazil-to-win-their-first-womens-olympic-volleyball-gold-147914.html Tokyo Aug 8 The United States swept Brazil 30 in the womens volleyball final here on Sunday to win their first Olympic gold medal The American women who had lost to Brazil in the Olympic final twice in a row at Beijing 2008 and London 2012 were finally crowned after beating Brazil 2521 2520 and 2514 Having swept Serbia 30 in Fridays semifinals the United States jumped to a 1511 lead in the first set After Brazil pulled within 1514 the Americans pulled away again on back of two spikes of Jordan Larson and two errors of Brazil and held on for the victory in the opener reports Xinhua In the middle of the second set the United States staged an amazing 81 run for an 189 lead Brazil fought hard to cut their deficit to 2219 but thats the closest they could go In the third set the American women raced to a 179 lead and never looked back Andrea Drews led the United States with 15 points with Michelle BartschHackley and Larson adding 14 and 12 respectively Playing without Tandara Caixeta who had been provisionally suspended for potential antidoping rule violation Brazil was led by Fernanda Rodrigues 11 points IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/us-sweep-brazil-to-win-their-first-womens-olympic-volleyball-gold-147914.html Mon, 09 Aug 2021 09:57:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/for-bronze-wrestler-bajrang-punia-risked-aggravating-knee-injury-147950.html Mumbai Aug 8 For the sake of the bronze medal wrestler Bajrang Punia on Saturday fought Kazakh wrestler Daulet Niyazbekov with a painful knee and risked aggravating an injury that could have put him out of action for months the boxer revealed on Sunday Punia fought his first three bouts in the Tokyo Olympics Round of 16 quarterfinal and semifinal with his injured right knee protected by a kneecap and layers of tape On Saturday he overruled objections from his coaches and refused to have the same protection for the bronzemedal match against Niyazbekov of Kazakhstan because he didnt want his movements to be restricted and lose out on the medal Winning the medal was more important In the first three bouts I had to protect the knee The bronzemedal match was my last bout in Tokyo and I can take a risk So I did not allow the physio to strap my knee he was not happy the coaches too but I told them that I would not have my movements restricted because the bronze medal was more important I know they were worried about my future but I prevailed over them on this said the 27yearold wrestler from Haryana the fifth grappler from India to win a medal at the Olympics KD Jadhav Helsinki 1952 Sushil Kumar Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Yogeshwar Dutt London 2012 and Sakshi Malik Rio 2016 have won medals for India at the quadrennial extravaganza so far Punia on Saturday joined that list but he could still pay a heavy price for the decision to fight without knee strapping as they are still to assess his knee and he may have to undergo a lengthy rehab Punia injured his knee last month in Russia during the Ali Aliyev Memorial tournament He had to stay away from the mat for 20 days ahead of the Olympics Punia had initially not planned to participate in the Russia event and had also pulled out of an event in Poland I decided to participate in the tournament in Russia to assess my preparation Taking part in Poland would have meant spending time on travel In Russia I could train and participate so that was a good option As far as an injury is concerned it could happen anytime even during training We are in a contact sport and injuries do happen A few years back I was out of action for nine months due to an ankle injury said Punia implying that he did not believe that participating in the event in Russia impacted his chances of winning the gold medal Yes the time away from the mat for 2025 days impacted my overall preparations I could not move freely in my bouts in Tokyo had to protect my knee and was not comfortable But for the bronze medal my entire focus was on the medal and therefore I decided to take the risk because there were no more bouts for me in Tokyo said Punia who bagged the bronze in his maiden Olympics Punia said he will go into rehab immediately after returning home and will later sit down with his coaches and support staff to plan for next years Asian Games and Commonwealth Games The wrestler from Sonipat said every event he participates in is a learning experience and he has learned his lessons in Tokyo too I will sit down with my coaches for an assessment of each of bouts and see what were the shortcomings will assess where I made mistakes and ensure that I dont repeat them That is the standard process for me after every tournament Punia said the pressure of expectation did not affect him I thrive in such situations I enjoy the fact that people have expectations from me All I try is to work hard and focus on my job But others get affected by pressure My request to people is to not get angry with them and misbehave with them said Punia IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/for-bronze-wrestler-bajrang-punia-risked-aggravating-knee-injury-147950.html Mon, 09 Aug 2021 12:27:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/the-famous-fourths-those-who-missed-the-bronze-by-a-whisker-147720.html Tokyo Aug 7 The fourthplace finish the dreaded fourthplace finish Nobody really wants to finish in that position at the Olympic Games yet there are more than halfadozen instances with the latest being golfer Aditi Ashok in Tokyo2020 where Indian players or teams have missed bronze by a whisker Aditi finished fourth with an aggregate score of 15under 269 on Saturday Here are some other instances Milkha Singh 1960 Rome Olympics 400m Flying Sikh the late Milkha Singh missed out on a bronze when he misjudged his opponents speed to be pushed to fourth spot behind South Africas Malcolm Spence by a mere 110th of a second Milkha did not win an Olympic medal in the three editions 1956 Melbourne 1960 Rome and 1964 Tokyo he participated in and it remained a painful memory for the legend till his last days PT Usha 1984 Los Angeles Olympics 400m hurdles The sprinter fondly called Payyoli Express missed the 400m hurdles bronze by 1100th of a second to finish fourth behind Romanias Christina Cojocaru Usha clocked 5542 seconds a new national record This followed after one of her competitors had a false start which she claimed had broken her rhythm Joydeep Karmakar 2012 London Olympics 50m rifle prone Karmakar qualified for the finals in his pet event with a score of 595 in what was an extremely tough competition In the final he scored 1041 and with an aggregate score of 6991 he finished fourth behind the bronze medal winner Rajmond Debevec of Slovenia A cramp in his right calf muscle saw him fight through excruciating pain Abhinav Bindra 2016 Rio Olympics 10m air rifle The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games gold medallist in 10m air rifle finished fourth at the 2016 Rio Olympics in his event Italys Niccolo Campriani won with a score of 2061 Bindra who was competing in his last Olympics took fourth place with 1638 points after losing a shootoff with Serihy Kulish of Ukraine for bronze Dipa Karmakar 2016 Rio Olympics vault The then 23yearold from Tripura the first woman gymnast from the country to make it to the Olympics came fourth in the womens vault finals with American legend Simone Biles taking the top prize with a final score of 15966 Dipa received a final score of 15066 for executing the dangerous Produnova vault also called the vault of death because of the degree of difficulty Sania MirzaRohan Bopanna 2016 Rio Olympics Mixed doubles Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna lost 16 67 to Radek Stepanek and Lucie Hradceka of the Czech Republic in the bronzemedal match The Indian duo which raised hopes of a medal with two consecutive victories to make the last4 grade lost in slightly more than an hour Mixed doubles was Indias best bet for a medal in Rio as only 16 teams figured in the draw Womens hockey team 1980 Moscow The team came close to winning the bronze medal as womens hockey made its Olympics debut However India lost to the Soviet Union 13 in their final roundrobin league match to finish fourth among six teams Womens hockey team 2020 Tokyo Olympics A brilliant campaign ended in tears as India lost to Great Britain 43 in the bronze medal match after fighting back from 02 down in the second quarter The girls had made a scintillating run to the semifinals after losing their first three matches IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/the-famous-fourths-those-who-missed-the-bronze-by-a-whisker-147720.html Sun, 08 Aug 2021 12:10:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/with-a-killer-short-game-aditi-ashok-shows-theres-more-to-golf-than-length-147722.html By Joy Chakravarty Dubai Aug 7 There is a very important shot in the arsenal of every good professional golfer Its what they like to call their goto shot one which is so reliable that if their swing ever gets out of sync midway through a round they know they can pull that one shot without fail For Aditi Ashok it is the draw when the ball starts right of the target and curves ever so slightly towards the left with her driver On Saturday as she set off for a historic final round of the Olympic golf in silver medal position three shots behind the leader and eventual goldmedallist Nelly Korda and two ahead of the chasing pack that goto shot of hers mysteriously went missing Given her lack of length off the tee Aditi needs her driver to behave Her immaculate short game the ability to chip and putt on and around the greens helped her post great scores on the first three days However on the day it mattered the most the missing draw heaped the pressure on every other aspect of her game And yet she showed immense mental strength and kept grinding to shoot a threeunder par 68 It proved valiant in the end as she fell one shot outside the medals at a remarkable fourday tally of 15under 269 A fourth place in the Olympics may seem like a failure but especially in Aditis case it wasnt No one thought she had a chance to begin with Ranked 200th in the world she was up against a worldclass field that included the world No1 Nelly and 14 of the top15 ranked players in the world She may not have earned a medal but she won the respect of her peers with her doggedness and the admiration of a nation that isnt very conversant with the nuances of golf Two stats stood out in Aditis effort at Kasugimaseki Country Club the fact that she averaged 2081 yards off the tee and was 59th out of 60 players in Driving Distance And then there was another number 13019 Shots Gained Putting Thats an indication of how better you putted compared to the field The 23yearold Bengaluru girl was a whopping 545 shots better than the secondbest Hannah Green 756 of Australia The Shots Gained Putting numbers are just off the charts for Aditi and main factor for her success At one point in the final round Anirban Lahiri who represented India the week before in the mens competition could not help but tweet that she had taken only 16 putts in the first 13 holes Aditi would probably be slightly longer than 208 yards with her driver but reckons she lost about 1520 yards because her body is yet to recover from a bout of COVID19 in May this year The other factor that helped the 2020 Arjuna Award winner was the way she managed the golf course She was using hybrids to hit her second shots on a majority of holes but whenever she needed to lay up she managed to give herself the perfect yardages It also helped that she had her mother Maheshwari on her bag Given the intense heat and humidity which saw three caddies being rushed for medical aid from the golf course it was a brilliant effort by her not just keeping her daughter properly hydrated but also maintaining her composure throughout the four rounds of such a massive competition By the time Paris comes along in three years Aditi will only be 26 and definitely be stronger physically and mentally after another three years on LPGA An Olympic medal will continue fuelling her dreams until then IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/with-a-killer-short-game-aditi-ashok-shows-theres-more-to-golf-than-length-147722.html Sun, 08 Aug 2021 12:19:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/nelly-korda-golfs-latest-gold-medallist-from-a-sporty-family-147739.html Tokyo Aug 7 Nelly Korda the goldmedal winner in womens golf at the Tokyo Olympics has gone ahead of her father Petr Korda the former tennis player and a Grand Slam winner Nelly the world number one in the womens golf rankings had to fight off a bevy of challengers in the final round of womens individual stroke play to clinch the gold with an aggregate score of 17under She was the overnight leader by three strokes in the event For Nelly who made her debut as a professional in 2016 making a career out of sports was in the genes She is the second child of Petr and his wife Regina Her father Petr won the 1998 Australian Open and was a runnerup at the French Open He also has 10 ATP titles and reached No 2 in the world rankings Regina nee Rajchrtova was a professional tennis player who reached 26 in the world ranking before retiring after a knee injury She represented erstwhile Czechoslovakia in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul The youngest Korda sibling 21yearold Sebastian is ranked 45th in mens singles He won the EmiliaRomagna Open his first ATP title and was in the fourth round of Wimbledon this year Her elder sister Jessica Korda also a professional golfer like Nelly is placed 14th in the world rankings 28yearold Jessica who won her first LPGA title this year participated in the event alongside Nelly at the Tokyo Olympics Jessica finished tied for 15th in the event at 9under and embraced Nelly after her win The entire competition came down to the tricky 18th hole at the Kasumigaseki Country Club Nelly and Japans Mone Inami ranked 29 in the world entered the hole tied for the lead at 17under But a trip to the bunker sent Inami to a bogey Nelly finished with a par to seal the gold Nelly gave USA its second gold at golf after Xander Schauffele did the same in the mens event last Sunday The gold medals in golf at the Tokyo Olympics now belong to the United States of America In a sport absent from the Olympics for over a century four of seven gold medals have now gone to the USA Nelly has also become the first golfer to win a Major and an Olympics gold medal in the same year 2021 has proved to be an eventful year for the golfer from Florida Since the start of 2021 Nelly has won the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio the Meijer LPGA Classic and the KPMG Womens PGA Championship All of that added up to the 23yearold taking the No 1 spot in the rankings for the first time in her career With parents and siblings in the world of professional sports Nelly knows she can hope for plenty more accolades in golf after the high of Tokyo IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/nelly-korda-golfs-latest-gold-medallist-from-a-sporty-family-147739.html Sun, 08 Aug 2021 14:07:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/us-embassy-india-celebrates-success-of-countrys-athletes-praises-chopra-sindhu-mirabai-147757.html EDS COMBO PHOTO New Delhi In this combo photo Indian sportspersons who capped off countrys bestever performance in the Olympics with a haul of seven medals including its first gold in a track and field event Anticlockwise from top javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra wrestlers Ravi Dahiya and Bajrang Punia boxer Lovlina Borgohain badminton player PV Sindhu weightlifter Mirabai Chanu and the Indian mens hockey team PTI New Delhi Aug 8 The United States Embassy in India on Sunday dedicated its Twitter page to the seven Indian medallists and other top achievers from the country at the Tokyo Olympic Games sending out a message to the sporting fraternity of the country that the global superpower was with it in its hour of celebration Olympic Games bring the world together in sport Congratulations TeamIndia for your spectacular performance the bestever medal tally at Olympics Youre all true champions To celebrate TeamIndia we highlight the Tokyo2020 achievers on our page today SportsBuildBridges tweeted US Embassy India on Sunday afternoon While the United States contingent finished on top with a tally of 113 medals 39 gold 41 silver and 33 bronze and India was placed 48th with a total of seven medals one gold two silver and four bronze the US recognised Indias effort in Tokyo which was the best ever at the quadrennial showpiece by posting small writeups on the medal winners Congratulating Indian badminton player PV Sindhu USAndIndia posted a picture of the shuttler with the bronze medal and wrote PV Sindhu made history by becoming Indias first woman athlete with two Olympic medals Congratulations double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu on winning the BronzeThird place medal in Badminton at Tokyo2020 You are a role model to millions who aspire to play for the country For weightlifter Mirabai Chanu the embassy posted a picture of the athlete with a silver medal in hand and wrote Mirabai Chanu earned a Silver medalSecond place medal on the first day of the Olympic Games a first in Indias history She also becomes the first Indian weightlifter to win a Silver at the Olympics Congrats Mirabai you are a true inspiration Tokyo2020 The embassy also retweeted a tweet on javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra which read Olympic GOLD for India From Roosevelt House in New Delhi this Panipat boy bursts with joy and pride for a sporting hero from Panipat Neeraj Chopra Clapping hands sign NeerajChopra Gold Tokyo2020 Neeraj Neerajchopra1 For bronzemedallist boxer Lovlina Borgohain the embassy wrote Taking home a BronzeThird place medal in womens Boxing in her debut at Olympics Lovlina Borgohain has made every Indian proud Congratulations LovlinaBorgohaitoky We are all cheering for you The embassy also posted a picture of the Indian contingent marching on the opening day of the Tokyo Olympic Games IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/us-embassy-india-celebrates-success-of-countrys-athletes-praises-chopra-sindhu-mirabai-147757.html Sun, 08 Aug 2021 15:36:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/neeraj-chopra-wins-indias-first-ever-athletics-gold-in-olympics-147763.html Tokyo Aug 7 Neeraj Chopra on Saturday made history by becoming the first Indian to win gold medal in athletics at Olympic Games when he clinched first position at Tokyo 2020 with a throw of 8758 metres in the javelin competition Chopra has also become only the second Indian after Abhinav Bindra to win an individual gold medal at the Olympics Chopra now holds gold medals in javelin throw at the Commonwealth Games Asian Games and now the Olympics all at the same time Chopras gold means India with seven medals at Tokyo Games have surpassed the tally of six medals won at 2012 London Olympics This is the most medals won by India in a single edition of Olympics Czech Republics Jakub Vadlejch bagged silver medal with a throw of 8667m His compatriot Vitezslav Vesley took bronze medal with a throw of 8544m IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/neeraj-chopra-wins-indias-first-ever-athletics-gold-in-olympics-147763.html Sun, 08 Aug 2021 16:00:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/gurjits-father-seeks-govt-job-for-drag-flicker-in-punjab-147778.html Chandigarh Aug 7 Indian womens hockey player Gurjit Kaurs father Satnam Singh has requested the Punjab government to offer a government job to her from the sports quota for her spectacular performance in the bronze medal playoff match against Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics I will talk to the government regarding a SPlevel Superintendent of Police job in Punjab Police for my daughter Satnam Singh told the media at his village in Amritsar after the team finished fourth after losing 34 to the defending champions Dragflicker Gurjit Kaurs solitary goal in the 22nd minute had secured Indias vistory against Australian in the quarterfinal on August 2 She is currently serving with the Indian Railways Her father said his daughter has to live far away from home in Allahabad to do her job We want her to live with her family in Punjab he said Also the village has been awaiting a stadium for long We now demand that Gurjits village should now have a stadium Hope the government will do justice with both Gurjit and her village said the 25yearold hocket srats uncle Balwinder Singh Shiromani Akali Dal SAD President Sukhbir Badal had on Friday asked Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to present a cash reward of Rs 3 crore to each hockey player from Punjab who were part of the bronzewinning Indian mens team at the Tokyo Olympics In a statement the SAD chief had also asked the Congress government to offer DSPs post to all the hockey players from the state who represented the country in Tokyo He also said that Rs 1 crore should be given to all the athletes from the state who were part of the Indian contingent at the Olympics IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/gurjits-father-seeks-govt-job-for-drag-flicker-in-punjab-147778.html Sun, 08 Aug 2021 17:03:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/five-youngest-medal-winners-of-the-tokyo-olympics-147784.html EDS BEST SPORTING MOMENTS FROM THE TOKYO OLYMPICS Tokyo Indias Ravi Dahiya holds his silver medal during the medal ceremony of the mens freestyle 57kg wrestling event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo Thursday Aug 5 2021 PTI Tokyo Aug 8 If people thought the Olympics are for the professional athletes they are wrong The 2020 Tokyo Olympics witnessed the rise of youngsters who left a telling impression on the minds of the viewers with their scintillating performances This Olympics saw youngsters dominate the Games as much as professional adults would do Heres a look at the five youngest medal winners of the Tokyo Olympics 1 Kokona Hiraki At 12 years and 343 days Kokona won the silver medal in the womens park skateboarding with the best score of 5904 She also became the youngest Japanese Olympic medallist ever A middleschool student Kokona trains at the Hot Bowl Skate Park in Sapporo She began skateboarding as a fiveyearold in Kutchan She was influenced by her mother Minakos fandom towards skateboarding At 10 years and 11 months Kokona became the youngest skateboarder to win a medal at the X Games when she won a silver medal in the 2019 X Games in Boise USA 2 Sky Brown The youngest Nikesponsored athlete in the world took the bronze medal in the womens park skateboarding with the best score of 5647 on her final run At 13 years and 28 days she also became the youngest Olympic medallist for Great Britain The BritishJapanese skateboarder who holds advertising deals with Barbie Claires Accessories and Visa apart from one million Instagram followers and a Dancing With the Stars Juniors appearance was already pictured as the flagbearer of the young brigade in the Olympics The X Games 2021 winner took up the sport as a threeyearold under her fathers supervision She learnt the tricks from YouTube and enrolled in Great Britains skateboarding program Sky now has plans to participate in skateboarding as well as surfing in 2024 Paris Olympics 3 Rayssa Leal The Brazilian teenager shot to internet fame in 2015 when skateboarding legend Tony Hawk shared a video of the then sevenyearold heel flipping in a princess costume The video earned her the nickname Fadinha or Little Fairy Now in 2021 Hawk was by her side when she won the silver medal in womens street skateboarding At 13 years and 204 days Rayssa is now the youngest medallist in the Olympics history of Brazil Before Olympics she won the bronze medal in the World Championships in Rome She is also a silver medallist in the 2019 World Championships in Sao Paulo and was nominated in action sports category of the Laureus Awards in 2020 4 Momiji Nishiya At 13 years and 330 days Nishiya won the inaugural womens skateboarding street competition She was the youngest to win a gold medal in Tokyo and for Japan with a score of 1526 points on her fifth and final run for the gold She also became the second youngest champion in Olympics history Before Olympics she won a silver medal in the World Championships at Rome 5 Quan Hongchan The Chinese diver wowed everyone in the final of the womens individual 10m platform diving in Tokyo At 14 Quan received perfect 10 scores from all seven judges for her second and fourth dives in the competition enough for her to seal the gold medal Her final winning score of 46620 broke the previous Olympic record of 44770 Her final score was 40 points more than her 15yearold teammate Chen Yuxis score who took the silver medal Hailing from a farmers family in south Chinas Guangdong province she started to train in diving as a sevenyearold She has now earned a galaxy of fans across the globe IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/five-youngest-medal-winners-of-the-tokyo-olympics-147784.html Sun, 08 Aug 2021 17:11:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/was-norman-pritchard-indias-first-olympic-medallist-athlete-hollywood-star-divides-historians-147790.html Nottingham Indias Jasprit Bumrah right and a member of team support staff walk back towards their dressing room after taking a stroll around the field after rain delayed start of the fifth day of first test cricket match between England and India at Trent Bridge in Nottingham England Sunday Aug 8 2021 PTI By Sourish Bhattacharyya New Delhi Aug 8 On the sidelines of Neeraj Chopras historic golden throw in Tokyo a controversy has erupted among Olympic historians over whether the Subedar with the Rajputana Rifles can be described as the first winner of a track and field medal for India in the Games Should the honour not belong to Kolkatas Norman Pritchard the athleteturnedHollywood actor who won two silver medals at the 1900 Paris Olympics The jury is clearly divided The doyen of Olympic historians Ian Buchanan wrote a lengthy article in the Journal of Olympic History January 2000 arguing that Pritchard was British and that he was sent to the Paris Olympics by the British Amateur Athletics Association AAA Pritchard 25 years old and on a visit to England himself sowed the seeds of confusion He entered the AAA Championships where he won the 100yard race and 120yard hurdles thereby qualifying for the 1900 International Championships as the Olympics were known then as a representative of both the London AC Athletic Club and the Bengal Presidency AC What sealed Pritchards place in the British team was his runnerup finish to the American track and field star Al Kraenzlein in the 120yard hurdles at the AAA Championships Kraenzlein went on to win four gold medals in Paris As the entry on Pritchard in Olympediaorg which lists him under the Indian flag points out Buchanan notes that the Paris programme lists him as a member of the AAA team and that The New York Times referred to him as an Englishman yet other starting lists give him as competing for British India The official programme Buchanan says gives Pritchards affiliation as England for the 100 metres and British India for the 100m hurdles Pritchard who participated in five track and field events and won silver medals in both 200 metres and 200m hurdles got noticed also because he would double as a compere for many of the programmes at the Paris Olympics For his contributions the AAA awarded him a silver medal and the French Olympic Committee gave him a pen knife worth a few francs Technically Norman Pritchard cannot be claimed by us because India officially gained entry into the Olympics only in 1920 thanks to the efforts of the industrialist Sir Dorabji Tata who was acting in his capacity as President of the Deccan Gymkhana Pune and the then Governor of Bombay George Lloyd who lobbied with the British Olympic Committee to push for Indias inclusion in the International Olympic Committee IOC George incidentally was the one who ordered the imprisonment of Mahatma Gandhi on the charge of sedition under the nowcontroversial Section 125 of the Indian Penal Code The Athletics Federation of India AFI clearly doesnt share Buchanans view In support of its ownership of Pritchard it quotes Dr Otto Peltzer the renowned German coach and athlete who spent many years promoting track and field sports in India Peltzer who used to live in Delhi had said Indians should be proud of the fact that Norman Pritchard of India was the first from Asia to win medals in the Paris Olympics in 1900 That was a splendid beginning  a magnificent start for Asia Sport journalist and Olympic historian Gulu Ezekiel advances another argument in favour of India claiming Pritchard The Englishman he says was born in Kolkata and earned his early athletic glory in the then capital of British India Olympediaorg leans towards Ezekiels argument It notes Pritchard was a solid sprinter and hurdler winning the Bengal 100 yards title for seven consecutive years 18941900 and was also the Bengal champion at 440 yards and 120yard hurdles which would lend support to the Indian claim He was also at one time Secretary of the Indian FA Football Association The track and field athlete was an accomplished footballer too Hes reported to have scored the first hattrick in a football match in India for his alma mater St Xaviers College Kolkata against Sovabazar in 1897 So who was Norman Pritchard Buchanan writes that Norman Gilbert Pritchard was the son of George Peterson Pritchard and Helen Maynard Pritchard and he was born on June 23 1875 at Alipore a tony Kolkata neighbourhood Both his parents were English and his father an accountant was wellknown in the British commercial community Quoting the 1905 edition of Thackers Indian Directory Buchanan says Pritchard lived on the fashionable Robinson Road and worked for the wellknown trading house Bird Co He was therefore not an AngloIndian but he was definitely a British Indian or a colonial in contemporary nomenclature After the Games Buchanan continues Pritchard returned to India and served as Secretary of the Indian Football Association 19001902 and the membership records of the London AC show that he was again in England in 1906 but by 1908 he was listed as Abroad and his membership of the Club ceased that year Where did Norman Pritchard disappear Well he moved to Hollywood changed his name to Norman Trevor and became a star of the silent movie era This biographical twist in the tale was first brought to light by sport historian Saradindu Sanyal in the 1970s Olympediaorg states that Trevor appeared in 27 films produced by the Hollywood studio MGM including the motion picture version of the Charlotte Bronte classic Jane Eyre 1921 where he played Mr Rochester one of the memorable characters of English literature Norman Pritchard Trevor met with a tragic end in Norwalk California in 1929 He died penniless in and out of mental asylums as a result of a chronic brain disease considered incurable in his time Thus ended a gifted life that continues to divide the custodians of Olympic history IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/was-norman-pritchard-indias-first-olympic-medallist-athlete-hollywood-star-divides-historians-147790.html Sun, 08 Aug 2021 17:56:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/beijing-2008-gold-medallist-abhinav-bindra-welcomes-neeraj-chopra-to-the-club-147801.html Mumbai Aug 7 Indias first individual gold medallist at the Olympic Games rifle shooter Abhinav Bindra on Saturday welcomed Neeraj Chopra to the club of Indian individual gold medallists and hoped the javelin throwers entry will pave the way for many more athletes winning gold for India Also I welcome you to the club It is not the most happening of places yet and needs more members but I feel your entry is going to pave the way for many more deserving athletes Bindra said in a personalised letter he tweeted as his reaction to Chopra winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics Bindra who won gold in 10m air rifle shooting at the 2008 Beijing Olympics told Chopra Thanks to you we have finished our Tokyo endeavour on a great high Your performance has further elevated what has been evident throughout the Games that our athletes are not only capable of going toe to toe with the best but are firmly establishing ourselves as the favourites The 23yearold Chopra killed off all competition with a massive throw of 8703 in the first attempt and then improved it to 8758 in the second chance Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic took silver with a throw of 8667m Javelin throw might not be the most followed sporting discipline in India but your historic achievement has brought it to the limelight capturing the imagination of billions watching at home The impact your victory will create on promoting your sport amongst the countrys youth is immeasurable You have crossed the first barrier the gates are now firmly open Budding Olympians will now look up to you as they set out to fulfil their dreams of bringing glory to the nation Bindra said Bindra said that Indias first individual gold might have taken over a century to come but the relatively smaller time it took for the second is a solid indication that we as a sporting nation are on the rise He said winning gold medal in the Olympics is a very rare feat and asked Chopra to cherish all the accolades and praises revel in the memories of the special moments To win gold at the grandest sporting event in the world which is held once every four years is in itself so improbable that less than 3 of the 11707 athletes competing in Tokyo will end up with one Add to it the weight of expectations from an extremely proud nation starved of Olympic success and your achievement becomes even more memorable Bindra said He ended his statement with the hope that Chopra will continue to aiming for gold in future Going forward I am confident that you will continue aiming for Gold in all that you do and keep the spirit of Olympism alive no matter where your journey takes you he added IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/beijing-2008-gold-medallist-abhinav-bindra-welcomes-neeraj-chopra-to-the-club-147801.html Sun, 08 Aug 2021 18:44:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-india-overjoyed-after-neeraj-chopra-wins-gold-in-tokyo-147810.html Tokyo Aug 7 Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on Saturday fetched India its firstever gold medal in athletics at the Olympics With a best throw of 8758 metres in the mens javelin throw final Chopra came first making him the secondever Indian after shooter Abhinav Bindra in 2008 to win an individual Olympic gold medal It was Indias seventh medal at the Tokyo Olympics which means they have surpassed their previous best tally of six at London 2012 People took to Twitter to congratulate the 23yearold for a stupendous showing at the Olympic Stadium Historic Athletic Gold medal Big Congratulations Neerajchopra1for winning gold medal for India Tokyo2020 you make us all proud Cheer4India tweeted boxer MC Mary Koma bronze medallist in 2012 London Olympics GOLD This is the tweet This is the emotion Thank you Neeraj Chopra for giving us this joy You have inspired us you have given us hopes You are our hero tweeted shooter Gagan Narang who won bronze medal in London in 2012 Historic Congratulations Neerajchopra1 on winning Gold Prayers of billion Indians have been answered Cheer4India Tokyo2020 tweeted former Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore silver medallist at 2004 Athens Olympics Yay yay Cant get over this feeling its a gold GOLD Neeraj chopra you have been scripted in history Olympics2020 tweeted India womens cricketer Mithali Raj History has been scripted at Tokyo What Neerajchopra1 has achieved today will be remembered forever The young Neeraj has done exceptionally well He played with remarkable passion and showed unparalleled grit Congratulations to him for winning the Gold Tokyo2020 tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi Unprecedented win by Neeraj Chopra Your javelin gold breaks barriers and creates history You bring home first ever track and field medal to India in your first Olympics Your feat will inspire our youth India is elated Heartiest congratulations expressed President Ram Nath Kovind What an incredible achievement Neerajchopra1 scripted history brought glory to India by winning the Gold medal in the Javelin throw at Tokyo Olympics His outstanding feat has ended a long wait by India for an Olympic medal in track field events Tokyo2020 NeerajChopra tweeted VicePresident M Venkaiah Naidu Indias Olympic History has been scripted Your superbly soaring throw deserves a Billion Cheers Your name will be etched in the history books with golden letters wrote Sports Minister Anurag Thakur History has been made Milkha Singh Jis wish is fulfilled as India wins first ever Olympic medal in Athletics A golden moment 4 India as Neeraj Chopra won Olympic Gold medal for India at Tokyo2020 Congratulations Neerajchopra1 on this historic achievement Cheer4India tweeted Law Minister Kiren Rijiju Congratulations to Indias ace Javelin Thrower Neerajchopra1 for winning the prestigious Track and Field medal for the first time in the history of Independent India Gold medal in the Javelin throw event at the Olympics is unprecedented Proud of him for creating history tweeted Defence Minister Rajnath Singh IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-india-overjoyed-after-neeraj-chopra-wins-gold-in-tokyo-147810.html Sun, 08 Aug 2021 19:41:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/pt-usha-thanks-neeraj-chopra-for-fulfilling-her-unfinished-dream-147813.html New Delhi Aug 7 One of India most celebrated sprinters PT Usha who has been carefully nurturing talent at the Usha School of Athletics in Balussery Kerala in the hope of producing an Olympic champion congratulated Neeraj Chopra after he won Indias maiden Olympic track and field gold in javelin throw at Tokyo2020 on Saturday Usha fondly called the Payyoli Express had made the world realise Indias potential in athletics when she missed the bronze medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics in 400 metre hurdles by 1100th of a second making it the closestever miss for an Indian athlete in any competition But the runner now 57 who won four Asian Games gold medals 200m 400m 400m hurdles and 4X400m relay at the 1986 Seoul Asian Games besides winning the 100m and 200m silver at the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi couldnt hold herself back when she saw Chopras monstrous throw of 8758 metres earn India a historic gold medal Usha posted a picture of herself with Chopra and tweeted Realised my unfinished dream today after 37 years Thank you my son Neerajchopra1 Flag of India First place medal symbol Tokyo2020 The image logged more than 40000 likes and more than 8000 retweets in no time While Usha was called the golden girl of Indian athletics an Olympic medal remained her only unfulfilled dream Despite being the favourite for a podium finish at the 1984 Olympics in 400m hurdles her effort of 5542 seconds was not enough to fetch her bronze as she finishied fourth Usha blamed the disappointment to one of the competitors false start which she said had broken her rhythm as she got off the blocks a bit slower at the restart IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/pt-usha-thanks-neeraj-chopra-for-fulfilling-her-unfinished-dream-147813.html Sun, 08 Aug 2021 20:01:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/bengaluru-hails-golfer-aditis-stellar-performance-147818.html Bengaluru Aug 7 Golfer Aditi Ashoks feat in Tokyo has warmed a million hearts even though she missed out on a medal by a whisker on Saturday While there was heartbreak for Aditi as she narrowly missed the bronze medal in the womens individual strokeplay competition at the Tokyo Olympics finishing fourth with an aggregate score of 15under 269 on Saturday her spirited performance has won the heart of the nation Festive mood prevailed at the premises of the Karnataka Golf Association KGA in Bengaluru after local star Aditi finished fourth in Tokyo Golfers from all across the country especially in Bengaluru woke up on Saturday at 4 am to cheer for Aditi A 20x20 screen was set up at the KGA premises to celebrate and cheer Aditis Olympic journey till the end Though she has finished fourth Aditis achievement has warmed our hearts At KGA everyone is talking about her feat and messages are pouring in After the first round the expectations rose for a medal For the last two days at KGA the golfers and patrons gathered early in the morning to cheer her said Prithwi Raj Urs Secretary KGA who is also a golfer What she achieved was brilliant She has been exceptional right from the age of 5 or 6 I played with her five years back and it was a wonderful experience She does not celebrate like others and maintains calm all the time Urs added Tarun Desai who coached Aditi for 7 years since she was 8 years oldm said the next generation of golfers will remember her feat as her contribution to the game of golf is huge Today I woke up at 430 am to catch the action live It was kind of mixed emotions because what she has done for Indian golf is huge It has put Indian golf into the hearts of all Indians not just the people who play thr sport I was a little disappointed after Aditi finished fourth as in an Olympics it is not the best You can finish tenth and you might feel better than finishing fourth he said He said that Aditi needs to be very proud of what she has achieved and what she has done for the sport in the country by this performance Adiitis feat is going to bring in a lot more support for the sport both from the government and the corporate sector he said I think all the players in future will have to be thankful to Aditi for this performance It is going to catapult golf and the way golf is looked at as an Olympic sport for the future Desai said I coached her for about 7 years when she was young What we were able to achieve was that we laid a strong foundation for her Now she has taken off which is great and I am proud of it I am very happy for her The golf club has been very supportive towards her and they supported us throughout her tenure when she was in India before she was playing in the US Desai explained She was so focused and what we call coachable because she would always listen to what we said she always took notes she was very meticulous about keeping data and mentoring her was a lot of fun I had no doubt that she would be going for international tours and win medals for the country By the time she was 13 she was at her first professional event She became the youngest person in the world to win a professional event She shared that record with international golfer Lyda Ko against whom she played with today he said Lyda Ko also won a professional event at the age of 13 It was really good to watch them play together Aditi was very attentive during practice sessions That is why she has been able to achieve what she did today Desai said adding Golfers from Jammu and Kashmir and even Nepal sent us messages hoping that she wins which was great Golfer Aryan Roopa Anand who is a friend of Aditi said Its great for the country To be honest we live in a country where cricket is considered to be the sport as a result many other sports dont get the limelight they deserve What she has done now is quite tremendous for us as a golfing nation After Aditis achievement golf is on the Indian sporting map now There is a lot of recognition from celebrities ministers We all needed one superstar and we have Aditi now We have known her for a very long time We used to practice a lot together For her as an individual its a tremendous feat For us as a nation it is great as now we have that one superstar who won laurels in the sport for us he added She pulled herself back really well today and had a fighting chance till the end I was at the edge of my seat She put up a stellar performance Anand said Govndaraju MLC and Karnataka Olympic Association President termed Aditis performance as great and told IANS We will facilitate her She hails from Karnataka and it is a matter of pride for us She has a bright future and the Karnataka government is with Aditi Ashok I wish her all the luck for future tournaments said Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/bengaluru-hails-golfer-aditis-stellar-performance-147818.html Sun, 08 Aug 2021 20:25:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/neerajs-village-erupts-into-celebrations-chants-chak-de-india-147820.html Chandigarh Aug 7 The nondescript Khandra village in Haryanas Panipat district erupted into celebrations when the news flashed that its talented son Subedar Neeraj Chopra VSM had become the first Indian track and field athlete to win a medal that too a gold at the Olympics since the time India officially gained entry into the Games in 1928 Friends and fans started gathering around the golden boys family home where 19 members if his extended family live as soon as news spread that he had secured his place in the final of the javelin thrown event in Tokyo His family said the entire village and even people from neighbouring villages had been watching his performance for the past few days on television sets installed at public places As the news of his victory was televised people gathered at his residence distributed sweets and danced to the tunes of Punjabi songs Chak de India slogans rent the village air when the golden news was flashed on television His emotional father Satish Kumar a farmer said I feel elated that my son brought glory to the country He then added brimming over with fatherly pride Yes we were confident from day one that he will bring a gold medal for the country Chopras elated mother Saroj Devi said the entire village would extend a grand welcome to her son on his return to his native village Neerajs uncle Bhim Chopra said not just the family but the entire village watched his marvelous performance to reach the podium Interestingly Indias two gold medalwinning Olympians have a Chandigarh connection Neeraj Chopra and shooter Abhinav Bindra The shooter who won the gold in Beijing in 2008 grew up in the Chandigarh suburb Zirakpur and Chopra studied at the DAV College Sector 10 Chandigarh Congratulating Chopra on his triumph Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced a cash reward of Rs 6 crore and a Grade A government job for Chopra He said The country was waiting for this moment for a long time Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh also congratulated Neeraj for his historic feat Gold Neeraj Chopra you have created history and made the whole country proud the Chief Minister tweeted Your 8758m winning throw today will be a part of the legends of the Track and Field arena India owes you Jai Hind Singh added In a rare gesture Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij whos normally seen to be letting his hair down was seen dancing and distributing sweets among his staff when Neeraj scripted history Vij was articulating the sentiment of the nation IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/neerajs-village-erupts-into-celebrations-chants-chak-de-india-147820.html Sun, 08 Aug 2021 20:36:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/neeraj-chopra-will-inspire-generations-says-odisha-cm-147826.html Bhubaneswar Aug 7 Congratulating Neeraj Chopra for his historic win at Tokyo Olympics Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik said he will inspire generations Taking to Twitter Patnaik said A golden throw Congratulations NeerajChopra on historic firstever track field Gold medal for India in Javelin throw at Tokyo2020 The country is so proud of you With this you took India to its highest ever medal tally at the Olympics You will inspire generations The chief minister has also shared his picture with Neeraj Chopra taken during Asian Athletics Championships held here at the Kalinga Stadium in 2017 where he bagged the gold medal Odisha had hosted the preparatory camp for Olympics earlier this year where Neeraj along with his fellow javelin throwers trained at Kalinga Stadium for over two months During their camp and their departure they had heaped praises on the world class infrastructure facilities at the stadium complex and support extended by the Odisha government and its hospitality Had a great time training at the Kalinga Stadium here in Bhubaneswar Now looking forward to getting some competition experience under the belt Chopra said in a tweet on February 13 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/neeraj-chopra-will-inspire-generations-says-odisha-cm-147826.html Sun, 08 Aug 2021 20:57:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/haryana-announces-rs-6-cr-for-neeraj-greetings-pour-in-147828.html Chandigarh Aug 7 Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday announced a cash reward of Rs 6 crore and a government job for Neeraj Chopra for winning Indias first Olympic gold medal in athletics The star athlete from Panipat district in Haryana created histiry after he clinched the gold in javelin throw with an attempt of 8758 metres becoming only the second Indian after Abhinav Bindra to win an individual gold medal at the Olympics Congratulating Chopra for his triumph Khattar said he not only won the medal but also won the heart of the whole country The country was waiting for this moment for a long time and the whole country is proud of him he said Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh also congratulated Neeraj for his historuc feat in Tokyo Gold Neeraj Chopra you have created history and made the whole country proud the Chief Minister tweeted Your 8758 m winning throw today will be part of the legends of the Track and Field arena India owes you Jai Hind he added Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said that Neeraj Chopra has made the entire country proud by his historic performance at the Olympics India has got a second gold after 13 years in individual event at the Olympics which is a matter of pride for the whole country This is a historic day for the country as it is Indias first gold medal in Olympic athletics Neerajs achievement would inspire the youth of the country to move ahead in the field of sports he said Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan tweeted What a monumental victory Neeraj Chopra has just won the first Olympic Gold Medal for India in athletics The whole country is elated Congratulations to Neeraj on this historic victory You have inspired every Indian Thank you Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi and party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also congratulated Chopra for his historic feat Taking to Instagram Rahul Gandhi said Neeraj Chopra take a bow A billion hearts beat for you today and each one of us couldnt be more proud Neeraj Chopra brings home the gold What an outstanding performance History has been made India is so proud of you Congratulations Priyanka Gandhi tweeted IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/haryana-announces-rs-6-cr-for-neeraj-greetings-pour-in-147828.html Sun, 08 Aug 2021 21:22:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/president-kovind-pm-modi-sports-minister-thakur-lead-nation-in-congratulating-chopra-147837.html Tokyo Aug 7 President of India Ram Nath Kovind said that javelin thrower Neeraj Chopras achievement was unprecedented while Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed it as an effort which would be remembered forever even as national leaders top sportspersons and millions of citizens came together to hail the feat of the 23yearold at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday Unprecedented win by Neeraj Chopra Your javelin gold breaks barriers and creates history You bring home first ever track and field medal to India in your first Olympics Your feat will inspire our youth India is elated Heartiest congratulations said Kovind History has been scripted at Tokyo What Neerajchopra1 has achieved today will be remembered forever The young Neeraj has done exceptionally well He played with remarkable passion and showed unparalleled grit Congratulations to him for winning the Gold Tokyo2020 tweeted PM Modi Star javelin thrower Chopra fetched India its firstever gold medal in athletics at the Olympics with a best throw of 8758 metres Chopra became the second Indian after shooter Abhinav Bindra in 2008 to win an individual Olympic gold medal It was Indias seventh medal at the Tokyo Olympics which means they have surpassed their previous best tally of six at London 2012 What an incredible achievement Neerajchopra1 scripted history brought glory to India by winning the Gold medal in the Javelin throw at Tokyo Olympics His outstanding feat has ended a long wait by India for an Olympic medal in track field events Tokyo2020 NeerajChopra tweeted VicePresident M Venkaiah Naidu Indias Olympic History has been scripted Your superbly soaring throw deserves a Billion Cheers Your name will be etched in the history books with golden letters wrote Sports Minister Anurag Thakur History has been made Milkha Singh Jis wish is fulfilled as India wins first ever Olympic medal in Athletics A golden moment 4 India as Neeraj Chopra won Olympic Gold medal for India at Tokyo2020 Congratulations Neerajchopra1 on this historic achievement Cheer4India tweeted Law Minister Kiren Rijiju Congratulations to Indias ace Javelin Thrower Neerajchopra1 for winning the prestigious Track and Field medal for the first time in the history of Independent India Gold medal in the Javelin throw event at the Olympics is unprecedented Proud of him for creating history tweeted Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Sportspersons took to Twitter to congratulate the 23yearold for the stupendous showing Historic Athletic Gold medal Big Congratulations Neerajchopra1for winning gold medal for India Tokyo2020 you make us all proud Cheer4India tweeted boxer MC Mary Kom bronze medallist in 2012 London Olympics GOLD This is the tweet This is the emotion Thank you Neeraj Chopra for giving us this joy You have inspired us you have given us hopes You are our hero tweeted shooter Gagan Narang who won bronze medal in 2012 London Yay yay Cant get over this feeling its a gold GOLD Neeraj chopra you have been scripted in history Olympics2020 tweeted India womens cricketer Mithali Raj Historic Congratulations Neerajchopra1 on winning Gold Prayers of billion Indians have been answered Cheer4India Tokyo2020 tweeted former Sports Minister RVS Rathore silver medallist at 2004 Athens Olympics IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/president-kovind-pm-modi-sports-minister-thakur-lead-nation-in-congratulating-chopra-147837.html Sun, 08 Aug 2021 22:11:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/peres-jepchirchir-leads-kenyan-one-two-in-olympic-womens-marathon-147609.html Tokyo Aug 7 Kenya made a onetwo finish in the womens marathon with Peres Jepchirchir finishing the gruelling race ahead of world record holder Brigid Kosgei in a time of two hours 27 minutes and 20 seconds her seasons best time In the physically exhausting race in the hot and humid Sapporo weather Peres the twotime world half marathon champion was 16 seconds ahead of Brigid American marathoner Molly Seidel a relative newcomer to the marathon took home the bronze in two hours 27 minutes 46 seconds It feels good said Peres after winning gold Im so so happy because we win as Kenya First and second she was quoted as saying by the Olympic channel I thank my god so much Im happy for my family Im happy for my country Kenya I pushed on the pace and when I opened the gap it was like wow Im going to make it Im going to win Due to the extreme weather conditions the Games organisers started the race one hour earlier at 6 am Japan time and an 88strong field lined up for the 42km event at the Sapporo Odori Park There were a total of 14 Did Not Finish DNFs including Kenyas world champion Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya It was so hot it was not easy said Peres Im just thankful I managed to cope with that weather It is very hot but we tried to do our best added Brigid Ruth and Brigid were the early leaders with a group of 10 runners accompanying them along the way None of the runners made a real strike for home for the first 30km of the race as they paced themselves through the streets of Sapporo The real race began at the 36km mark A small breakaway group including Brigid Peres Molly and Lonah Chemtai Salpeter of Israel moved away from the rest of the field opening an 11second gap Brigid moved up from sixth to run alongside her fellow Kenyan and just before the 38kmmark they made a push for victory American runner Molly began to lose ground as did Israels Lonah while the Kenyans moved away Soon after Lonah began to walk the heat getting too much for the Israeli runner and she finally finished 66th With less than a kilometre to go Peres made another push for home to cement her position as the worlds top female marathon runner Peress gold gave Kenya their second consecutive womens marathon title at the Games The womens race in Rio in 2016 was won by Jemima Sumgong This was the 10th edition of womens marathon at the Olympics after it was first included in the Los Angeles Games in 1984 Kenya have won seven marathon medals in the events 10 appearances but this was the countrys first gold and silver in a single Olympic marathon race IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/peres-jepchirchir-leads-kenyan-one-two-in-olympic-womens-marathon-147609.html Sun, 08 Aug 2021 01:22:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-golf-narrow-miss-for-aditi-ashok-as-she-finishes-fourth-147626.html Tokyo Aug 7 There was heartbreak for Indian golfer Aditi Ashok as she narrowly missed the bronze medal in the womens individual strokeplay competition at the Tokyo Olympics finishing fourth with an aggregate score of 15under 269 on Saturday Aditi who was placed second going into Saturdays fourth and final round shot a threeunder 68 on a weartheraffected day which otherwise was historic for the Indian golfer as she attracted lot of attention as she had finished 41st in the Rio Olympics five years ago Nelly Korda of the United States the worlds top woman golfer claimed the gold medal with a score of 17under 267 while Japans Mone Inami and New Zealands KO Lydia shared the second spot a stroke behind at 268 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-golf-narrow-miss-for-aditi-ashok-as-she-finishes-fourth-147626.html Sun, 08 Aug 2021 02:31:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/with-mom-as-caddie-aditi-was-in-a-different-league-altogether-147656.html Tokyo Aug 7 The official Olympics twitter handle Olympics gave 23yearold Indian golfer Aditi Ashok the ultimate tribute after she fought till the very end to finish fourth on the penultimate day of the Tokyo Games saying she fought until the end for a medal in Golf Posting a picture of Aditi in an animated discussion with her mother and a loaded golf bag lying in front of them Olympics tweeted Shoutout to Aditi Ashok 200th player in the world Her caddie at Tokyo2020 was her mother Smiling face with 3 hearts emoji Fought until the end for a medal in Golf Clapping hands sign IND The young Aditi is currently ranked 200th in the world and has not played many tournaments on the LPGA but she fought like a battlehardened pro who has been playing the sport for years Coming from a middleclass background Aditis father Gudlamani Ashok was her caddie at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games where as an 18yearold she made her biggest golfing debut and finished 41st But here in Tokyo it was her mother who carried her bag giving her bits of advice to guide Aditi to a nearpodium finish I think when my dads there he knows my game a lot more probably sometimes more than I know myself so I always feel compelled to rely on him sometimes Aditi had told golfchannelcom before the Olympics My moms there I can ask her anything but in terms of like golf advice she may not be able to help me as much as my dad I guess Im committing to my decisions more and being more decisive on my own Aditi had said Moms advice certainly worked wonders over the four rounds of gold in Tokyo and further cemented an already strong bond IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/with-mom-as-caddie-aditi-was-in-a-different-league-altogether-147656.html Sun, 08 Aug 2021 06:13:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/india-will-finish-on-podium-soon-says-womens-hockey-team-skipper-rani-147667.html Mumbai Aug 7 The fourthplace finish at the Tokyo Olympics by the womens hockey team has ignited a spark and if we can build on it properly the team will finish on the podium said Rani Rampal captain of the side on Saturday Ranis team had suffered a heartbreaking 43 defeat to Great Britain in the bronzemedal playoff on Friday narrowly missing the spot on the podium in Tokyo But Rani says the team is definitely capable of winning a medal in the next Olympics in 2024 or the one after that in 2028 We have got a lot of appreciation from the entire country people have loved the way we played the fight we put up in our matches and I am sure this will inspire the next generation of women players If we build on this performance I am sure one day the womens hockey team will be there on the podium at the Olympics I may or may not be there with them but the team will definitely be there Rani said during a virtual press conference on Saturday She said that though coach Sjoerd Marijne has decided to move on as he wants to spend time with his family the other members of the support staff should be retained so that the good work is continued Hockey India has arranged a lot of exposure tours SAI has made so many arrangements for us provided good facilities I just hope that this is continued Though Sjoerd has decided not to continue and return home there are other members of the support staff Janneke Schopman analytical coach is there Wayne Lombard scientific advisor is there we need to maintain continuity she added The support staff has done a great work They have instilled selfbelief in us that we can compete with the best in the world said team member Nisha Dragflicker Gurjit Kaur said the teams performance has made people realise that the womens team is also capable of winning a medal People have given us a lot of support they have appreciated our performance the fighting spirit that we have shown in each match I thank them on behalf of the team They need to continue with this About the teams plans Rani said that the next year is very crucial as the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games are on the schedule as well as the Asia Cup which is the qualifier for the World Cup She agreed with Marijne that the team needs to play a lot of matches and gain more exposure and experience Asked whether it was the right time to have a professional league for women players in the country Rani said she would leave that decision to Hockey India There are a lot of issues involved with running a league and as a player I dont understand those things So I will leave that to Hockey India But I agree with Sjoerd that we need to play more matches The junior team also needs exposure because that is the feeder line of this team she added IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/india-will-finish-on-podium-soon-says-womens-hockey-team-skipper-rani-147667.html Sun, 08 Aug 2021 07:38:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/i-didnt-really-drive-the-ball-very-good-in-final-round-golfer-aditi-ashok-147687.html Tokyo Aug 7 Indian golfer Aditi Ashok missed the medal by a whisker at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday The 23yearold finished at a remarkable fourth position with an aggregate score of 15under 269 over four rounds in the womens individual strokeplay competition She finished two shots behind goldmedal winner Nelly Korda of the US She was also just a shot behind Mone Inami of Japan and New Zealands Lydia Ko who won silver and bronze medals respectively Going into the competition Aditi ranked 200th in the world wasnt even in the reckoning for a medal at the Tokyo Olympics However the youngster produced stunning performances on all four days of the competition matching some of the worlds best golfers Excerpts from an interview to IGF after the match Q Tough luck You tried your hardest all day Didnt quite go your way just sum up the day for us Aditi I think today I didnt really drive the ball very good and then its hard to get birdie putts or hit greens when youre not in the fairway So that was definitely the hardest part to make a score today Q You were well within that race for the top 3 The 15th hole perhaps that is where things slipped out and then the 16th Ko Lydia New Zealand who won bronze again had a bogey Aditi Yeah I mean 15 was okay it was nothing I mean I was just scrambling I was in between clubs so I hit one more and it went over But I dont think it was that bad I still made a par so its fine But just generally like 15 also I missed the fairway so I was just missing so many fairways The front nine I just hit one and I think the back nine I must have hit maybe a couple more maybe three or four more So that was what was bad today kind of put me out of position so I couldnt get close to the flag Q Im sure you would be focused here but almost all of India was watching golf at 3 in the morning today What were your emotions going into the round today Aditi I mean going into the round I didnt think about it much it was fine but obviously coming in I tried my best to hole the last few putts and just knowing because in a regular tournament whether you finish second or fourth it really doesnt matter no one cares But at this event you need to be in the top 3 I didnt leave anything out there I think I gave it my hundred per cent but yeah fourth at an Olympics where they give out three medals kind of sucks Q Talk about the putt on 17 and the 18th hole Aditi Yeah 17 was perfect I hit it exactly the speed I wanted the line I wanted I just maybe I made too many through the four rounds golfing gods were like okay were not going to give her this one But no I just tried my best even the last hole although it was really out of range it was almost a long putt but I still tried to give it a chance So yeah I think I gave it my best attempt Q Are you conscious of the fact that a lot of Indian sporting legends have also finished fourth at the Olympics Aditi No I didnt know that actually obviously now that Ive joined that not so you dont want to join that club But yeah I guess Ive joined it But no I think its good just even top5 or top10 at an Olympics is really good Because you know that sport or that person has a medal chance So just having more top finishes even if its not exactly a podium finish will maybe bring eyes to the sport and more support more kids pick up more whatever that helps grow the game Q Can you share a message of inspiration for youngsters back home in India to pick up golf perhaps after your performance this week Aditi Yeah sure obviously when I started golf I never dreamt of being or contending at the Olympics golf wasnt even an Olympic sport So sometimes you just pick it up and work hard and have fun every day and sometimes you get here IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/i-didnt-really-drive-the-ball-very-good-in-final-round-golfer-aditi-ashok-147687.html Sun, 08 Aug 2021 09:39:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-hockey-drag-flicker-gurjit-finds-the-sweet-spot-with-help-from-coaches-147489.html Tokyo Aug 6 Gurjit Kaur the main shortcorner specialist in the Indian womens hockey team was distraught after her unimpressive show in the Group stage of the Olympic Games womens hockey tournament The 25yearold was unsuccessful with all her dragflicks in the qualification stage of the competition adding to the worries of her team and coach Sjoerd Marjijne Gurjit was putting in a lot of power in her flicks but something was not right as her shots were getting blocked by the goalkeeper or the defenders The biggest disappointment came when Indian wasted 14 short corners against Ireland in the Group stage So when she stepped up to take the flick against world No 2 Australia in the quarterfinal not many give her a chance But this time she was on target scoring the allimportant goal to guide India to a historic victory and an unprecedented semifinal spot In the next game against Argentina she again scored off a penalty corner and then slammed two against Germany for a total of four goals in the campaign Gurjits poor conversion rate before the knockout stage in the Olympics had become a talking point as despite generating pace and power in her shots and being touted as the best dragflicker in womens hockey she was missing the target Usually a conversion rate of between 1520 per cent is optimum but she was nowhere close to that But the game against Australia seemed to have worked wonders for the India team defender Overnight she became a feared dragflicker For Gurjit the Olympics have been a story of two halves in the qualification she couldnt get anything right but in the knockouts she couldnt put a foot wrong In the Group stage India earned 32 penalty corners in five matches but converted only one that too off a rebound Besides Gurjit Deep Grace Ekka and Rani Rampal too tried their luck In the knockout stages India earned 12 short corners in three matches and Gurjit scored four goals Asked about the secret to Gurjits turnaround coach Marijne said that he did not give her any special instructions but told her the variations she needed to concentrate on A case in point was the bronzemedal match against Great Britain in which India missed the first penalty corner Before the next penalty corner a cryptic message went from the bench to Gurjit and she planted a powerful flick in between goalkeeper Maddy Hinch and a defender In the next attempt she sent a low flick to the left corner Gurjit did not make any major changes in her approach in the knockout stages It was just that she chose her spots well said Marijne The Dutch tactician added that its not that Gurjit was dragflicking badly in the Group stage Its about the choices that we team also make Like in the Group match against South Africa we made the choice to give Grace Ekka the chance The other thing you have to realise is that when you are dragflicking from the top of the D and if the rival runner is very good it is very difficult to score So it is not always the dragflicker fault whether she can score or not said Marijne He said Gurjit had done very well in the knockout She did really well She helped us win the quarterfinal and today she scored two very important goals with her dragflick and these moments were really helping the team he added The experience Gurjit has gained in Tokyo will help her do better in the future IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-hockey-drag-flicker-gurjit-finds-the-sweet-spot-with-help-from-coaches-147489.html Sat, 07 Aug 2021 14:50:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paris-to-fly-biggest-flag-ever-to-mark-handover-of-olympics-147490.html Tokyo Clouds cover the sky over the Olympic Stadium at the eve of the ende of the 2020 Summer Olympics Saturday Aug 7 2021 in Tokyo Japan The Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics take place in the city from July 23 until Aug 8 2021 PTI Tokyo Aug 7 Organisers of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games have said that they would fly the biggest flag ever from the Eiffel Tower as part of the handover of the Olympics from Tokyo to the French capital We waited an extra year for this moment after Tokyo 2020 Games were postponed due to the pandemic Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet told a news conference at the Main Press Centre of the Tokyo Olympics late on Friday The excitement is very strong We want to start with a world record Its the biggest flag ever raised ever he said But Estanguet didnt disclose whether it will be the flag of France that of the Olympic rings or one with the 2024 Games logo Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo will receive the Olympic flag from International Olympic Committee IOC President Thomas Bach during the Tokyo 2020 Games closing ceremony on Sunday IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/paris-to-fly-biggest-flag-ever-to-mark-handover-of-olympics-147490.html Sat, 07 Aug 2021 14:51:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-golf-indias-aditi-ashok-stays-on-course-for-historic-medal-in-tokyo-147500.html Tokyo Aug 6 Indias Aditi Ashok continued with her great form as she moved to the second spot after the third round in womens golf competition remaining on course for a maiden medal at the Olympic Games The 23yearold Aditi ground out a 3under 68 in the third round of the womens golf competition at Kasumigaseki Country Club to be in sole second place on 12under 201 She was three shots behind leader and world No 1 Nelly Korda of the United States Aditi whose given name in Sanskrit means Boundless lived up to her calling by continuing to produce some phenomenal golf to be on the cusp of an historic medal for India Aditi who started the day tied for the second spot with three others was able to pull two clear of a group of four players Japans Mone Inami Emily Kristine Pedersen of Denmark Australian Hannah Green and New Zealander Lydio Ko who all share third place on 203 with 18 holes remaining on Saturday Saturdays final round will begin an hour earlier than on Friday so that the players get out on the course and get back before the potential bad weather strikes the International Golf Federation IGF said in a release on Friday Following the return of golf into the Olympic programme in 2016 no Indian golfer men or women has won a medal and Aditi knows fully well what a podium finish would mean for the game in the country However she plans to stick to the proverbial one shot at a time routine when she joins Korda for the second successive day in the final group which will include Lydia Ko the silver medallist in Rio I think one more day of golf and a lot happens on the final day Although its just one round it feels long mentally so definitely staying patient and hoping we have good weather and hope I play good tomorrow she said When she made her debut in Rio 2016 as the youngest competitor and featured in the top10 in the opening two rounds before finishing 41st Aditi attracted more curiosity as a wideeyed teenager just out from school and soaking in the Olympic experience A medal for India on Saturday could well spark the positive change that so many clamour in a country where cricket is No 1 and treated like a religion She knows all eyes will be on her during the final round but is taking the pressure in her stride I think nobody really follows golf as much And whenever the Olympics comes around its always because we had a lot of sports where we were actually really good like hockey where we used to win gold medals all the time I think with golf being in the second time I think people are a lot more educated and trying to follow it a lot more she said For sure there will be pressure but Im not thinking about it that much I think no matter how I do this week people have heard about golf and they continue to tune in if they have extended the golf coverage in India because Im in the top three I think thats good itself People seeing golf instead of the other sports its always good to get more people aware of the game Aditis glorious run through three rounds is praiseworthy as she has not regained her full speed and strength after coming down with Covid19 in May this year Her driving distances are some 15 metres shorter than regular shes ranked 59th in driving distances among the 60 golfers this week which has seen her rely on her trusty rescue club She also ranks first in Strokes Gained Putting picking nine strokes over the field It Covid took a little bit of strength out of me I was always short but not like 50 behind Nelly I think apart from the distance this year has been kind of the best Ive had with my short game my putting the rest of my game has been fantastic I think its been one of the best years she told the IGF With her mother Maheshwari on caddying duties this week her father was on the bag in Rio Aditi has enjoyed their time together and even thinks her good run in Tokyo has been due to girl power Shes doing great Its funny this is the best Ive played all year My dads enjoying watching me on TV and enjoys listening to Bones Jim McKay commentate on my game So thats been cool My mom has obviously done a great job said Aditi She has received numerous support from back home including from PGA Tour star Anirban Lahiri who tweeted a message of support on Thursday Irrespective of how she finishes on Saturday Aditi knows her medal run in Tokyo has helped golf gain more fans in India Theyre like Oh the girl did well and thats that in Rio But I think within the golfing population it definitely stirred up some interest because a lot more girls are trying to pick it up and either go to college golf or try and play QSchools whether LET Ladies European tour or LPGA Ladies professional Golfer Association said Aditi who is a threetime Ladies European Tour winner and the lone Indian golfer on the LPGA Tour A lot of people are trying to figure out golf and top3 and tied second and theyre trying to figure out what would win a medal And thats all really cool and I think its really cool that golf is in the Olympics and we have that chance because otherwise so many people would never pay attention to golf let alone mens and womens separately said Aditi on how her performance has helped stir peoples interest IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-golf-indias-aditi-ashok-stays-on-course-for-historic-medal-in-tokyo-147500.html Sat, 07 Aug 2021 15:33:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-bajrang-loses-in-semis-to-fight-for-bronze-medal-147509.html Tokyo Aug 6 Indias Bajrang Punia suffered a huge setback as he lost to Aliyev Haji of Azerbaijan the bronze medallist in 57kg at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games as he went down 125 on points and will now have to fight for the bronze medal on Saturday Bajrang who had survived a scare in the prequarterfinals against Akmataliev Ernazar of Kyrgyzstan and had outplayed Ghiasi Cheka Morteza of Iran in the semifinals went behind 14 on points in the first period and then came under repeated attacks from the Azerbaijani in the second to lose by a big margin Bajrang did fight back in the second period by claiming four points but the Azerbaijani grappler proved too strong with late attacks Bajrang will face the winner of the repechage rounds in the bronzemedal match on Saturday IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-bajrang-loses-in-semis-to-fight-for-bronze-medal-147509.html Sat, 07 Aug 2021 16:10:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/work-hard-have-fun-and-sometimes-you-get-here-aditis-message-to-aspiring-golfers-147510.html Tokyo From left silver medalist Dina Averina of Russian Olympic Committee gold medalist Linoy Ashram of Israel and bronze medalist Alina Harnasko of Belarus pose for a photo after the rhythmic gymnastics individual allaround final at the 2020 Summer Olympics Saturday Aug 7 2021 in Tokyo Japan PTI Tokyo Aug 7 Top Indian woman golfer Aditi Ashok who missed the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday yet created history by become the first from the country to reach this far at the quadrennial showpiece said that when she had picked up a gold club as a fiveyearold she had never thought it would one day lead her to the biggest sporting stage Born in a middleclass household in Bengaluru Aditi got attracted to the sport when she was taken to the Karnataka Golf Association course as a fiveyearold Juggling her studies at the Frank Anthony Public School and her passion for golf the 23yearold started regularly training at the course and played at local tournaments She won her maiden statelevel trophy the Karnataka Junior and South Indian Junior Championships as a 13yearold in 2011 Soon she went on to win the national amateur title On Saturday Aditi was in contention for a podium finish until the 17th hole but dropped out of the medals bracket to eventually finish fourth at the Kasumigaseki Country Club She carded 3under 68 in the final round and had a combined score of 15under just one shot off playing for the medal places She had finished 41st at the 2016 Rio Olympics On the message she would like to give to aspiring golfers the 23yearold Aditi said When I started golf I never dreamt of being or contending at the Olympics golf wasnt even an Olympic sport So sometimes you just pick it up and work hard and have fun every day and sometimes you get here On what was going through her mind on the last hole Aditi said Not much actually I got a really good lie off the tee I hit the fairway finally and then I had a good club in so it was a good number too so only then I thought that okay I had a chance to make a birdie and I pulled it a hair left also because there was bunker and water on right but still I gave myself a birdie putt and that putt I think I mean I wanted to hole it and I gave my best attempt it just its hard to force the issue when youre like 30 feet away IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/work-hard-have-fun-and-sometimes-you-get-here-aditis-message-to-aspiring-golfers-147510.html Sat, 07 Aug 2021 16:20:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-hockey-india-miss-bronze-medal-with-heartbreak-defeat-to-great-britain-147524.html Tokyo Aug 6 There was no fairytale ending for the scintillating run by the Indian womens hockey team as its dream of winning a bronze medal in its maiden entry into the medal round came crashing down at the Tokyo Olympic Games on Friday India the surprise semifinalists in Tokyo went down 34 to Great Britain in the bronzemedal playoff at the Oi Hockey Stadium here on Friday India made a brilliant fightback against a team that won the gold medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics coming back from a twogoal deficit to take the lead but in the end the British were lucky to escape to victory as the Indians wasted a number of chances The unheralded Indians who finished 12th and last in Rio five years ago made an unexpected run into the medal round winning two matches and beating world No 2 Australia in the quarterfinals They lost to the higherrated Argentina and went down narrowly to Great Britain but came out with heads held high as Rani Rampals team played with determination and nearly upset the order in a competition that they entered as the ninthranked team in the world From finishing 12th and last in the Rio Olympic Games in 2016 to fourth in Tokyo the Indian womens hockey team made a historic leap that will surely inspire a generation of women hockey players in the country On Friday India came up with another brilliant performance proving that their entry into the semifinals was no flash in the pan The Indians played their hearts out fought back from a twogoal deficit to take the lead by scoring three goals in four minutes only to see Great Britain come back in the third and fourth quarters to emerge winner and claim the bronze medal their third medal in three Olympic Games starting from London 2012 Gurjit Kaurs 25th min 26th min brace of goals and a superb field goal by Vandana Katariya 29th min went in vain as Great Britain struck through Elen Rayer 16th min Sarah Robertson 24th min Hottie Webb Pearne 35th min and Grace Balsdon 48th min to seal the victory It was heartbreak for Rani Rampals team as two cards a yellow and green in the second half meant India played at least seven minutes with 10 players on the field and that turned the momentum into Great Britains favour The Indian women may have lost the match but they were not vanquished as they leave Tokyo with heads held high after making an unbelievable run into the semis when not many had given them a chance of even reaching the quarters India thus equalled its bestever finish in the 1980 Moscow Olympics when womens hockey made its debut India had to thank goalkeeper Savita Punia for saving them in the first quarter as the goalkeeper effected four good saves to keep them alive Savita was outstanding as she denied Lily Owsley and Shona McCallin on a superb attack after a good run by Sarah Robertson She also saved a couple of penalty corners as the Indian defence was slow in clearing the ball off the Great Britain attack India started poorly as the players were slow off the blocks allowing Great Britain to dominate possession and put the Indians under pressure But the Indians managed to survive and made a couple of attacks of their own as the teams were locked goalless after the first quarter But the second quarter changed the complexion of the match as first the British went into the lead scoring two goals through Elena Stan Rayer and Sarah Robertson Rayer got the goal as Indian defender Deep Grace Ekka deflected the ball into the goal off a cross from McCallin Robertson made it 20 in the 24th minute when she slammed home a reverse hit off a pass from McCallin The Indians came back to reduce the margin when they earned a penalty when the ball hit a Great Britain defenders foot on a counterattack Gurjit Kaur who had scored in the last two matches against Australia and Argentina fired home a powerful flick in the 24th minute to put it past goalkeeper Madeleine Hinch coach Marijnes instruction for a direct effort proving right Salima Tete created the next goal for India with a storming run from inside the defensive third into Great Britains shooting circle and took a shot but the ball came off a defenders foot and India earned a penalty corner This time Gurjit sent a powerful low flick to the left of the goalkeeper India continued to attack and went ahead when Vandana scored Indias third goal off a superb pass by Navneet Kaur to go 32 up before halftime But all that good work came unstuck in the third quarter when Great Britain equalised in the 35th minute and then sealed victory in the fourth quarter when Grace Balsdon scored the winner in the 48th minute off a penalty corner The Indians had a penalty corner of their own but Gurjits flick was blocked by the goalkeeper as they failed to level the scores again and ended the match distraught IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-hockey-india-miss-bronze-medal-with-heartbreak-defeat-to-great-britain-147524.html Sat, 07 Aug 2021 17:29:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/sprinter-case-ioc-removes-two-belarus-coaches-from-olympic-village-147536.html Tokyo Aug 6 The International Olympic Committee IOC said on Friday that two Belarus coaches who ordered sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya to leave from the Tokyo Olympics had their accreditation revoked and were removed from the Olympic Village Athletics head coach Yuri Moisevich and team official Artur Shumak were asked to leave the Olympic village after asking Krystsina to pack her bags and take the flight back home Her refusal to follow her teams orders to fly home brought global attention Krystsina is now in Poland where she has been granted a humanitarian visa In the interest of the wellbeing of the athletes of the National Olympic Committee of Belarus who are still in Tokyo and as a provisional measure the IOC cancelled and removed last night the accreditations of the two coaches They will be offered an opportunity to be heard said a statement by the IOC On Sunday Krystsina refused to board a flight home at the Haneda airport She sought protection from Japanese police and IOC after using Google translate to seek help She sought asylum in Poland spending two nights at the Polish Embassy in Tokyo She reached Polands capital Warsaw on Wednesday evening The 24yearold Krystsinas removal came after the sprinter complained through an Instagram video about being entered into the 4x400m relay race at a short notice The move was made after some teammates were found to be ineligible to compete The reasons for her removal by the Belarus Olympic Committee were given as doctors advice on her emotional and psychological state The IOC also said that a disciplinary commission has been established to investigate the whole incident Krystsina competed in the sixth heat of the womens 100m race at the Tokyo Olympics on July 30 She came fourth with a timing of 1147 seconds unable to qualify for the next round She did not compete in the 200m event due to her abrupt withdrawal by the coaches leading to the whole issue coming out IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/sprinter-case-ioc-removes-two-belarus-coaches-from-olympic-village-147536.html Sat, 07 Aug 2021 18:36:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/neeraj-chopra-bags-indias-first-ever-athletics-gold-in-olympics-147549.html Tokyo Indias Neeraj Chopra reacts as he competes in the final of the mens javelin throw event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo Saturday Aug 7 2021 PTI Tokyo Aug 7 Neeraj Chopra on Saturday made history by becoming the first Indian to win gold medal in athletics at Olympic Games when he clinched first position at Tokyo 2020 with a throw of 8758 metres in javelin competition Chopra has also become only the second Indian after Abhinav Bindra to win an individual gold medal at the Olympics Bindra had won gold at the 2008 Olympics in shooting The 23yearold Chopra now holds gold medals in javelin throw at the Commonwealth Games Asian Games and Olympics all at the same time Chopras gold means India with seven medals at Tokyo Games have surpassed the tally of six medals won at 2012 London Olympics This is the biggest tally of medals won by India in a single edition of Olympics Czech Republics Jakub Vadlejch bagged silver medal with a throw of 8667m while compatriot Vitezslav Vesley took bronze medal with a throw of 8544m Both got their seasons best throws on their fifth and third attempts respectively After finishing first in the qualification round on Wednesday with a throw of 8659m Chopra continued his impressive performance in the final on Saturday recording a first throw of 8703m He followed it up with 8758m in his second attempt It turned out to be the best throw of the night The 23yearolds third attempt was well below the 80m mark at 7639m He followed it up with two fouls on his fourth and fifth throws His last attempt was 8424m By then however the inevitable was confirmed as the other competittors couldnt match his best throw World No 1 Johannes Vetter of Germany a favourite to win the gold alongside Chopra continued his rough form from qualification to the final and was ousted after the initial three of the six throws The 28yearold who came into the Olympics after seven massive throws of over 90m between April and June opened with 8252m But fouls on the next two throws meant he finished ninth and crashed out of the competition as only top eight progress During his second throw Vetter happened to injure his ankle too The other Asian thrower in the final Pakistans Arshad Nadeem finished fifth with his best throw coming in his third attempt at 8462m IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/neeraj-chopra-bags-indias-first-ever-athletics-gold-in-olympics-147549.html Sat, 07 Aug 2021 20:19:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-bajrang-loses-in-semis-to-fight-for-bronze-147555.html Tokyo Aug 6 Indias Bajrang Punia suffered a huge setback as he lost to Aliyev Haji of Azerbaijan going down 125 on points in the semifinals of the 65kg freestyle wrestling and will now fight for the bronze medal on Saturday Punia who had survived a scare in the prequarterfinals against Akmataliev Ernazar of Kyrgyzstan and outplayed Ghiasi Cheka Morteza of Iran in the semifinals went behind 14 on points in the first period and then came under repeated attacks from the Azerbaijani in the second to lose by a big margin Punia did fight back in the second period by claiming four points but Aliyev the bronze medallist in 57kg in Rio de Janeiro and a threetime world champion in 61kg proved too strong with late attacks Punia will now face the winner of the repechage round bout between Senegals Adama Diatta and Kazakhstans Daulet Niyazbekov in the bronze medal match on Saturday Punia was Indias best hope for a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics but he did not have a perfect buildup for the mega event as he struggled for a proper sparring partner in the country during the lockdown Though he went to Europe to prepare for the Olympics his progress was also hampered by an injury to his right knee which was heavily strapped on Friday The grappler from Haryana started off well against Haji Aliyev in the semifinal and earned the first point awarded to him because of passivity on part of his rival That seemed to have spurred the Azerbaijani grappler into action as he launched a strong attack taking down Punia for two points twice at the Makuhari Messe Hall on Friday At the end of the first period Aliyev led 41 and Punia had a lot to play for after the break Trailing on points Punia was forced to throw caution to the wind and attack his rival Aliyev took advantage of the opening and scored another four points after getting hold of the Indian wrestlers ankles and twirling him around a couple of times Punia tried to claw his way back in the bout but Aliyev kept winning points to clinch the bout 125 In the final Aliyev will face Japans Takuto Otoguro the 2018 world champion in the gold medal match Earlier Punia started his Tokyo Olympics campaign with two contrasting wins to make it to the semifinals He defeated Irans Ghiasi by fall in the quarterfinals after surviving a close shave against Ernazar Akmataliev of Kyrgyzstan in the Round of 16 Against Ghiasi the 27yearold Punia seemed to be on the backfoot as the Iranian targeted his right knee Trailing 10 heading into the second period the Indian seemed to be on the backfoot initially against Ghiasis relentless attacks but turned the tables emphatically with one swift move to pin his opponents shoulders to the mat and earn a victory by fall Punia had narrowly escaped in the Round of 16 against Akmataliev He seemed to be in a comfortable position leading 31 with seconds left on the clock but Akmataliev levelled the score up with two late pushouts and had the Indian wrestler defending for his life in the closing stages Despite the match ending with the score of 33 Punia took the win since he had scored the highestscoring move in the match the twopoint takedown in the first period while his opponent had managed only onepoint moves IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-bajrang-loses-in-semis-to-fight-for-bronze-147555.html Sat, 07 Aug 2021 20:31:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/gavaskar-celebrates-chopras-gold-with-jig-jalebis-147560.html Nottingham Indias Mohammad Siraj left reacts after bowling a delivery to England captain Joe Root during the fourth day of first test cricket match between England and India at Trent Bridge in Nottingham England Saturday Aug 7 2021 PTI Nottingham Aug 7 Former India cricket captain and opener Sunil Gavaskar celebrated javelin thrower Neeraj Chopras historic gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics with jalebis and a jig on Bollywood song Mere Desh Ki Dharti Sona Ugle Ugle Heeray Moti while commentating on the first Test between India and England at the Trent Bridge here on Saturday Gavaskar who was the first to reach 10000 runs in the history of Test cricket was joined in the celebrations over jalebis by former South Africa allrounder Shaun Pollock and media personality Harsha Bhogle who are his cocommentators Mere Desh Ki Dharti Sona Ugle Ugle Heeray Moti is a song from the 1966 film Upkaar and stars Manoj Kumar Chopra on Saturday made history by becoming the firstever Indian to win gold medal in athletics at the Olympic Games He is also only the second Indian to win an individual Olympic gold after shooter Abhinav Bindra won gold during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing Chopras gold was Indias 10th in Olympic history Eight of those have been won by the hockey team the last of which came in 1980 It is really a big thing an Olympic gold medal said Pollock whose country South Africa too has won a gold at the ongoing Olympics through swimmer Tatjana Schoenmaker and has a rich history at the Olympic Games with 27 gold 33 silver and 29 bronze medals Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar called the effort big The gold has come in athletics which makes it very big he said on air from the studio IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/gavaskar-celebrates-chopras-gold-with-jig-jalebis-147560.html Sat, 07 Aug 2021 20:39:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/president-pm-sports-minister-lead-outpouring-of-praise-for-aditi-147569.html EDS HANDOUT PHOTO MADE AVAILABLE FROM RB OFFICE ON SATURDAY AUG 7 2021 New Delhi President Ram Nath Kovind hosted high tea for the Union Council of Ministers led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre in New Delhi Saturday Aug 7 2021 PTI New Delhi Aug 7 Golfer Aditi Ashoks showing at the Tokyo Olympic Games on Saturday has been nothing short of an inspirational story which will be told for decades to come Even though she missed a historic bronze in the sport by a whisker the magnitude of the achievement was not lost on the billionstrong India on Saturday morning which congratulated her and expressed its highest gratitude to the 23yearold who has still not fully recovered from a severe bout of Covid19 The President of India Ram Nath Kovind was among the first to express his appreciation for the Bengalurubased golfer who was a picture of consistency all through the competition and even looked good for a gold medal tweeting Well played Aditi Ashok One more daughter of India makes her mark You have taken Indian golfing to new heights by todays historic performance You have played with immense calm and poise Congratulations for the impressive display of grit and skills Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted Well played aditigolf You have shown tremendous skill and resolve during Tokyo2020 A medal was narrowly missed but youve gone farther than any Indian and blazed a trail Best wishes for your future endeavours Within minutes the PMs tweet had been shared and liked thousands of times Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur tweeted Indias 1st woman golfer to finish 4th at Olympics Games Aditi Ashok deserves a standing ovation for her exemplary performance at Tokyo2020 You played consistently well had us holding our breath till the end aditigolf You created history best wishes ahead Not many had given Aditi a chance when she had boarded the flight to Tokyo as she was ranked 200th in the world and her competition was against some of the best in the world And with Covid19 wreaking havoc on her body she was still way off her best But the 15under 269 over the four rounds showed how resolute she was in her goal Indias only individual gold medallist at the Olympics rifle shooter Abhinav Bindra tweeted Excellent composure perseverance shown by aditigolf throughout the last 4 days Ranked 200th at the start of Tokyo2020 to finishing fourth at the Olympics an absolutely incredible performance You have made the whole country proud today Im a fan for life Tennis ace and winner of 12 Grand Slams in mens doubles and mixed doubles Mahesh Bhupathi congratulated Aditi saying aditigolf while I know the pain of finishing 4th what you did the last four days playing against the best in the business is nothing short of spectacular I am a fan for life Clapping hands sign RuknaNahiHai olympics Indias top doubles player Rohan Bopanna who missed the Tokyo Olympics said Proud of the way you competed these past 4 days against the best in the world aditigolf So much heart and spirit Flexed biceps sign golfindia Top tennis player and winner of the singles and doubles gold medals at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou Somdev Devvarman tweeted Medal or not golf in India is better now than before she began the olympics Thank you Aditi Ashok IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/president-pm-sports-minister-lead-outpouring-of-praise-for-aditi-147569.html Sat, 07 Aug 2021 20:58:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-hockey-indian-women-go-down-4-3-to-great-britain-miss-bronze-medal-147346.html Tokyo Aug 6 There was no fairytale ending for the Indian womens hockey team as its dream of winning a bronze in their maiden entry into the medal round came crashing down in a 43 defeat to Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympic Games on Friday The unheralded Indians made an unexpected run into the medal round winning two matches and beating world No 2 Australia in the quarterfinals They lost to the higherrated Argentina and went down narrowly to Great Britain but they went out with heads held high as Rani Rampals team played with determination and nearly upset the order in a competition that they entered as the ninthranked team in the world On Friday India came up with another brilliant performance proving that their storming run into the semifinals was no flash in the pan The Indians played their hearts out fought back from a twogoal deficit to take the lead but only to see Great Britain come back in the third and fourth quarters to emerge winner and claim the bronze medal their third medal in three Olympic Games starting from London 2012 Gurjit Kaurs 25th min 26th min brace of goals and a superb field goal by Vandana Katariya 29th min went in vain as Great Britain struck through Elen Rayer 16th min Sarah Robertson 24th min Hottie Webb Pearne 35th min and Grace Balsdon 48th min to seal the victory It was heartbreak for Rani Rampals team as two cards a yellow and green in the second half meant India played at least seven minutes with 10 players on the field and that turned the momentum into Great Britains favour The Indian women may have lost the match but they were not vanquished as they leave Tokyo with heads held high after making an unbelievable run into the semis when not many had given them the chance of even reaching the quarters India thus equalled its bestever finish in the 1980 Moscow Olympics when womens hockey made its debut India had to thank goalkeeper Savita Punia for saving them in the first quarter as the goalkeeper effected four good saves to keep them alive Savita was outstanding as she denied Lily Owsley and Shona McCallin on a superb attack after a good run by Sarah Robertson She also saved a couple of penalty corners as the Indian defence was slow in clearing the ball off the Great Britain attack India started poorly as the players were slow off the blocks allowing Great Britain to dominate possession and put the Indians under pressure But the Indians managed to survive and made a couple of attacks of their own as the teams were locked goalless after the first quarter But the second quarter changed the complexion of the match as first the British went into the lead scoring two goals through Elena Stan Rayer and Sarah Robertson Rayer got the goal as Indian defender Deep Grace Ekka deflected the ball into the goal off a cross from McCallin Robertson made it 20 in the 24th minute when she slammed home a reverse hit off a pass from McCallin The Indians came back to reduce the margin when they earned a penalty when the ball hit a Great Britain defenders foot on a counterattack Gurjit Kaur who had scored in the last two matches against Australia and Argentina fired home a powerful flick in the 24th minute to put it past goalkeeper Madeleine Hinch coach Marijnes instruction for a direct effort proving right Salima Tete created the next goal for India with a storming run from inside the defensive third into Great Britains shooting circle and took a shot but the ball came off a defenders foot and India earned a penalty corner This time Gurjit sent a powerful low flick to the left of the goalkeeper India continued to attack and went ahead when Vandana scored Indias third goal off a superb pass by Navneet Kaur to go 32 up before halftime But all that good work came unstuck in the third quarter when Great Britain equalised in the 35th minute and then sealed victory in the fourth quarter when Grace Balsdon scored the winner in the 48th minute off a penalty corner The Indians had a penalty corner of their own but Gurjits flick was blocked by the goalkeeper as the they failed to level the scores again and ended the match distraught IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-hockey-indian-women-go-down-4-3-to-great-britain-miss-bronze-medal-147346.html Sat, 07 Aug 2021 00:26:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/hry-announces-rs-50l-awards-for-9-women-olympic-hockey-players-from-state-147357.html Chandigarh Aug 6 Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday announced an award of Rs 50 lakh each to the nine members of the Olympics womens hockey team representing the state I congratulate the Indian team for their praiseworthy performance at the Tokyo Olympics the Chief Minister said In a hardfought bronze playoff match the Indian team lost 34 to Great Britain IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/hry-announces-rs-50l-awards-for-9-women-olympic-hockey-players-from-state-147357.html Sat, 07 Aug 2021 01:39:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/womens-hockey-team-lost-but-it-achieved-something-bigger-coach-marijne-147394.html Tokyo Aug 6 The chief coach of the Indian womens hockey team Sjoerd Marijne said his team may not have won a medal at Tokyo 2020 but his players did achieve something bigger as they inspired the country to dream of success at the Olympics India went down 43 to Great Britain in a closelyfought bronze medal playoff on Friday despite fighting back from a twogoal deficit The team led 32 at halftime but the British came back strongly in the second half and denied them a historic medal in only their third appearance in the Olympics since womens hockey made its debut in 1980 at Moscow Marijnes team stunned everyone by making it to the semifinal by beating mighty Australia world No 2 in the quarterfinal after scrapping through the preliminary round and though they went down to Argentina in the semis and Great Britain the team came up with a fighting display in all its matches and had more than a billion lauding the effort Asked what was his message to the team after the defeat Marijne told the media he told them he was proud of their performance The first emotion is about losing yeah you want to win but really I feel proud Pride Im proud of the girls how they again showed their fight and skills Normally when the Indian womens team are 20 down it always becomes 30 40 but now they kept fighting We came back in the match we were even oneup Marijne was quoted as saying by the International Hockey Federation FIH He said the girls should be proud that they achieved something bigger than a medal And I said to the girls Listen I cant take away your tears No words will help for that We didnt win the medal but I think we achieved something bigger and its inspiring a country and make the country proud sic And Ive shown many messages of people who were saying that and I think the world has seen another Indian team and Im really proud of that Marijne added IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/womens-hockey-team-lost-but-it-achieved-something-bigger-coach-marijne-147394.html Sat, 07 Aug 2021 06:38:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/pm-names-rajiv-gandhi-khel-ratna-award-after-hockey-wizard-major-dhyan-chand-147433.html New Delhi Aug 6 Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on Friday that he was naming the nations highest award for sports in response to many requests from citizens across India It will now be called Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award after the hockey wizard who won three Olympic gold medals for India from 1928 to 1936 Instituted in 199192 the Khel Ratna Award was named after the late former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and Indias chess prodigy Viswanathan Anand was its first recipient Some of its notable recipients are baize sport exponents Geet Sethi and Pankaj Advani boxer MC Mary Kom cricketer Sachin Tendulkar shooters Abhinav Bindra and Vijay Kumar shuttler PV Sindhu and wrestler Sushil Kumar The Award is administered by the Sports Ministry and given away every year at a special function by the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhawan PM Modis move has followed the outpouring of positive public sentiments after the superb showing of the Indian mens and womens hockey teams at the Tokyo Olympic Games On Thursday Manpreet Singhled mens hockey team won a medal bronze at the quadrennial showpiece after more four decades The womens team fought tooth and nail before losing to Great Britain 34 in the bronzemedal match on Friday The Indian womens hockey team had defeated world No 2 Australia in the quarterfinals but went down to Argentina in the semifinals and played for bronze against Great Britain on Friday I have been getting many requests from citizens across India to name the Khel Ratna Award after Major Dhyan Chand I thank them for their views Respecting their sentiment the Khel Ratna Award will hereby be called the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award Jai Hind tweeted the PM Soon after the womens team lost the bronzemedal match PM Modi tweeted We narrowly missed a medal in Womens Hockey but this team reflects the spirit of New India where we give our best and scale new frontiers More importantly their success at Tokyo2020 will motivate young daughters of India to take up Hockey and excel in it Proud of this team Retweeting PM Modis announcement about the Khel Ratna being named Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said Major Dhyan Chand is Indias most legendary loved sporting icons it is only befitting that Indias Highest Sporting Honour be named after him His life and achievements have inspired generations of sportspersons who have achieved glory for India Soon after the conclusion of womens hockey match Thakur tweeted Indias daughters our determined athletes we are immensely proud of you A giant leap of faith fighting spirit by our womens hockey team a legacy that will inspire us to do even better You have shown us the way Tokyo2020 TeamIndia IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/pm-names-rajiv-gandhi-khel-ratna-award-after-hockey-wizard-major-dhyan-chand-147433.html Sat, 07 Aug 2021 11:29:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/haryana-announces-rs-4-cr-reward-for-wrestler-ravi-kumar-147200.html Chandigarh Aug 5 Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday congratulated wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya for bagging silver in mens 57 kg freestyle wrestling at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics Ravi Kumar won the silver after losing 47 to Zavur Uguev of Russian Olympic Committee ROC in the final on Thursday Khattar who watched the match on television announced a reward of Rs 4 crore for the wrestler along with a Class I government job as per the states policy An indoor wrestling stadium will be built at Nahari village in Sonepat district the native place of Ravi Kumar he said Khattar also said that Dahiya has not only won the heart of Haryana but the entire country is elated with his achievement I wish you achieve new heights of success the Chief Minister said IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/haryana-announces-rs-4-cr-reward-for-wrestler-ravi-kumar-147200.html Fri, 06 Aug 2021 14:53:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/wrestler-bajrang-punia-secures-semifinal-spot-with-stunning-win-over-iranian-147228.html Japan Indias Bajrang Punia competes against Haji Aliyev of Azerbaijan in the semifinals during their mens freestyle 65kg wrestling match at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan Friday Aug 6 2021 PTI Tokyo Aug 6 Top Indian grappler Bajrang Punia defeated Irans Morteza Ghiasi by fall in the quarterfinal of the Tokyo Olympic Games mens 65kg event to secure a lastfour berth at the Makuhari Messe Hall on Friday With the win over Ghiasi Punia has been assured of a medal match at the Olympics If the Indian gets through his semifinal bout he will be guaranteed of a silver medal If he loses he gets to compete in the bronzemedal match Punia who had survived a close Roundof16 match was early on the backfoot against his Iranian opponent Ghiasi tried to attack his heavilystrapped right leg but couldnt Punia conceded only one passivity point at the end of the first period In the second period Ghiasi had the rightleg hold to pull off a takedown but Punia defended well With the passivity clock against him Punia made a turnaround by locking his opponents neck moved him over to the mat and pinning his shoulders thus earning a win by fall Punia will be up against Haji Aliyev from Azerbaijan in the semifinal The 30yearold Aliyev was a 2016 Rio Olympics bronze medallist in 57kg and a threetime world champion in 61kg He is also a twotime European champion in the 65kg category Though they havent met internationally the only meeting between the two came in the 2019 Pro Wrestling League Punia defeated Aliyev 86 to give his side Punjab Royals a win against the MP Yodhas At the Tokyo Olympics Aliyev defeated third seed Daulet Niyazkebov of Kazakhstan 91 to enter the lastfour stage In the Round of 16 he beat Adama Diatta of Senegal 40 Earlier on Friday Punia had survived a scare to overcome Kyrgyzstans Ernazar Akmataliev in the opening Roundof16 bout to set up a quarterfinal clash against Ghiasi Punia 27 who is making his Olympic debut earned his first point after a passivity penalty on his Kyrgyzstan opponent Akmataliev Akmataliev levelled the score with a pushout but in the final moments of the first period Punia surged ahead 31 with a takedown Early in the second period Punia looked the more aggressive of the two grapplers but Akmataliev held his ground with a tight defence Towards the end though the Kyrgyzstan wrestler made his move and scored backtoback pushouts to level the score at 33 Punia defended with all his might in the final seconds of the bout to not concede a point Despite the score being level at the end of the contest Punia took the win since he had scored the highestscoring move in the match the twopoint takedown in the first period IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/wrestler-bajrang-punia-secures-semifinal-spot-with-stunning-win-over-iranian-147228.html Fri, 06 Aug 2021 15:54:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-wrestler-dahiya-loses-in-final-bags-silver-in-57kg-freestyle-147235.html Tokyo Aug 5 Indian wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya fought a brave bout but could not overcome the Russian Olympic Committees ROC Zavur Uguev in the final of the mens freestyle 57kg at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday The 23yearold Indian had to settle for a silver medal as the ROC wrestler won the bout 74 on points Dahiya who had reached the final by beating Nurislam Sanayev of Kazakhstan with a lastminute fall in the semifinal found Uguev a twotime world champion too strong and too determined to win the gold The Russian won early points and then defended strongly without giving Dahiya many chances Dahiya won Indias second silver medal in Olympic wrestling after Sushil Kumar who won in 66kg freestyle in the London Olympics in 2012 India has won five medals including two silver at the Tokyo Olympics so far This was twotime Asian champion Dahiyas second straight loss to Zavur Uguev a twotime world champion in as many meetings The two met in the semifinals of the 2019 World Championships in Nur Sultan and the Indian wrestler lost in the final seconds of the bout in a closely fought contest Dahiya who hails from Nahri village in Sonipat district of Haryana was initially trained by Asian Games goldmedallist Satpal Singh at the Chhatrasal Stadium in north Delhi Oldtimers at the stadium would recall ow Dahiyas father Rakesh Dahiya a small farmer would travel every day from their village to the stadium to deliver fresh milk and fruits which were part of th wrestlers diet for more than a decade Those visits proved successful as Dahiya made his father proud on Thursday by winning the silver medal At the Makuhari Messe hall Dahiya began the final cautiously as he was awre of Uguevs strength and tried to assess how ready his opponent was before launching his attack However Uguev was strong in his defence and turned the tables on the Indian and claimed two points With the bench encouraging Dahiya a bronzemedallist in the World Championships and gold medallist in the Asian Championships to match th ROC wrestlers pace the Indian grappler dipped further to find a hold and turn Uguev around for his first takedown But Uguev was quick to turn around and return the favour as they headed into the break with the reigning world champion leading 42 Though Uguev seemed visibly tired in the secod period he didnt allow Ravi Dahiya a clear opening to make a move Ravi himself was quite tired but made a lastditch effort With the clock running down the Indian wrestler went for the kill and scored two points But Uguev was quick to counterattack and bagged three points to win the bout IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-wrestler-dahiya-loses-in-final-bags-silver-in-57kg-freestyle-147235.html Fri, 06 Aug 2021 16:24:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-france-edge-slovenia-to-meet-usa-in-dream-basketball-final-147313.html Tokyo Aug 6 Nicolas Batum blocked Klemen Prepelics layup with two seconds left as France edged Slovenia 9089 in the mens basketball semifinals at the Tokyo Olympics I think we have a great team were a really good group we have a group of guys a mix of generations who like playing together who like to hang out Evan Fournier of France said after the game France will play the United States in the final on Saturday It represents a real step towards a dream and the dream is to win the Olympics against the United States We have to rest and not let our minds wander and prepare as much as possible because theres a team waiting for us Fournier added Luka Doncic had a tripledouble for Slovenia with 16 points 10 rebounds and 18 assists Mike Tobey scored 23 and Prepelic added 17 reports Xinhua Nando de Colo had 25 points for France Fournier contributed 23 and Timothe LuwawuCabarrot finished with 15 Slovenia cut the deficit to one point with 33 seconds left through Prepelics 3 before Batum blocked Prepelics layup try to seal the deal Earlier threetime defending champions the United States nailed down another big win as they beat Australia 9778 in Thursdays other semifinal The US finished second in the group stage by overwhelming Iran 12066 and the Czech Republic 11984 before knocking out Spain 9581 in the quarterfinals IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-france-edge-slovenia-to-meet-usa-in-dream-basketball-final-147313.html Fri, 06 Aug 2021 21:01:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-hockey-india-miss-bronze-medal-after-4-3-defeat-to-great-britain-147315.html Tokyo Aug 6 Indias dream of a bronze medal in their maiden entry into the semifinal by the womens hockey team came crashing down as it lost 43 to Great Britain in a playoff at the Tokyo Olympic Games on Friday The Indians played their hearts out storming back after trailing 02 to take the lead but could not maintain the tempo as Great Britain scored the winner in the fourth quarter to claim the bronze medal their third medal in three Olympic Games starting from London 2012 Gurjit Kaurs brace of goals and one by Vandana Katariya went in vain as Great Britain struck through Elen Rayer Sarah Robertson Hottie Webb Pearne and Grace Baldson to seal victory IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-hockey-india-miss-bronze-medal-after-4-3-defeat-to-great-britain-147315.html Fri, 06 Aug 2021 21:12:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/team-first-mentality-and-fitness-played-key-role-in-indian-teams-success-says-coach-graham-reid-147061.html Mumbai Aug 5 The resilence the team had developed over the last 15 months as they stayed together in Bangalore during the pandemic the coachs insistence on teamfirst mentality and focus on fitness of the players were the key factors in the Indian mens hockey team winning the bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics and ending a 41year medal drought India defeated Germany 54 on Thursday coming back from a twogoal deficit to win the match and bag the bronze medal India had last won a gold medal in 1980 Moscow Olympics Coach Graham Reid said that in the first huddle they had after losing the semifinal against Belgium he again reminded the players of the teamfirst mentality and asked them to put the defeat behind them and take the next match as a new challenge In the last 15 months that we stayed together in Bangalore helped us become a close unit It was during this time that we worked on our fitness and that helped us a lot in Tokyo as the boys could manage to come back strongly after they landed in trouble in some of the matches said Reid from Tokyo during a virtual press conference organised by Hockey India on Thursday The coachs pep talk during the halftime break in the match against Germany when the team came back from 13 down to emerge 54 winner was a key element in Indias win and though Graham Reid said he did usually dont remember the things that he says during the breaks As a coach we sometimes think some things that we feel very good about before the break After the game I would ask them what did I say the coach laughed off the question to reveal what he says to the team during such breaks He later revealed that one of the things that he told the players at the halftime break on Thursday was to keep calm We talk a lot of things plan a lot of things but in the end its for the players to execute that I am happy that these boys managed to do that This team has a lot of potentials to develop into the best in the World said Reid Vicecaptain Harmanpreet Singh said the difficult times the players had before the match against Germany thought that it was the best moment for them to end the drought We discussed that if we lose this moment we will lose a big chance All the players played well and I am happy for everyone for the players and the fans said Harmanpreet IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/team-first-mentality-and-fitness-played-key-role-in-indian-teams-success-says-coach-graham-reid-147061.html Fri, 06 Aug 2021 04:14:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/nation-celebrates-first-olympic-hockey-medal-in-41-years-147065.html New Delhi Aug 5 Thursday proved to be one of the most memorable days in the history of Indian hockey The mens team led by Manpreet Singh defeated Germany 54 to win bronze at the Tokyo Olympics This is Indias firstever medal at the Olympics since 1980 Moscow and 12th overall in the showpiece event Twitter has been swarmed with congratulatory wishes for the team Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed the win as historic Here is a look at major reactions on the social media Prime Minister Narendra Modi Historic A day that will be etched in the memory of every Indian Congratulations to our Mens Hockey Team for bringing home the Bronze With this feat they have captured the imagination of the entire nation especially our youth India is proud of our Hockey team President Ram Nath Kovind Congratulations to our mens hockey team for winning an Olympic Medal in hockey after 41 years The team showed exceptional skills resilience determination to win This historic victory will start a new era in hockey and will inspire the youth to take up and excel in the sport VicePresident M Venkaiah Naidu Heartiest Congratulations to the Indian Hockey team for winning the Bronze medal in a keenly fought contest against Germany The team displayed excellent professionalism and the entire nation is proud of their achievement Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur A BILLION CHEERS for INDIA Flag of India Boys youve done it We cant keep calm TeamIndia Third place medal Our Mens Hockey Team dominated and defined their destiny in the Olympic history books today yet again We are extremely proud of you Tokyo2020 Law Minister and former sports minister Kiren Rijiju India is back at the top of hockey returning to glorious hockey days I pay my tribute to all our legendary hockey payers while extending my hearty congratulations to our star Olympic Bronze medal team Cheer4India Emoticon Flag of India Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani A wait of 4 decades comes to an end by sheer determination hard work perseverance Thank you Team Hockey India your historic win has fulfilled dreams of a Billion energised our young to aspire to rise to greater heights I bow in awe and gratitude Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan Wow Indian Mens Hockey Team Congratulations Resilience and skill at its peak What an exciting match Actorpolitician Kamal Haasan After 41 years our Indian mens hockey team script history by bringing home a medal I congratulate our guys who have reignited our national sport with this victory IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/nation-celebrates-first-olympic-hockey-medal-in-41-years-147065.html Fri, 06 Aug 2021 04:46:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-gurpreet-fails-to-finish-gruelling-50km-race-walk-due-to-cramps-147322.html Tokyo Aug 6 Indias only representative in the gruelling 50km race walk event at the Tokyo Olympics Gurpreet Singh limped off around the 35km mark due to cramps on Friday Gurpreet who started the race from 14th position in a field of 59 athletes could not come to terms with the energysapping heat and humidity despite the race starting early morning on Friday The temperatures soared o around 30 degrees C and humidity touched 70 per cent as Gurpreet an army man started losing ground At the eightkm mark Gurpreet was 37th just 037 seconds behind the race leader but dropped to 44th around the 10km milestone Gurpreet was 48th with a timing of 20154 at the halfway mark but after another 10km the oppressive conditions took a toll on the Indian and he suffered cramps He completed 35km in 25519 before pulling out Polands Dawid Tomala led the majority of the race and completed the course in 35008 to win gold Germanys Jonathan Hilbert bagged silver with 35044 while Canadas Evan Dunfee claimed the bronze medal with a timing of 35059 Due to the difficult conditions only 47 of the 59 starters finished the race and the time were considerably slower than the 2016 Rio Olympics Slovakias Matej Toth who finished 14th at Tokyo had won the gold in Rio de Janeiro clocking 34058 The Olympic record in the event is 33653 while the world record stands at 33233 Gurpreet who had qualified for the Olympics based on his world ranking had timed a personal best of 35942 on way to winning gold at the national championships in Ranchi back in earlier this year IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-gurpreet-fails-to-finish-gruelling-50km-race-walk-due-to-cramps-147322.html Fri, 06 Aug 2021 21:45:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-wrestler-bajrang-punia-survives-a-scare-enters-quarterfinals-147338.html Tokyo Aug 6 Top Indian grappler Bajrang Punia survived a scare to overcame Kyrgyzstans Ernazar Akmataliev in the opening bout to set up a quarterfinal clash against Irans Morteza Ghiasi at the Tokyo Olympic Games here on Friday In the Roundof16 contest the 65kg Indian grappler a world championships silver medallist in 2018 and one of Indias best medal hopes at the Olympics will take on the strong Iranian opponent who beat Tunisias Haithem Dakhlaoui 51 in his opening bout Punia 27 who is making his Olympic debut at the Makuhari Messe Hall in Chiba earned his first point after a passivity penalty on his opponent Akmataliev levelled the score with a pushout but in the final moments of the first period Punia surged ahead 31 with a takedown Early in the second period Punia looked the more aggressive of the two grapplers but Akmataliev held his ground with a tight defence Towards the end though the Kyrgyzstan wrestler made his move and scored backtoback pushouts to level the score at 33 Punia defended with all his might in the final seconds of the bout to not concede a point Despite the score being level at the end of the contest Punia took the win since he had scored the highestscoring move in the match the twopoint takedown in the first period IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-wrestler-bajrang-punia-survives-a-scare-enters-quarterfinals-147338.html Fri, 06 Aug 2021 23:23:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/india-surpass-germany-no-1-on-olympic-hockey-medals-chart-147109.html Tokyo Aug 5 The dreams of billions of hockey fans came true when India bagged a historic bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics beating Germany 54 in an edgeoftheseat thriller to claim its first medal in 41 years that will hopefully revive the sports fortunes in a country that is considered the spiritual home of the game India fought back brilliantly from a twogoal deficit 13 to score four goals in four minutes just around halftime for a sensational victory that would remind fans of the glory days when the Indians were a force to reckon with in world hockey India last won an Olympic medal in 1980 a gold in Moscow On Thursday Manpreet Singhs team overcame four decades of disappointments as it captured a welldeserved bronze medal to take Indias tally in Olympic Games hockey competitions to 12 medals eight gold one silver and three bronze surpassing Germany with whom they were tied at 11 4 gold 3 silver 4 bronze It was Indias fourth medal in the Tokyo Olympics after one silver and three bronze Weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu won the silver medal while shuttler PV Sindhu and boxer Lovlina Borghain claimed the other two bronze medals Simranjeet Singh 17th 34th scored a brace of goals while Hardik Singh 27th min Harmanpreet Singh 29th min and Rupinderpal Singh 31st min scored a goal apiece for India while for Germany Timur Cruz 2nd min Niklas Wellen 24th min Benedict Furk 25th min and Lukas Windfeder 48th min were on target India unleashed a fourgoal blitz in four minutes as they came roaring back after being pinned down 13 by the Germans who started aggressively and created good pressure by going full press from the start itself But the Indians took control of the midfield capitalised on the gaps created by the hardpressing Germans and counterattacked brilliantly cutting the German defence to shreds in those four minutes that left the opponents shocked Till that time it looked like Tobias Haukes side had taken control of the match as they opened the scoring in the second minute of their first attack and then scored twice within a minute as they took control of the proceedings with a 31 lead But the Indians were not done yet They scored two goals of their own in the 27th and 29th minute through Hardik and Harmanpreet Singh the latter powering a brilliant dragflick into the German goal capitalising on swift counterattacks The score was 33 at halftime and both teams had a lot to play for The Indians continued with the momentum in the third quarter and a minute after the restart earned a penalty stroke when Mandeep Singh was brought down by Oruz in the shooting circle Rupinderpal Singhs push had too much power for German goalkeeper Alexander Stadler who guessed the direction but could not get down fast enough to stop it India made things more difficult for Germany when Simranjeet Singh was on target again in the 34th minute after he was set up by Gurjant Singh who made a good run to the goalline and sent a minus ball inside the circle The Germans pulled one goal back with Windfeder converting a penalty corner in the 48th minute and India survived some anxious moments when Germany earned a penalty corner in the dying minutes of the match PR Sreejesh who has stood like a rock throughout the match pulling off many saves blocked Windfeders attempt and the Indians jumped in celebration as the clock ran out Sreejesh ecstatic after winning the bronze medal in his third Olympics climbed on to the top of the goal post to celebrate as his teammates ran around the ground hugging and congratulating each other Earlier India made a slow start and were down a goal within two minutes as Germany went ahead when Timur Oruz shot home an opportunistic field goal Florian Fusch made a run on the left flank and sent a ball into the shooting circle for Oruz to deflect it through Sreejeshs legs to make it 10 India responded immediately and made it 11 when Simranjeet Singh who came in after Lalit Upadhyay was left out of the 16man squad by coach Graham Reid capitalised on some great work by Hardik Singh who stole the ball Hardik gave it to Nilakanta Sharma who set up Simranjeet with a superb long pass down the centre of the shooting circle But Germany scored two goals in quick succession capitalising on defensive errors by the Indians to make it 31 They struck twice within two minutes Wellen made it 21 when Hardik lost the ball near the shooting circle and a minute later Furk was on target when Indian defender Surinder Kumar delayed in clearing the ball and was dispossessed by a German forward 31 for Germany But the lead was shortlived as India responded immediately and launched a blitzkrieg of attacks that sealed the victory eventually IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/india-surpass-germany-no-1-on-olympic-hockey-medals-chart-147109.html Fri, 06 Aug 2021 09:27:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-hockey-substitute-simranjeet-stars-in-indias-bronze-medal-win-147123.html Mumbai Aug 5 In terms of the overall impact on the team Simranjeet Singhs entry in the Indian mens hockey team at the Tokyo Olympic Games was like that of Italians Paolo Rossi in the 1982 World Cup and Salvatore Schillaci in the 1990 edition of footballs biggest tournament Simranjeet came into the squad as a reserve player and ended up becoming the central character as he scored two goals against Germany that helped India win the bronze medal in Tokyo Olympics on Thursday Simranjeet was not in the original squad of 16 that coach Graham Reid had announced in June but was roped in as the International Olympic Committee IOC decided to expand the squad and allow two reserve players to become part of the contingent I thought that I would be in the team when the original squad was picked but unfortunately I was not picked So just like any other player I felt bad But the same night I got a message from the coach saying I know not selected and it would be frustrating for you I replied to the coach saying it doesnt matter whether I was selected or not what matters more is where we stand in the Olympics said Simranjeet on Thursday from Tokyo during a virtual press conference organised by Hockey India Simranjeet made the most of his opportunities with a stellar role in the match against Spain He revitalised the forward line and with his incisive runs helped open up the rival defence So when he got his chance to play Simranjeet thought he would make the most of it and prove his worth to everyone Varun Kumar and I were the reserve players and when IOCs decision came allowing reserve players ito the squad we both felt lucky I was happy that the coach gave me the chance and I could prove myself prove that I was part of the team and deserved to be there Whatever chances I got I had to give my best and I only tried that said Simranjeet Singh Coach Graham Reid refused to consider his availability as a stroke of luck but added that one has to grab the chances that come their way We called upon him today we have to share the load as you have seen the heat has played a very significant role in our games and because we play at such a high tempo that it was pretty strategic to be moving the players around and rest them and playing The great thing about having Simran today was that he showed that my faith in him was not misplaced I asked him for three goals and he only provided two and I am happy with that said Reid Whichever way one looks at it Simranjeet had come to Tokyo for a side role but ended up becoming the central character one of the stars of the tournament for India IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-hockey-substitute-simranjeet-stars-in-indias-bronze-medal-win-147123.html Fri, 06 Aug 2021 10:29:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/once-doon-school-goalie-odisha-cm-stands-tall-for-hockey-in-india-147152.html Bhubaneswar Aug 5 When India won the hockey bronze in Tokyo many praised Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik who was the goalkeeper of Doon School hockey team for singularly supporting the Indian team since 2018 When Sahara backed out from sponsoring the national mens and womens hockey teams it was the Odisha government led by Patnaik that decided to sponsor both for the next five years At that time many expressed surprise over this move Patnaik had then said Investment in sports is an investment in youth Investment in youth is an investment in the future This statement has become a campaigning slogan for the development of sports in the state The slogan stands out of the massive hoarding with a picture of the chief minister at the main gate of the Kalinga Stadium here The chief minister was a hockey player during his school days He was the goalkeeper of the Doon School team He did not stop only with sponsoring the Indian hockey teams He followed up the action by taking steps to promote hockey in the state The Patnaik government has developed a worldclass hockey stadium in Bhubaneswar and successfully hosted several national and international tournaments such as the Champions Trophy 2014 Hockey World League 2017 and Odisha Mens Hockey World Cup 2018 In 2019 in recognition of his governments contributions to the sport the International Hockey Federation FIH presented the prestigious FIH Presidents Award to the chief minister On May 29 this year on the occasion of the completion of the second year of his governments fifth term Patnaik said We continue to focus on sports development in the state Sports development projects worth more than Rs 1000 crore have been taken up including the development of Indias largest hockey stadium in Rourkela According to a government source the state will invest more than Rs 350 crore on the development of the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium and practice pitch in Rourkela and the expansion of the Kalinga Stadium These two stadiums will host the next edition of the Mens Hockey World Cup in 2023 With the raw talent available in the tribal belt especially Sundergarh hockey players such as the former captain Dillip Tirkey were essentially the torchbearers of the sport in the state To popularise hockey in Sundergarh the state government has decided to set up 17 training centres in the district at a cost of Rs 150 crore These training centres will have synthetic hockey fields sand dressed and an administrative changing room building the source said The State has also decided to develop sports infrastructure including indoor stadiums in different urban local bodies across the State with an investment of Rs 462 crore With all these initiatives in place the state was able to send four players Amit Rohidas Birendra Lakra Deep Grace Ekka and Namita Toppo to represent India at the Tokyo Olympics in both mens and womens hockey After winning the bronze in Tokyo on Thursday the Indian mens hockey team captain Manpreet Singh thanked the chief minister for his support I also would like to thank Sri NaveenOdisha Ji for his constant support to Indian hockey Singh tweeted IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/once-doon-school-goalie-odisha-cm-stands-tall-for-hockey-in-india-147152.html Fri, 06 Aug 2021 12:05:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-hockey-to-see-the-result-we-got-today-was-pretty-special-india-coach-graham-reid-147179.html Tokyo Aug 5 Indian mens hockey team coach Graham Reid said on Thursday that people around the world will feel very privileged and proud on seeing the performance of his team after the 54 win over Germany in the bronze medal match at the Tokyo Olympics At the Oi Hockey Stadium India defeated Germany to clinch a medal at the Olympics after a gap of 41 years Reid who was a member of the Australian team which won the silver medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics talked about how the bronze medal win in Tokyo matters to him I think most people around the world would feel very privileged and proud to see what we saw today It certainly means a lot to me We have done a lot of hard work in the last two years We have made lots of sacrifices and been in and out of quarantine for probably eight of those 15 months To see the result we got today was pretty special said Reid in a virtual media interaction organised by Hockey India Reid was all praise for the fightback made by the Indian team after trailing 13 to Germany If you are talking about todays match then I think it was a fantastic performance Apart from the first seven or eight minutes we were a little bit asleep But I think against a team like Germany you pay the price and you can tell from the very first whistle that they were very pumped today So we paid the price early But for the next three quarters we were very switched on He added You saw some very nice hockey from both teams But I think we were able to put the ball on the net which had been lacking at certain stages during the tournament But today I think it was really a great fightback We got to one all and then they got on top of us with three goals to one I think one of the pleasing performances of the day was to be 31 down and after losing semifinals most teams would struggle with that mentally I think it showed you where the group was Today when we came back to 23 then 33 and getting back to 53 it was quite a wonderful performance today The 57yearold went on to speak about how he had a chat with his team before the match began about not losing the hope for a comeback at any stage of a match It was no doubt that before the game like today we would get into trouble and things would not go well We talked before the game that we need to find another level a next level when things go bad Thats what I think you saw today He explained We were digging deep and trying to play fast aggressive attacking hockey That paid off today Another thing we were saying today a lot was to dare to lose to be able to win You have to put some risks out there You have to be aggressive I think we were today IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-hockey-to-see-the-result-we-got-today-was-pretty-special-india-coach-graham-reid-147179.html Fri, 06 Aug 2021 13:43:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-wrestler-ravi-kumar-loses-in-final-bags-silver-in-57kg-freestyle-146952.html Tokyo Indias Ravi Dahiya reacts after losing against Zavur Uguev of Russian Olympic Committee in mens freestyle 57kg final wrestling match at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo Thursday Aug 5 2021 Ravi secured a silver medal as Uguev won 74 PTI Tokyo Aug 5 Indian wrestler Ravi Kumar won the silver medal in mens freestyle 57kg after losing to Russian Olympic Committees ROC Zavur Uguev in the final at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday The ROC wrestler won the bout 74 on points Ravi Kumar who had reached the final by beating Sanayev Nurislam of Kazakhstan in the semifinal found Uguev a twotime World Champion too strong and too determined to win the gold The Russian won early points and then defended strongly without giving Ravi Kumar many chances Ravi Kumar won Indias second silver medal in the Olympics after Sushil Kumar who won in 66kg freestyle in the London Olympics in 2012 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-wrestler-ravi-kumar-loses-in-final-bags-silver-in-57kg-freestyle-146952.html Thu, 05 Aug 2021 17:35:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-wrestler-vinesh-phogat-loses-in-quarterfinals-146967.html Tokyo Aug 5 Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat lost the quarterfinal bout of the womens freestyle 53kg category to Vanesa Kaladzinskay of Belarus by fall at the Tokyo Olympic Games on Thursday The loss brings an end to Vineshs hopes of clinching gold in Tokyo though she can still win bronze through the repechage route The 28yearold Vanesa was the first one to go on the offensive She started off with a twopointer and took a 52 lead at the end of the first period In the second period Vinesh got a leg hold and tried to get the back of her opponent But Vanesa made a strong defence and scored two points on the counter A successful review from Vinesh saw the score reverted from 72 to 53 Vanesa got around Vinesh again taking two points In her last move Vanesa got Vinesh on the mat and pinned her shoulders down to win the match by fall It brought the match to an end where Vinesh had no answer to Vanesas attacks and relentless pressure The 26yearold Vinesh will now hope for Vanesa to reach the final so that she gets a chance at winning the bronze medal through repechage Earlier Vinesh had started her campaign with a comfortable win against Swedens Sofia Mattsson in the prequarterfinals She overcame Sofia a bronze medallist in the 2016 Rio Olympics 71 on points to make it to the quarterfinals Vinesh looked confident as she started her opening bout with a strong performance Though the Swede seemed to be on the offensive early on Vinesh instantly turned the tables and went 40 up with a strong counterattack The Indian continued with this strategy allowing her opponent to initiate the attack and then countering her with an attack of her own and comfortably wrapped up the match IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-wrestler-vinesh-phogat-loses-in-quarterfinals-146967.html Thu, 05 Aug 2021 18:11:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/aloo-ka-parathas-olympic-logo-await-men-in-blue-in-punjab-146969.html Kochi Hockey player Sreejesh Parattus family members celebrate after Indian mens hockey team won Bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics at Kizhakkambalam in Kochi Thursday Aug 5 2021 PTI BY VISHAL GULATI Jalandhar Aug 5 After the glorious victory of the Men in Blue in Tokyo Olympics Indian hockey captain Manpreet Singhs mother is eagerly awaiting his sons arrival to celebrate his Chak De India moment with aloo ka parathas For Hardik Singh who scored his second goal to reduce Germanys lead to 32 his car will bear an Olympic symbol My son is very fond of aloo ka parathas and aloo ki sabzi made by me an emotional Manjit Kaur told IANS She said his son really worked hard to reach the Olympics podium from this small village I just spoke to him ahead of the match and wished him good luck she said Of course I told them several times that they should not take the German team lightly Kaur added Manpreet who also played in 2012 and 2016 Olympics was delighted to see his brother and two pet dogs while pointing towards them Sam and Rio Though I am in constant touch with him over video calls I am awaiting to hug him with the medal in the neck she said adding His son likes to drink a lot of milk With 10 of its players in the mens hockey team that defeated Germany 54 to win the bronze medal and finishing on the podium after 41 years Punjab saw celebrations on Thursday morning bursting crackers and beating dhols with bhangra in full swing Manpreets native village Mithapur just six km from here has two more players in the Olympics squad They are Mandeep Singh and Varun Kumar who scored Indias opening goal against Argentina After defeating Germany Kumar called his family through a video call and expressed gratitude for supporting the team by offering prayers Mithapur has produced six Olympians Swarup Singh 1952 Helsinki Olympics Kulwant Singh 1972 Olympics Pargat Singh 1988 1992 and 1996 Olympics and three current players Its nearby Khusropur village has 22yearold midfielder Hardik Singh in the squad Responding to Indias victory over Germany Mandeeps father Ravinder Singh said India has won medal after many years I am speechless over what India achieved today After the tremendous win the car of Hardik Singh will now bear an Olympics logo When he got selected for the Olympics his younger brother asked him if he could get an Olympic logo affixed on the car At that time he replied he will let him know at an appropriate time Now the time has come to fix a logo on it remarked Hardiks mother Kanwaljeet Kaur who has purchased a gold ring in the shape of Olympic rings to gift his son Belonging to a family of hockey players Hardiks father Varinderpreet Singh is a Superintendent of Police with Punjab Police and his grandfather Pritam Singh was the former coach Pritams younger brother Gurmail Singh was part of the Indian hockey team that won the 1980 Moscow Olympics gold the last medal to come home Describing the hockey bronze worth its weight in gold an elated Chief Minister Amarinder Singh congratulated the team by tweeting A tremendous achievement to be finishing on the podium after 41 years The hockey bronze is worth its weight in gold In the 18member squad the players from Punjab are vicecaptain Harmanpreet Singh Rupinder Pal Singh Dilpreet Singh Gurjant Singh Shamsher Singh and Simranjeet Singh State Sports Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi announced an award of Rs 1 crore for each of the 10 players from the state On this historic day Im delighted to announce the cash award of Rs 1 crore each We await your return to celebrate the much deserving medal in the Olympics Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishalgiansin IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/aloo-ka-parathas-olympic-logo-await-men-in-blue-in-punjab-146969.html Thu, 05 Aug 2021 18:16:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-us-shot-putter-ryan-crouser-wins-mens-gold-146982.html Tokyo Aug 5 World record holder Ryan Crouser of the United States claimed the mens shot put title at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday Crouser took the lead all the way and threw 2330 metres in his sixth attempt refreshing the Olympic record Crousers compatriot Joe Kovacs bagged the silver with 2265m while Tomas Walsh of New Zealand took bronze with 2247 metres Pedro Pichardo of Portugal took an outright victory in mens triple jump while China took a historical silver on Thursday Pichardo only succeeded in his first three attempts 1761 metres in the first two and 1798 in the third attempt but it was enough to secure the gold medal China improved from the bronze medal in Rio 2016 as Zhu Yaming took silver with a personal best of 1757 metres the best result for China at the Olympic Games Hugues Fabrice Zango won bronze the firstever Olympic medal for Burkina Faso Jamaican hurdler Hansle Parchment took a surprising victory in the mens 110m hurdles final on Thursday Race favourite Grant Holloway of USA came out quickly but Parchment overtook him through the final hurdle and crossed the line first with 1304 seconds Holloway took silver with 1309 and Ronald Levy of Jamaica won bronze with 1310 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-us-shot-putter-ryan-crouser-wins-mens-gold-146982.html Thu, 05 Aug 2021 19:26:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/bronze-for-us-is-as-good-as-gold-sreejeshs-mother-146993.html Kochi Aug 5 Even when India held on to the lead that they had in the crucial clash with Germany in Tokyo thousands of miles away from there at the house of Indian goalkeeper Sreejesh it was anxious moments And when the final whistle blew it was celebrations at his house and his mother could not hide her emotions as she said The bronze medal is as good as we have won the gold This is his third Olympics and on the previous two occasions he had to return empty handed But this time its not so he is returning with a medal Though it is bronze for us the bronze medal is as good as we have won the gold said the mighty pleased mother of Sreejesh Right from early morning on Thursday the house of Sreejesh was a crowded one with all glued to the TV After the historic win the entire family celebrated the victory by lighting firecrackers and distributing sweets Sreejeshs wife Aneesha an Ayurveda doctor also could not hide her emotions She said it was the desire of Sreejesh to win an Olympic medal And true to his desire India has won a medal and we just cannot express our happiness He just called me and when the call came our joy increased much more He said he might come here on August 10th but was not sure said Aneesha Sreejeshs father said all he can do is to thank each and every Indian who prayed for the success of Team India Thanks to all for their prayers and this happened because of the prayers of everyone said his father 33yearold Sreejesh on Thursday turned out to be the wall and did not wilt under pressure Sreejesh is a former captain of the national side and is presently employed as the Chief sports Organiser with the Kerala Education department He presently plays for Uttar Pradesh Wizards in the Hockey Indian League and in 2017 the country decorated him with a Padma Shri IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/bronze-for-us-is-as-good-as-gold-sreejeshs-mother-146993.html Thu, 05 Aug 2021 20:46:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-boxer-lovlina-borgohain-bags-bronze-after-losing-semifinal-bout-146760.html Tokyo Aug 4 Boxer Lovlina Borgohain became the third Indian athlete at the Tokyo Olympics after weightlifter Mirabai Chanu and shuttler PV Sindhu to clinch a medal a bronze after she lost her welterweight semifinal bout to Turkeys Busenaz Surmeneli at the Ryogoku Kokugikan Arena on Wednesday India have now bettered their 2016 Rio Olympic Games tally by clinching a silver and two bronze in Tokyo The 23yearold from Golaghat district of Assam lost her 6469kg category lastfour bout in a unanimous decision to Busenaz who is among the best in the business and is ranked No 1 here Lovlina also became the third boxer to win a medal at the Olympics for India after Vijender Singh and MC Mary Koms bronze at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics respectively Lovlina had already assured India of its first boxing medal from the Tokyo Olympics when she defeated former world champion and fourth seed Chen NienChin of Chinese Taipei 41 in the quarterfinals Earlier she had beaten Germanys Nadine Apetz 32 in the prequarterfinals Busenaz the 2019 world champion fighting from the red corner was attacking from the word go She was punching well from both sides and landed her left hook easily Lovlina started well too but became defensive midway Though she made a late surge to get points Busenaz won the first round with the judges giving her five 10s In the second round Lovlina was quick on the attack But Busenaz continued to be proactive in the ring Both pugilists landed continuous punches but the Turkish boxer won the second round Lovlina had five 9s from the judges but got a deduction of one point for punching after the referee had closed the second round The final round saw Lovlina trying to bridge the gap with body punches But Busenaz started to avoid her punches and landed a left hook followed by an uppercut Lovlina punched nonstop till the end but it was too late to make a turnaround against Busenazs persistent attack Busenaz let out a scream when the final bell rang The 23yearold knew she was the more dominant and superior boxer on show She now advances to the goldmedal bout where she will be up against Chinas Gu Hong Lovlinas loss in the semifinals brings Indias campaign in boxing at the Tokyo Olympics to an end IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-boxer-lovlina-borgohain-bags-bronze-after-losing-semifinal-bout-146760.html Thu, 05 Aug 2021 03:24:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-wrestlers-dahiya-punia-secure-semifinal-berths-anshu-malik-loses-146764.html Tokyo Aug 4 Indian wrestlers Ravi Kumar Dahiya 57kg and Deepak Punia 86kg enjoyed fruitful outings at the Tokyo Olympic Games securing semifinal berths in their respective weight categories even as 19yearold woman grappler Anshu Malik lost her opening 57kgcategory bout to twotime world championships bronze medallist Iryna Kurachkina of Belarus 82 on her Olympic debut Anshus hopes of a reentry into the competition through the repechage route rest on Irynas showing in the competition If the Belarusian advances to the final Anshu will get a second shot through the repechage route On the opening day of the wrestling competition Ravi Dahiya defeated Bulgarias Georgi Vangelov 144 on technical superiority to reach the lastfour in the mens 57kg category while compatriot Deepak Punia overcame Chinas Zushen Lin 63 on points to advance to the semifinals Dahiya will take on Nurislam Sanayev of Kazakhstan in the lastfour while Punia will be up against David Morris Taylor of the USA Sanayev upset former world champion Yuki Takahashi of Japan in a thrilling quarterfinal bout Dahiya opened the scoring with an explosive takedown against Vangelov with the Indian continuously targeting the Bulgarians right leg and building a 60 lead heading into the second period In the second period Dahiya scored from a twolegged takedown to go 80 up In a series of quick exchanges after that Dahiya came out on top to build up a 144 lead to win the bout by technical superiority In wrestling a 10point lead over the opponent results in a victory by technical superiority Earlier in his opening Roundof16 bout on Wednesday Dahiya had defeated Colombias Oscar Tigreros by technical superiority to secure a quarterfinal spot The 23yearold Dahiya showed no nerves as he dominated the bout to win 132 Dahiya landed one attack after another winning by technical superiority with minutes to spare Indias 86kg freestyle wrestler Deepak Punia showed no signs of the niggle that had forced him to pull out of the Poland Open Ranking Series in Warsaw in June as he defeated Chinas Lin Zushen 63 in the quarterfinals to set up a lastfour clash with former world champion David Morris of the USA Punia silver medallist at the 2019 world championships was staring at an early exit but the 22yearold managed a twopoint takedown in the final 10 seconds of his bout against the Chinese to keep his Tokyo medal hopes alive Though the Chinese coach challenged the validity of the move the decision to award Punia the bout was upheld Earlier in the Roundof16 bout Punia had beaten Nigerias Ekerekeme Agiomor 121 on technical superiority to secure a quarterfinal berth Indias woman grappler Anshu Malik lost the 57kg opening bout to twotime world championship bronze medallist Iryna Kurachkina of Belarus 82 on her Olympic debut in womens 57kg but she can still hope for a reentry through the repechage route if Iryna enters the final Up against the reigning European champion and a twotime world championships bronze medallist Anshu started on a cautious note and ended up getting a passive warning following which her opponent was awarded a point Anshu conceded another point for out of play as the Belarusian pushed the Indian in the protection zone Iryna then executed a twopoint takedown to end the first period 40 up Anshu Malik had sealed her place at Tokyo 2020 through the Asian Olympic qualifiers in April Anshu managed to win the quota ahead of world championship bronze medallist and compatriot Pooja Dhandha IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-wrestlers-dahiya-punia-secure-semifinal-berths-anshu-malik-loses-146764.html Thu, 05 Aug 2021 04:07:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/indias-cricketing-community-raises-a-toast-to-lovlina-borgohains-achievement-146785.html New Delhi Aug 4 Lovlina Borgohains bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo on Wednesday had the cricketing community raising a toast to the gritty boxers achievement on the biggest sporting stage with the likes of Virender Sehwag Ishant Sharma and Venkatesh Prasad among others taking to social media to applaud the 23yearolds feat Former cricketer Sehwag was among the first to take to the social media to appreciate Lovlinas effort in the welterweight category where she went down fighting to Turkeys Busenaz Surmeneli in the semifinal saying Brilliant Lovlina Just the third ever Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal Congratulations LovlinaBorgohain on winning the bronze Sehwag also posted a picture of Lovlina walking towards the Indian Tricolour Lovlina is the only boxer after Vijender Singh 2008 Beijing and MC Mary Kom 2012 London to win a medal at the Olympics Thanks to the Assam boxers efforts India have now bettered their 2016 Rio Olympic Games tally by clinching a silver and two bronze in Tokyo Former India pace bowler Venkatesh Prasad posted And a third medal for India Heartiest congratulations LovlinaBorgohain on a winning a Bronze in your first ever Olympics Wish you all the best in the journey ahead Tokyo2020 India pace bowler Ishant Sharma who is currently in England with the Virat Kohliled side for the fivematch Test series beginning later on Wednesday called Lovlina RingKiBaazigar magician in the ring RingKiBaazigar India is proud of you LovlinaBorgohain Thank you for bagging the third medal for our country in TokyoOlympic Raising hands Third place medal symbols Onwards upwards from here Jai Hind tweeted Ishant Indian Premier League IPL side Delhi Capitals DC tweeted She goes down but not without giving a fight LovlinaBorgohain you may have lost but you have won Indias hearts A welldeserved third place medal coming your way Medal in her first Olympics Just the third boxer to win an Olympics medal DC wrote in another tweet IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/indias-cricketing-community-raises-a-toast-to-lovlina-borgohains-achievement-146785.html Thu, 05 Aug 2021 06:59:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/covid-watch-five-greek-artistic-swimming-team-members-test-positive-146797.html Tokyo Aug 4 Five members of Greeces artistic swimming team have tested positive for Covid19 according to a spokesperson of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee TOCOG on Wednesday As of yesterday Tuesday five of the 12 Greek artistic swimmers and team officials who were staying at the Olympic Village had tested positive for Covid19 Of the seven who tested negative some have already been designated as close contacts while the status of the others is still being determined said TOCOG spokesman Takaya Masa at a press conference In view of this situation we proposed to the Greek National Olympic Committee that the seven should immediately be transferred to a holding quarantine facility outside the Olympic Village The Greek NOC immediately accepted this proposal and all seven were moved out of the village and into the facility yesterday he added From the beginning of July to August 2 the TOCOG has conducted more than 42000 tests at the airport with thirtyfive cases being found to be positive according to Takaya reports Xinhua The TOCOG has also conducted more than 500000 screening tests over the same period with 105 cases being found to be positive IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/covid-watch-five-greek-artistic-swimming-team-members-test-positive-146797.html Thu, 05 Aug 2021 08:37:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/we-are-ready-for-germany-says-indias-hockey-skipper-manpreet-singh-146805.html Tokyo Aug 4 The Indian mens hockey team will hope to bounce back from their semifinal loss to Belgium when they take on Germany in the bronze medal playoffs at the Olympic Games on Thursday During their tour to Europe in February this year India had played Germany in two backtoback matches where they were able to put to test all the hard work that went in during the national camps in Bengaluru This was Indias first tour since 2020 when the pandemic restricted their travel and in the first match India beat Germany 61 and in the second they drew 11 Germany on the other hand went on to play the final of the EuroHockey Nations Championships in June this year The German side drew 22 in regulation time against the Netherlands and had lost 14 in the penalty stroke At the Olympic Games so far Germany have registered four wins the Group stage 71 vs Canada 51 vs Great Britain 43 vs South Africa and 31 vs the Netherlands and lost 13 to Belgium In the quarterfinal they beat defending Olympic champions Argentina 31 and lost 13 to Australia in the semifinal India on the other hand finished in the Top2 in Pool A with four wins 32 vs New Zealand 30 vs Spain 31 vs Argentina 53 vs Japan They suffered a loss to Australia In the quarterfinal India beat Great Britain 31 and lost 25 to Belgium in the semifinal I think we should just forget about what happened in the semifinal and put all our focus and energy into the game against Germany The team has the experience of playing them in recent times We are ready for the challenge said Manpreet Singh on the eve of the bronze medal playoff He added We have the entire countrys support We are pumped up for the game Chief coach Graham Reid said the team paid the price for not converting opportunities early in the game At 21 we created a lot of opportunities and really we should have converted We couldnt get that scoreboard pressure to go to 31 When it was 22 also we had the opportunity to go 32 The number of opportunities at that time we didnt get that scoreboard pressure back on Belgium There were few periods of play when we lost the ball and they scored and we spiralled a little bit after that I think we paid the price of not getting that scoreboard pressure back onto them when we could have rued Reid But he said the team will make amends when they face off against Germany As far as Germany is concerned players are keen to make amends for yesterday Tuesday they are aware the bronze medal is up for grabs Mentally we are in the right space and we will be working harder We will be making sure all our Ts are crossed for the games against Germany IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/we-are-ready-for-germany-says-indias-hockey-skipper-manpreet-singh-146805.html Thu, 05 Aug 2021 09:04:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/lovlinas-journey-to-an-olympic-medal-from-baro-mukhia-to-tokyo-146826.html Tokyo Aug 4 A week ago Baro Mukhia village in Assams Golaghat district had connectivity with the world through a muddy road Now people in the state are working hard to turn the road into a concrete one Thanks to Lovlinas bronze medal in the welterweight category at the Tokyo Olympics the village is now getting those things which they have been deprived of in the past The 23yearold Lovlina who started with Muay Thai a form of martial arts lost her semifinal bout to reigning world champion Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey at the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday It was a bout where Busenaz outboxed Lovlina But the Assamese boxer had already got her name in the list of Olympic medallists from India after defeating Chen NienChin of Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals I dont want to stop on bronze I want to go for the gold Medal is only one That is gold Lovlina had said during the media interaction last Friday Though she failed to go for gold Lovlina became the third Indian boxer to be on the Olympics podium after Vijender Singh and MC Mary Kom in 2008 and 2012 Olympics respectively Lovlinas journey from Baro Mukhia to Tokyo has been inspiring She has managed to get her way through various obstacles to win a medal at the Olympics Growing up in the village Lovlina would initially get into practicing Muay Thai following in the footsteps of her twin sisters Lima and Licha It was only the sight of boxing coach Padum Boro in 2012 which saw a huge shift in Lovlinas life A few months later the Sports Authority of India SAI held trials at Barpathar Girls High School where Lovlina studied She got a chance to show her skills in the trials and got selected as a trainee in Guwahati Boro noticed her exceptional talent and began to hone her skills Boro who worked at Sports Authority of Indias Shillong and Dimapur centres introduced Lovlina to boxing From there onwards there has been no looking back for Lovlina In her journey to reach the podium at the Olympics she battled the patriarchal mindset of the society overcame the battle against COVID19 and worries about her mother Mamonis kidney issues Lovlinas first major breakthrough moment came with a bronze at the 2018 World Championships in New Delhi and 2019 World Championships in UlanUde Russia Now with the Olympics bronze medal Lovlina has the licence to go high after a long journey to the podium at Tokyo IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/lovlinas-journey-to-an-olympic-medal-from-baro-mukhia-to-tokyo-146826.html Thu, 05 Aug 2021 10:59:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-wrestling-vinesh-phogat-in-quarterfinals-with-easy-win-146863.html Warsaw In this image taken on Wednesday Aug 4 2021 and provided by the National Anticrisis Management Belarusian Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya right who seeks foreign refuge from Minsk authorities poses for a photo with top Belarusian dissident in Poland Pavel Latushko left shortly after her arrival at the Frederic Chopin Airport in Warsaw Poland Fearing for her safety at home after criticizing her coaches on social media Tsimanouskaya flew from Tokyo to Warsaw with a stopover in Vienna Poland has offered her and her husband humanitarian visas PTI Tokyo Aug 5 Indias Vinesh Phogat started her campaign in the Tokyo Olympics womens 53kg wrestling with a comfortable win against Swedens Sofia Mattsson in a Round of 16 bout on Thursday Vinesh who had to withdraw from the Rio Olympics five years ago with a serious injury overcame Sofia Mattsson bronze medallist in the Rio Olympics71 on points to make it to the quarterfinals Vinesh the reigning Asian champion next faces Belarus Vanesa Kaladzinskaya who beat Romanias Andreea Ana in her opening bout in the quarterfinals The 26yearold Vinesh will go into that bout with a lot of confidence as she beat Mattsson 130 in their only previous meeting at the 2019 world championships On Thursday Vinesh looked confident as she started her opening bout of the Tokyo Olympics with a strong performance at the Makuhari Messe Hall in Chiba Though the Swede seemed to be on the offensive early on Vinesh instantly turned the tables and went 40 up with a strong counterattack The Indian continued with this strategy allowing her opponent to initiate the attack and then countering her with an attack of her own and comfortably wrapped up the match Vinesh is Indias main hope in the womens freestyle section and the way she started her campaign she will be very confident going into her next bout victory in which will put her in medal contention IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-wrestling-vinesh-phogat-in-quarterfinals-with-easy-win-146863.html Thu, 05 Aug 2021 13:19:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-wrestler-anshus-hopes-end-as-she-loses-repechage-bout-146883.html Tokyo Aug 5 Anshu Malik lost to Valeria Koblova of the Russian Olympic Committee in the repechage bout in womens 57kg freestyle wrestling ending her hopes of making it to the bronze medal match Anshu had lost to Iryna Kurachkina of Belarus in the prequarterfinal bout on Wednesday But Valeria Koblova who had also lost to Iryna and was also to play in the repechage rounds as she had lost the eventual finalist proved too strong for Anshu as she emerged 51 winner The Russian wrestler started well and won a point and though Anshu levelled the score at 11 Valeria could not be denied as she won the bout played on Mat B at the Makuhari Messe Hall It was a good chance for Anshu in the repechage but she could not capitalise on it IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-wrestler-anshus-hopes-end-as-she-loses-repechage-bout-146883.html Thu, 05 Aug 2021 14:07:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/odisha-cm-hails-india-hockey-teams-olympic-bronze-146896.html Ahmedabad Fans burn fire crackers to celebrate Indian hockey teams win in the bronze medal match in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 in Ahmedabad Thursday August 5 2021 PTI Bhubaneswar Aug 5 Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik spoke to India hockey team after their historical win at the Tokyo Olympics He congratulated them for their spectacular victory at the Games Many congratulations to our hockey team The whole of India is so excited as well as Odisha of course We are all behind you and we wish you the very best and we are looking forward to receiving our Indian Olympics hockey team in Bhubaneswar on August 16 Patnaik said He also wished the hockey players all the very best for their future Soon after the Indian hockey team won the match against Germany on Thursday morning Patnaik congratulated the team with a tweet Brilliant in Blue with clapping hands sign Congratulations Indian Mens Hockey Team on the spectacular victory to give us an Olympic medal after 41 long years This historic win at Tokyo2020 will inspire generation of sportspersons All the very best for future Patnaik tweeted The mens team made it to the semifinals after 41 years but lost to Belgium On Thursday in an edgeoftheseat match India fought back brilliantly from a twogoal deficit to beat Germany 54 in a highintensity goalfest to win bronze the countrys first medal in mens hockey at the Olympics after 1980 in the Moscow Games when they won gold IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/odisha-cm-hails-india-hockey-teams-olympic-bronze-146896.html Thu, 05 Aug 2021 14:43:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-hockey-india-beat-germany-5-4-to-win-bronze-a-medal-after-41-years-146914.html Tokyo Aug 5 India defeated Germany 54 in a highintensity goal fest to win the bronze medal in mens hockey their first medal in Olympics after a gap of 41 years India fought back brilliantly from a twogoal deficit to score an impressive 54 win that reminded its fans of the glory days when the Indians were a force to reckon with in World hockey Simranjeet Singh scored two goals while Harmanpreet Singh Rupinderpal Singh and Mandeep Singh scored a goal apiece for India while for Germany Oruz Furk Nicolas Whellen and Windfeder were on target IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-hockey-india-beat-germany-5-4-to-win-bronze-a-medal-after-41-years-146914.html Thu, 05 Aug 2021 15:43:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-hockey-india-overcome-germany-5-4-to-win-bronze-a-medal-after-41-years-146942.html Tokyo Aug 5 India fought back brilliantly from a twogoal deficit to beat Germany 54 in a highintensity goalfest to win bronze the countrys first medal in mens hockey at the Olympics after a gap of 41 years It was a dream come true for billions of hockey fans as India came back from 13 down to score an impressive 54 win that reminded its fans of the glory days when the Indians were a force to reckon with in world hockey Simranjeet Singh 17th 34th scored a brace of goals while Hardik Singh 27th min Harmanpreet Singh 29th min and Rupinderpal Singh 31st min scored a goal apiece for India while for Germany Timur Cruz 2nd min Niklas Wellen 24th min Benedict Furk 25th min and Lukas Windfeder 48th min were on target India unleashed a fourgoal blitz in four minutes as they came roaring back after being pinned down 13 by the Germans who started aggressively and created good pressure by going full press from the start itself But the Indians took control of the midfield capitalised on the gaps created by the hardpressing Germans and counterattacked brilliantly cutting the German defence to shreds in that fourminute period that left the opponents shocked Till that time it looked like Tobias Haukes side had taken control of the match as they opened the scoring in the second minute of their first attack and then scored twice within a minute as they took control of the proceedings with a 31 lead But the Indians were not done yet they scored two goals of their own in the 27th and 29th minute through Hardik and Harmanpreet Singh the latter powering a brilliant dragflick into the German goal capitalising on swift counterattacks The score was 33 at halftime and both teams had a lot to play for The Indians continued with the momentum in the third quarter and a minute after the restart earned a penalty stroke when Mandeep Singh was brought down by Oruz in the shooting circle Rupinderpal Singhs push had too much power for German goalkeeper Alexander Stadler who guessed the direction but could not get down fast enough to stop it And India made things more difficult for Germany when Simranjeet Singh was on target again in the 34th minute after he was set up by Gurjant Singh who made a good run to the goalline and sent a minus ball inside the circle Earlier India made a slow start and were down a goal within two minutes as Germany went ahead when Timur Oruz shot home an opportunistic field goal Florian Fusch made a run on the left flank and sent a ball into the shooting circle for Oruz to deflect it through Sreejeshs legs to make it 10 India responded immediately and made it 11 when Simranjeet Singh who came in after Lalit Upadhyay was left out of the 16man squad by coach Graham Reid capitalised on some great work by Hardik Singh who stole the ball Hardik gave it to Nilakanta Sharma who set up Simranjeet with a superb long pass down the centre of the shooting circle But Germany scored two goals in quick succession capitalising on defensive errors by the Indians to make it 31 They struck twice within two minutes Wellen made it 21 when Hardik lost the ball near the shooting circle and a minute later Furk was on target when Indian defender Surinder Kumar delayed in clearing the ball and was dispossessed by a German forward 31 for Germany But the lead was shortlived as India responded immediately and launched a blitzkrieg of attacks that sealed the victory eventually IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-hockey-india-overcome-germany-5-4-to-win-bronze-a-medal-after-41-years-146942.html Thu, 05 Aug 2021 17:11:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/double-olympic-medalist-sindhu-arrives-in-hyd-to-rousing-welcome-146691.html Hyderabad Bronze medalist in Tokyo Olympics shuttler PV Sindhu with her coach Park TaeSang during a press conference at her residence in Hyderabad Wednesday Aug 4 2021 PTI Hyderabad Aug 4 Star shuttler PV Sindhu the only Indian woman to win two Olympic medals arrived in Hyderabad on Wednesday to a warm welcome by the Telangana government Telangana Sports Minister V Srinivas Goud and other officials accorded a warm welcome to the Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist on her return to her home town She had won silver in the last Olympics Accompanied by her parents and Korean coach Park Taesang Sindhu reached Hyderabad from New Delhi where she had landed on Tuesday As soon as she emerged out of the passenger terminal building at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport her relatives friends and well wishers greeted her Sporting her trademark smile and proudly displaying the Olympic medal Sindhu posed for dozens of photo and video journalists The reigning world champion Sindhu who had won a silver at the Rio Games five years ago told reporters that she was very happy over winning another Olympic medal I will continue to work hard in the coming days to win more awards and rewards she said The shuttler thanked the state government and all authorities concerned for extending all the help to her The 26yearold won bronze medal on Sunday by defeating Chinas He Bing Jiao With this Sindhu became only the second Indian and first woman athlete from the country to bag two Olympic medals The minister felicitated Sindhu her coach and parents He said she brought laurels to the Telugu states and the country Srinivas Goud said people were proud of Sidhus achievement He exuded confidence that she will win gold medal in the next Olympics The minister said the state government was encouraging sportspersons He said the government would soon come out with a new sports policy providing all help and encouragement to the sportspersons IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/double-olympic-medalist-sindhu-arrives-in-hyd-to-rousing-welcome-146691.html Wed, 04 Aug 2021 20:10:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-swim-stars-enter-quarantine-on-return-to-australia-146695.html Canberra Aug 4 Australias star Olympic swimmers have returned home after winning nine gold medals in the pool in Tokyo More than 100 members of the Australian Olympic team arrived in the Northern Territory on Tuesday where they will undergo 14 days of quarantine mandatory for all international arrivals to Australia Among the 115 athletes and support staff on board the flight were members of the swimming team that won a record nine gold medals in Tokyo the number of which is more than at the previous two games combined breaking the previous record of eight swimming gold set at the 1956 home Olympics in Melbourne Prior to departing Tokyo Ariarne Titmus gold medallist in the 200 and 400m freestyle said she was grateful for the opportunity to compete at the Olympics amid the coronavirus pandemic This has been an unbelievable experience with the most amazing team and I couldnt be prouder to be a part of it she said on social media reports Xinhua The Australian Olympic Committee AOC said a total of 853 athletes and support staff was scheduled to return between July 26 and August 14 on a mix of commercial and Qantas chartered flights from Japan The staggered arrivals are due to the requirement of Games organisers for athletes to depart the Village within 48 hours of their last event Matt Carroll the chief executive of the AOC said that the returning team members would not be included in Australias international arrival cap for residents and citizens returning from overseas Australia Olympic team athletes and officials are not included in the international arrivals quota that has been set by National Cabinet he said in a statement While the Team is vaccinated and have been tested every day while at the Games like every returning Australian they will remain in quarantine for 14 days and will undergo regular testing in accordance with the requirements of each state and territory Normally there would have been cheering crowds and emotional reunions with family after the team arrived back Instead the athletes were met by masked officials and police officers who took their temperatures and checked their paperwork according to The Australian report on Wednesday During the mandatory twoweek quarantine stint each member has a separate apartment and is under strict orders not to mingle with anyone else including teammates On Tuesday night the AOC said it was aware of reports of unacceptable behaviour involving members of the rugby and football squads on a flight from Japan to Sydney on July 30 While there has been no formal complaint from the airline unacceptable behaviour was brought to our attention and I directly raised the issue with our member sports CEOs Carroll said in a statement Its extremely disappointing but both Rugby and Football have told me that such behaviour is certainly not acceptable within their sports and have sincerely apologised to the Australian Olympic Team IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-swim-stars-enter-quarantine-on-return-to-australia-146695.html Wed, 04 Aug 2021 20:33:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-wrestler-ravi-dahiya-secures-quarterfinal-spot-in-57kg-category-146701.html Tokyo Aug 4 Indian grappler Ravi Kumar Dahiya won his openinground bout by technical superiority against Colombias Oscar Tigreros to secure a quarterfinal spot in the 57kg quarterfinals at the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday Competing in the Roundof16 bout against the Colombian wrestler the 23yearold Dahiya who is making his Olympic debut at the Makuhari Messe Hall in Chiba showed no nerves as he dominated the bout to win by technical superiority 132 Dahiya the reigning Asian champion and World Championships bronze medallist in his weight category dictated the terms early on and kept Tigreros under pressure The Indian soon got rewarded as he executed a singleleg takedown to go 20 up Tigreros a twotime Pan American silver medallist however responded with a fine twopoint move of his own to level up the scores In the closing exchanges of the first period Dahiya went ahead again as he took a onepoint lead In the opening exchanges of the second period Dahiya used his nimble footwork and speed to good effect to overwhelmed the Colombian Dahiya landed attack after attack and went 132 up winning the bout by technical superiority with minutes to spare In wrestling building up a 10point lead over the opponent results in a victory by technical superiority Dahiya will take on Bulgarias Georgi Vangelov who won his opening bout against Algerias Abdelhak Kherbache by fall in the quarterfinals IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-wrestler-ravi-dahiya-secures-quarterfinal-spot-in-57kg-category-146701.html Wed, 04 Aug 2021 20:54:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-gold-dream-ends-india-mens-hockey-team-to-play-for-bronze-146451.html Tokyo Aug 3 Indias dream of winning a gold medal in the Olympic Games mens hockey competition after a gap of 41 years was crushed when they went down 25 against world champions Belgium in the semifinals here on Tuesday The Indians who had won their eighth gold medal in the 1980 Moscow Olympics fought well went 21 up in the first quarter but slack defending and conceding too many penalty corners did them in as Belgium fought back to not only level scores but also scored thrice in the fourth quarter to seal a place in their second successive final Belgium had lost 42 to Argentina in the Rio Olympics final five years ago Alexander Hendrickx one of the most feared dragflickers in the world scored a hattrick to seal Belgiums victory Hendrickx who leads the scoring with 14 goals now scored two off penalty corners in the 19th and 49th minute and one off a penalty stroke 53rd min to put the match beyond Indias reach Loick Fanny Luypaert 2nd min and John John Dohmen 60th min scored a goal apiece for Belgium while Harmanpreet Singh 7th min and Mandeep Singh 11th were the Indian goal scorers in the match that started at a fast pace Belgium will play the winner of the second semifinal between Australia and Germany India will take on the team losing the second semifinal for the bronze medal Though the Indians lost the match they were not disgraced as they matched the Belgians who lost to Argentina in the Rio Olympics for three of the four quarters The Indian attacks worked well in the first two quarters but the defence looked stretched from the start of the match committing mistakes both in ideation and execution as the Belgians came back from behind and sealed a good victory The defence that did so well against Great Britain in the quarterfinals committed basic errors in their eagerness to thwart the Belgians Instead of tackling them outside the shooting circle they tried to stop them inside The Belgians played smart and instead of going for field goals created penalty corners to give their dragflickers the opportunity to break Indias resistance India who were on a brilliant run of four successive wins got off to a slow start and conceded a goal early in the second minute when they earned the first penalty corner Loick Luypaert Belgiums secondchoice dragflicker lined up for an attempt as their top scorer Hendrickx who has scored 11 goals before the semifinal gave his team the lead as he flicked a brilliant shot into the left corner just inches away from the outstretched leg of Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh But the Indians got into their rhythm and started enjoying more possession moving the ball up into the attacking third earning their first penalty corner in the 7th minute Harmanpreet made it 11 with a superb dragflick The Indians continued to press forward and took the lead in the 11th minute when forward Mandeep trapped cleanly in the circle a superb cross from Amit Rohidas made a swift turn and planted a powerful reverse hit into the goal India could not sustain the pressure and Belgium started the second quarter on a positive note earning four penalty corners in succession They made it 22 when Hendrickx outthought Sreejesh with a deft lastsecond change of direction to flick the ball into the goal Though the Indians enjoyed possession in the second and third quarters Belgium slowly took control in the fourth as they looked for penalty corners off every opportunity they got Hendrickx struck early in the fourth quarter after another series of penalty corners most of them blocked either by Sreejesh or rusher Amit Rohidas That got the Belgians going and they sealed a memorable victory In all India conceded 14 penalty corners of which Belgium converted three IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-gold-dream-ends-india-mens-hockey-team-to-play-for-bronze-146451.html Wed, 04 Aug 2021 01:30:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/javelin-thrower-neeraj-chopra-tops-qualification-with-8665m-effort-146708.html Tokyo Aug 4 Star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra raised Indias hopes of a track and field medal when he qualified for the final at the Tokyo Olympic Games on Wednesday sealing a top place from his group and finishing ahead of Germanys Johannes Vetter who is the favourite for gold at the quadrennial showpiece At the Olympic Stadium the 23yearold Chopra the junior world champion cleared the automatic qualifying mark of 8350 metres with his first attempt of 8665 metres in Group A to emerge a strong contender for a medal in the final to be held on Saturday Vetter qualified second from Group A with a throw of 8564 metres Pakistans Arshad Nadeem who shared the podium with Chopra at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta was overall third with his best throw of 8516 metres after he topped Group B All eyes will be on Chopra in Saturdays final as he is on a roll this season and is the owner of the national record 8807m which he achieved at the Indian Grand Prix in March Germanys Vetter the 28yearold who hurled the spear to a distance of 9776 metres in an event in Poland last September and threatened Czech Republics Jan Zeleznys world record of 9848 metres 1996 was belowpar on Wednesday managing a best of 8564 and taking all three attempts before he could make the grade In contrast Chopra made only a single attempt In javelin throw an athlete can make the final by either attaining the qualifying standard or by finishing among the top12 competitors in the event Indias other javelin thrower Shivpal Singh came up with dismal show and attained his best of 7640 in his first attempt to finish 12th in Group B and failed to qualify His other two attempts were 7480 and 7481 metres respectively Shivpal was placed 27th overall among 31 athletes in fray Following the conclusion of the qualification round where 12 throwers qualified seven from Group A and five from Group B Chopras performance stood out as despite missing almost the entire 2020 due to injuries he has come back strongly to be in contention for a medal on Saturday Chinese Taipeis ChaoTsun Cheng Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago and world champion Julius Yego of Kenya meanwhile failed to make the cut for the final Chopra began his season with a new national record of 8807 metres at the Indian Grand Prix in March and followed it up with another commendable 8780m throw at the Federation Cup He then headed to Europe to prepare for Tokyo 2020 There Chopra threw 8318m at a Lisbon meet for gold managed another goldwinning effort of 8096m in Sweden and threw an 8679m at the Kuortane Games in Finland for bronze All three events were held in June IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/javelin-thrower-neeraj-chopra-tops-qualification-with-8665m-effort-146708.html Wed, 04 Aug 2021 21:29:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/with-six-days-still-to-go-china-betters-rio-olympics-gold-tally-146459.html Tokyo Aug 3 China pocketed five gold medals in weightlifting cycling track gymnastics and shooting at the Tokyo Olympics on Monday its biggest haul of gold medals in a single day so far in Tokyo With still six days to go before the Games close Chinas gold count has already reached 29 three more than its final gold tally at Rio 2016 China also has 17 silvers and 16 bronze from these Games The United States sits second in the medal table with 22 gold and 64 medals and hosts Japan place third with 17 golds 6 silvers 10 bronze reports Xinhua The Chinese weightlifters showed their supremacy again on Monday as Wang Zhouyu and Li Wenwen emerged the winners in the womens 87kg and 87kg categories respectively China won seven gold and one silver in eight divisions it has participated in this time This has equalled the record by any NOC seven by the Soviet Union in 1976 Failing on her 115kg first snatch attempt Wang made timely adjustment to lift this weight before improving it to 120kg She then succeeded on 150kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 270kg but failed on a possible new Olympic record of 160kg in her final attempt Wang had her category upgraded from 76kg to 87kg in 2019 and she was the winner at the World Championships in this division in the same year But Wang was not satisfied with her performance despite winning a gold It was far below my normal strength but I will continue to work hard she said Tamara Yajaira Salazar Arce from Ecuador came from behind to claim a silver with 263kg while Crismery Dominga Santana Peguero from the Dominican Republic finished at 256kg for the bronze medal She became the first female athlete representing the Dominican Republic to win an Olympic medal in an individual event in any sport Later Li triumphed in the womens 87kg division setting three new Olympic records en route to a gold medal Li current world record holder in the snatch clean and jerk and total called 130kg in her first snatch attempt It has already bettered other contestants with the nearest rival Sarah Elizabeth Robles from the United States hoisting 128kg Li lifted a new Olympic record of 140kg in her third attempt setting a 12kg cushion over Robles Li continued her dominance going into the clean and jerk section hoisting an Olympic record of 180kg for a total of 320 kg also a new Olympic record and 37kg over secondplaced Emily Jade Campbell from Britain who became the first British athlete to collect an Olympic medal in womens weightlifting In cycling Bao Shanju and Zhong Tianshi showcased their consistency in track womens team sprint setting a new world record in the heat before winning the gold medal Clocking 31804 seconds against Lithuania the Chinese pair bested the previous 32034 seconds mark set by Zhong and fellow Gong Jinjie at the world championships in 2015 Bao and Zhong finished in 31895 seconds in the final ahead of their German opponents Lea Sophie Friedrich and Emma Hinze who clocked 31980 seconds giving China its second cycling Olympic gold I did not think too much in the final only to go for the gold said Zhong who paired with Gong Jinjie to win the first Cycling gold for China at Rio 2016 Team Germany broke the world record of the womens team pursuit in the qualifying race The German cyclists covered the 4000m distance in four minutes and 07307 seconds shattering the previous world and Olympic record of 410236 set by Britain five years ago at Rio 2016 China eventually claimed a gold in gymnastics when Liu Yang and You Hao made a 12 Chinese finish in the mens rings Liu scored 15500 points to finish at the top ahead of You with 15300 points Greeces defending champion Eleftherios Petrounias took bronze in 15200 points On the last day of shooting competition Zhang Changhong broke the world record to win the mens 50m rifle 3 positions title Its Chinas fourth gold in shooting at Tokyo 2020 the countrys best ever Olympic performance in the sport With 466 points the 21yearold Olympic debutant set a new world and Olympic record to beat Russian shooter Sergey Kamenskiy who bagged silver with 4642 points The result is 07 points better than the 4653point world record set by his fellow countryman Yang Haoran in 2018 Puerto Rican hurdler Jasmine CamachoQuinn delivered the first Olympic athletics gold for her country winning the womens 100m hurdles final CamachoQuinn finished the race in 1237 seconds after breaking the Olympic record in Sundays semifinals with 1226 CamachoQuinns gold medal came after she failed to make the finals at Rio 2016 after hitting a hurdle during her semifinal I need to let it go she said Yesterday before the semifinal I had a breakdown but I dont want the same thing to happen again Cubas Mijan Lopez defeated Iakobi Kajaia of Georgia 50 to claim the gold medal in wrestling mens GrecoRoman 130kg category The 38yearold is the first male wrestler to win four Olympic gold medals IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/with-six-days-still-to-go-china-betters-rio-olympics-gold-tally-146459.html Wed, 04 Aug 2021 02:42:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-wrestlers-ravi-dahiya-deepak-punia-secure-semifinal-berths-146719.html Tokyo Aug 4 Indian wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya 57kg and Deepak Punia 86kg enjoyed fruitful outings at the Tokyo Olympic Games as they secured semifinal berths in their respective weight categories at the Makuhari Messe on Wednesday On the opening day of the wrestling competition Ravi Dahiya defeated Bulgarias Georgi Vangelov 144 on technical superiority to reach the lastfour in the mens 57kg category while compatriot Deepak Punia overcame Chinas Zushen Lin 63 on points to advance to the semifinals Dahiya will take on Nurislam Sanayev of Kazakhstan in the lastfour while Punia will be up against David Morris Taylor of the USA Earlier Dahiya had won his openinground bout by technical superiority against Colombias Oscar Tigreros to secure a quarterfinal spot Competing in the Roundof16 bout against the Colombian wrestler the 23yearold Dahiya who is making his Olympic debut showed no nerves as he dominated the bout to win by technical superiority 132 Dahiya landed attack after attack and went 132 up winning the bout by technical superiority with minutes to spare In wrestling building up a 10point lead over the opponent results in a victory by technical superiority Indias 86kg freestyle wrestler Deepak Punia showed no signs of the niggle that had forced him to pull out of the Poland Open Ranking Series in Warsaw in June as he defeated Nigerias Ekerekeme Agiomor on technical superiority to secure a quarterfinal berth He got his Olympic campaign to a fine start as he was in control from the start of the bout and hardly ever allowed his Nigerian opponent any room to manoeuvre his moves finally winning with a 121 on technical superiority Punia who had also suffered an elbow injury just before the Games was slow at the start but came into his own as the bout progressed inflicting takedowns at regular intervals to earn points The Indian wrestler eased into a 41 lead at the break and extended his lead comfortably in the second period Punia the silver medallist from the 2019 world wrestling championships then set up a clash with Chinas Lin Zushen in the quarterfinals and degeated him 63 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-wrestlers-ravi-dahiya-deepak-punia-secure-semifinal-berths-146719.html Wed, 04 Aug 2021 22:38:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/norways-warholm-wins-mens-400m-hurdles-with-new-world-record-146475.html Tokyo Aug 3 Norways Karsten Warholm won the mens 400m hurdles final here on Tuesday at the Tokyo Olympics slicing off a sensational 76 seconds off his own world record Coming into the race as the favourite after breaking the 29yearold world record of Kevin Young a month ago Warholm crossed the finishing line first in 4594 seconds slicing a huge chunk from his previous mark of 4670 Rai Benjamin of the United States won the silver in 4617 and Alison dos Santos of Brazil took bronze in 4672 Warholm was off the blocks very very quickly and got into the lead early blazing away gliding over the hurdles effortlessly American rival Rai Benjamin came up strongly over the stretch and caught up with the Norwegian But just when it looked like he will fade away Warholm tapped into some hidden source of energy in his body and raced pulled away to smash the world record Benjamin completed his run in 4617 and would have taken half a second off the previous world record IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/norways-warholm-wins-mens-400m-hurdles-with-new-world-record-146475.html Wed, 04 Aug 2021 04:51:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-wrestler-sonam-malik-bows-out-after-opening-round-loss-146481.html Tokyo Aug 3 Indian wrestler Sonam Maliks debut at the Tokyo Olympic Games ended with a firstround defeat to Mongolis Khurelkhuugiin Bolortuyaa in the womens 62kg category At the Makuhari Messe in Tokyo Sonam lost to the Asian championship silver medallist on the basis of the highest scoring point rule after the two grapplers were tied 22 on points at the end of the bout According to international wrestling rules in case of a stalemate the winner is decided on the basis of highest scoring move by the wrestler Khurelkhuugiin executed a twopoint takedown in the second period while Sonam got one point in each of the two halves The 19yearold Sonams hopes of getting back into the competition through the repechage route were dashed after Khurelkhuugiin lost to the former world champion and second seed Taybe Yusein of Bulgaria in the quaters The repechage rule allows grapplers who have lost early in the competition a second chance should their victor make it to the final All the Indian wrestler including Sushil Kumar Yogeshwar Dutt and Sakshi Malik who have gone on to win medals at the previous Olympics have made it through the repechage route Sonam who had recovered from a knee injury before the Olympics began cautiously as the two wrestlers tested each other in the initial exchanges With no clear openings Sonam kept up the pressure on Khurelkhuugiin and shut any openings by staying close to the Mongolian The Indian was the first to register a point by pushing her opponent out of bounds and then doubled the lead at the start of the second round to force the Mongolian into action Khurelkhuugiin silver medallist at the Asian championships earlier this year however kept her cool and was rewarded with seconds remaining on the clock A singleleg takedown which earned her two points was enough for Khurelkhuugiin to win the bout Sonam had sealed her place at the Olympics through the Asian Olympic qualifiers in April Competing in the 62kg category Sonam has had a great run of form as she beat Rio 2016 bronze medallist Sakshi Malik four times in the domestic circuit IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-wrestler-sonam-malik-bows-out-after-opening-round-loss-146481.html Wed, 04 Aug 2021 05:50:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/bruce-springsteens-daughter-all-set-for-olympics-debut-in-equestrian-146494.html Tokyo Aug 3 American equestrian rider Jessica Rae Springsteen daughter of legendary singer Bruce Springsteen will make her Olympic debut for Team USA astride her 12yearold stallion Don Juan van de Donkhoeve later on Tuesday as she aims for glory in sports after her illustrious father enthralled the world with hit albums like Born in the USA and Darkness on the Edge of Town The 29yearold Jessica and her 12yearold stallion Don Juan van de Donkhoeve are one of four riderhorse pairings which are competing at the Tokyo Olympics Jessica who is ranked in the worlds top 15 and is considered a good bet for a medal in the team event alongside Kent Farrington and Laura Kraut began riding at the age of four at the familys farm in New Jersey Now ranked No 3 in the US show jumping list she has come a long way since her days on the family farmhouse Jessica was named as an alternate rider for the 2012 London Olympics while in 2016 Rio an injury to her horse took her out of the running at the quadrennial showpiece five years back Jessicas parents are expected to watch the competition from their home in California reports newsskycom This is not only my first Olympics but also my first championships I am so excited to represent my country at this level It is something I have always dreamt of and I am just really looking forward to the experience Just to be selected on this team that I have looked up to throughout my career has been a huge honour for me Jessica was quoted as saying by newsskycom Me and Don horse have been able to build on our partnership over this last year And when it came time to the selection events I felt really confident how far we had come When I got Don he was jumping up to threestar level so I kind of brought him up to this level it was about finetuning everything getting used to jumping these bigger tracks said Jessica I think your natural reaction when you are jumping big is you want to ride a little bit stronger But with him he doesnt need that He just rides off my feeling and I can trust his scope and quality IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/bruce-springsteens-daughter-all-set-for-olympics-debut-in-equestrian-146494.html Wed, 04 Aug 2021 07:17:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/javelin-thrower-neeraj-chopra-tops-qualification-with-a-throw-of-8665-metres-146514.html Tokyo Indias Shivpal Singh competes in the qualification round of mens javelin throw event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo Wednesday August 4 2021 PTI Tokyo Aug 4 Star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra raised Indias hopes of a track and field medal when he qualified for the final at the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday sealing a top place from his group and finishing ahead of Germanys Johannes Vetter who is tipped as the favourite for gold at the quadrennial showpiece At the Olympic Stadium the 23yearold Chopra the junior world champion cleared the automatic qualifying mark of 8350 metres with his first attempt of 8665 metres in Group A to emerge a strong contender for a medal in the final to be held on Saturday All eyes will be on Chopra on Saturdays final as he is on a roll this season and is the owner of the national record 8807m which he achieved at the Indian Grand Prix in March Germanys Vetter was second in the Group A with 8564m taking all three attempts before he could make the cut Chopra made only a single attempt In javelin throw an athlete can make the final by either attaining the qualifying standard or by finishing among the top12 competitors in the event Indias other javelin thrower Shivpal Singh came up with belowpar throws and attained his best of 7640 in his first attempt to finish 12th in Group B and failed to qualify His other two attempts were 7480 and 7481 metres respectively Following the conclusion of the qualification round where 12 throwers qualified seven from Group A and five from Group B Chopras performance stood out as despite missing almost the entire 2020 due to injuries he has come back strongly to be in contention for a medal on Saturday Chopra began his season with a new national record of 8807 metres at the Indian Grand Prix in March and followed it up with another commendable 8780m throw at the Federation Cup He then headed to Europe to prepare for Tokyo 2020 There Chopra threw 8318m at a Lisbon meet for gold managed another goldwinning effort of 8096m in Sweden and threw an 8679m at the Kuortane Games in Finland for bronze All three events were held in June At Tokyo 2020 Chopra will be up against favourites Johannes Vetter Chinese Taipeis ChaoTsun Cheng Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago and world champion Kenyas Julius Yego IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/javelin-thrower-neeraj-chopra-tops-qualification-with-a-throw-of-8665-metres-146514.html Wed, 04 Aug 2021 09:06:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-boxer-lovlina-borgohain-bags-bronze-medal-after-losing-in-semis-146562.html Tokyo Indias Lovlina Borgohain L exchanges punches with Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey in the womens welterweight 6469kg category boxing semifinal match at the Summer Olympics 2020 in Tokyo Wednesday Aug 4 2021 Borgohain lost the match PTI Tokyo Aug 4 Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain has taken the bronze medal in womens welterweight category at the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday The 23yearold from Assam lost the semifinal in a unanimous decision to Turkish top seed Busenaz Surmeneli at the Ryogoku Kokugikan Arena Lovlinas bronze is Indias third medal at the Tokyo Olympics IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-boxer-lovlina-borgohain-bags-bronze-medal-after-losing-in-semis-146562.html Wed, 04 Aug 2021 12:19:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/leanders-trainer-guides-brazilian-doubles-player-to-olympic-glory-146572.html Tokyo Aug 3 Physiotherapistcumcoach Sanjay Singh the man who has kept Leander Paes injuryfree for over three decades and helped him to a whopping 18 Grand Slam titles and a bronze at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games added another feather to his cap when he guided Brazils Luisa Stefani to the womens doubles bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics The Brazilian pair of Luisa and Laura Pigossi defeated the Russian Olympic Committee ROC duo of Elena Vesnina and Veronika Kudermetova 46 64 119 to clinch bronze in Tokyo It was Brazils maiden tennis medal at the Olympics after the country came close in 1996 Atlanta when Fernando Meligeni lost to Paes in the bronzemedal match Speaking about the two achievements 25 years apart Singh said In Leanders case we knew that he would be getting in competing in 1996 Atlanta so everything was ready but here Luisa had no idea whether she was even going to Tokyo The LuisaLaura pair was a lastminute entry at the Olympics like Indias Sumit Nagal who was included in the draw after several top players pulled out due to Covid19 fears and injuries From number seven on the waiting list they got to second That night I said to her I wish in one hour somebody else also pulls out If you get in it would be magical She replied No I have dropped that idea from my mind Singh told Indian Express In 2019 too Singh and Luisa had waited endlessly before Wimbledon and the US Open for someone to pull out but they were unlucky on both occasions In the morning she woke up and went Sanjay Im in We were on an island in South Carolina preparing for the singles in Charleston We quickly moved to highaltitude training in Michigan Everything was rushed Getting everything organised Visa tickets Checking and double checking The day of departure till 2 in the morning she was waiting for the tickets from Brazil federation said Singh Singh is now settled in the US and coaches Luisa and her regular partner American Hayley Carter in Florida The 23yearold Luisa is currently ranked 23rd in doubles and has made it to the Australian Open and French Open third round and the US Open quarters Before the bronze match in Tokyo I told her attack Vesnina she chokes at crucial points You could see she was paranoid by how Stefani moved at the net said Singh IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/leanders-trainer-guides-brazilian-doubles-player-to-olympic-glory-146572.html Wed, 04 Aug 2021 12:57:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-hockey-what-india-needs-to-do-in-bronze-medal-match-146597.html New Delhi Aug 3 Indias dream of winning an Olympic Games mens hockey gold or silver medal ended after the team lost 25 to Belgium in the semifinal on Tuesday IANS decodes the defeat to highlight the areas India needs to focus on in the bronzemedal match on Thursday Concede fewer penalty corners The Indian defence allowed Belgium 14 penalty corners of which they converted three India did defend the PCs well Amit Rohidas was quick to rush out and not allow the Belgian dragflickers a lot of room and angles to place their shots but they could not stop the balls from hitting the defenders legs and bodies conceding more PCs Cut down on defensive errors The defence that did so well against Great Britain faltered against the Belgians They tackled their opponents inside the shooting circle which created more problems and more penalty corners Be a bit more physical The Indian forwards and defenders were not physical enough to counter the Belgians The Belgians looked more imposing in oneonone situations The Indians also allowed the Belgian midfield especially Antoine Sylvain Kina a lot of space and time to control their attack Fall back fast to defend The Indians were a bit slow in falling back to defend on counterattacks which gave their opponents space and time to create opportunities The scrambling Indians also made errors that the Belgians capitalised on Coach Graham Reid could be heard telling them to fall back fast in the third quarter break IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-hockey-what-india-needs-to-do-in-bronze-medal-match-146597.html Wed, 04 Aug 2021 14:12:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-spains-gasol-looking-for-something-special-against-usa-146181.html Tokyo Aug 2 Spain power forward Pau Gasol says Tuesdays Olympic mens basketball quarterfinal against the USA is the chance for the Spanish to do something historic as they continue their quest for an Olympic medal Spain were one of the favourites for a medal in Tokyo but defeat to Slovenia on Sunday sees them drawn in the last eight to play the USA who finished second in their qualifying group after a shock defeat to France in their opening match Spain have never beaten the USA in the Olympics losing against them in the 2008 and 2012 finals and 2016 semifinals Now they have to end that run to have a chance of being among the medals but twotime NBA winner Gasol remains positive reports Xinhua This game here and now is a unique and special opportunity for us and we have to go all out to try to win said the veteran We have always lost against them and it would be something marvellous and very special to be able to succeed added Gasol Despite the USAs surprise setback to France Gasol rejected the notion that this USA side is weaker than past teams I dont think they have less talent than some of the great American teams We are talking about a team that hasnt been fully formed with three players who were included a day before we started he explained The USA narrowly beat Spain in a warmup game just before the Olympics began We knew that if we lost to Slovenia it was a 5050 chance wed have to play the USA but if we had played Germany or Italy that doesnt mean we could have relaxed it is a challenge to play the USA but all adversity gives you the chance to do something special We can do something historic something we havent been able to do in the Games before and we can look for a different result insisted Gasol IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-spains-gasol-looking-for-something-special-against-usa-146181.html Tue, 03 Aug 2021 04:13:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/stalin-wishes-indian-womens-hockey-team-for-olympic-gold-146213.html Chennai Aug 2 Expressing his delight at Indian womens hockey team entering the semi finals at the Tokyo Olympics Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday said the team is scripting history I am absolutely delighted at the victory of Indian womens Hockey team against Australia to storm into the semifinals Youre scripting history Stalin said I wish you all the best to enter the finals and clinch the Olympics Gold he said IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/stalin-wishes-indian-womens-hockey-team-for-olympic-gold-146213.html Tue, 03 Aug 2021 08:28:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/keep-playing-without-pressure-you-have-nothing-to-lose-ex-indian-hockey-players-146231.html Mumbai Aug 2 When Rani Rampal and her team take the field on Wednesday for the Olympics womens hockey semifinal against Argentina they will have a lot of people working to make things possible for them something that was not the case when Eliza Nelson Selma DSilva and their teammates narrowly missed a bronze medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics Ranis India reached the semifinals by beating Australia 10 on Monday while Eliza and Selmas team missed a bronze medal after losing 13 to hosts Soviet Union in their last league match and ended fourth in the pool While the current Indian team has chief coach Sjoerd Marijne analytical coach Janneke Schopman coach BS Ankitha scientific advisor Patrick Lombard physiotherapist Nivedita Chopra video analyst Amuthaprakash and masseuse Radhika Bhikan Chaudhari taking care of them at the Olympics and during the buildup for the Games the 1980 team only had a coach and manager travelling with them And even they had to think twice before taking a major step like when they could not lodge a protest against a mistake by the umpire because they didnt have 300 to pay the protest fee In the bronzemedal match against the Soviet Union a ball had gone out stuck the sideboard of the goal and came into play and the umpire did not see it Play continued even as we sought a restart and they went on to score a goal We could not protest as we did not have 300 to lodge a protest It was a big amount at that time Eliza told IANS on Monday We didnt have video referrals otherwise we would have got the decision in our favour That would have helped up come back in the match she said A lot of things have changed since we won gold in the 1982 Asian Games We did not go to play abroad for years we had a tour in 1976 and then the 1978 World Cup At least they current team get to tour and play so many matches she said Selma said hockey has changed a lot since their time and now the players have a lot of facilities They have the infrastructure money they get to tour foreign countries to play matches They have coaches assistant coaches psychologists strength training experts we didnt have any of these Also hockey has changed a lot since then You have so many rule changes that have made the sport freeflowing said Selma Both the stalwarts congratulated the Indian team for its brilliant performance In fact Selma had told IANS on Sunday that India has 50 per cent chance against Australia She had also singled out Gurjit Kaur to score a goal and said the dragflicker is a bigmatch player and would make amends in the quarterfinals Didnt I say that Gurjit will score she said She did well for herself she has not been scoring all these days but she performed on the day when it was most needed They earned one penalty corner and she converted and that changed the whole scenario said Selma This team has been clicking well They have been doing well together And after they won the last two matches in the Pool they gained in confidence and today they could play freely because the pressure was on Australia They played very well they were fearless and defended superbly They did not allow Australia to dictate the pace and dominate I believe this team can go on and win the gold medal They have to play like the way they played today be aggressive defend well and not allow the opponents any chances They have nothing to lose and should not take undue pressure said Selma IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/keep-playing-without-pressure-you-have-nothing-to-lose-ex-indian-hockey-players-146231.html Tue, 03 Aug 2021 09:29:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-india-lose-to-belgium-2-5-in-mens-hockey-semis-146293.html Tokyo Indias Rupinder Pal Singh lies on the pitch after losing their mens field hockey semifinal match against Belgium at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo Tuesday Aug 3 2021 India lost the match 25 PTI Tokyo Aug 3 Indias brilliant run in the Tokyo Olympics mens hockey tournament came to an end with a 25 defeat to world champions Belgium in the semifinals here on Tuesday The Indians fought well went 21 up in the first quarter but slack defending and conceding too many penalty corners did them in as Belgium fought back to level the scores and then scored thrice in the fourth quarter to seal a place in the final Alexander Hendrickx one of the most feared dragflickers in the world scored a hattrick to seal Belgiums victory Hendrickx who leads the scoring with 14 goals now scored two off penalty corners in the 19th and 49th minute and converted a penalty stroke in the 53rd min to put the match beyond Indias reach Loick Fanny Luypaert 2nd min and John John Dohmen 60th min scored a goal apiece for Belgium while Harmanpreet Singh 7th min and Mandeep Singh 11th were the Indian goal scorers in the match that started at a fast pace Belgium who reached their second successive Olympics final will play the winner of the second semifinal between Australia and Germany India will take on the team losing the second semifinal for the bronze medal Though the Indians lost the match they were not disgraced as they matched the Belgians who lost to Argentina in the Rio Olympics for three of the four quarters The Indian attacks worked well in the first two quarters but the defence looked stretched from the start of the match committing mistakes both in ideation and execution as the Belgians came back from behind and sealed a good victory The defence that did so well against Great Britain in the quarterfinals committed basic errors in their eagerness to thwart the Belgians Instead of tackling them outside the shooting circle they tried to stop them inside The Belgians played smart and instead of going for field goals created penalty corners to give their dragflickers the opportunity to break Indias resistance Earlier India got off to a slow start and conceded a goal early in the second minute when they earned the first penalty corner Loick Fanny Luypaert Belgiums secondchoice dragflicker lined up for an attempt as their top scorer Hendrickx who has scored 11 goals before the semifinal gave his team the lead as he flicked a brilliant shot into the left corner just inches away from the outstretched leg of Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh But the Indians got into their rhythm and started enjoying more possession moving the ball up into the attacking third earning their penalty corner when Gurjant sought a video referral for a foul by a Belgian defender India got the penalty corner in the seventh minute and Harmanpreet did not make a mistake to make it 11 The Indians continued to press forward and took the lead in the 11th minute when forward Mandeep trapped cleanly in the circle a superb cross from Amit Rohidas made a swift turn and planted a powerful reverse hit into the goal India led 21 at the end of the first quarter but they could not sustain the pressure and Belgium started the second quarter on a positive note pushing the rivals back They earned four penalty corners in succession and managed to level the scores 22 when Hendrickx outthought Sreejesh with a deft lastsecond change of direction to put the ball in the goal Though the Indians enjoyed possession in the second and third quarter Belgium slowly took control in the fourth as they looked for penalty corner off every opportunity they got The Indians did make several attacks and circle penetrations but their pace had slackened and they started committing too many mistakes giving Belgium too many chances especially short corners that the Belgians thrive on Hendrickx got them the lead as India conceded three penalty corners in succession The Indians put their bodies in line and conceded to stop the flicks and penalty corner after penalty corner and Hendrickx capitalised on it and scored the next two goals to complete his hattrick India tried to reduce the margin but could not go on the attack immediately after Belgiums third goal hampered by a green card to skipper Manpreet Singh who was in the sin bin for two minutes They lost their momentum and could not get back into the match despite pulling out goalkeeper Sreejesh for the last five minutes John Dohmen rubbed salt into the injury when he put the ball into an empty goal off a quick counter to drive the final nail into the dying Indian hopes IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-india-lose-to-belgium-2-5-in-mens-hockey-semis-146293.html Tue, 03 Aug 2021 13:36:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/went-with-the-mindset-to-give-my-best-and-play-my-hundred-percent-sindhu-146294.html Tokyo Aug 2 Indian shuttler PV Sindhu said on Monday that she went into the bronze medal match with the mindset of giving her best and playing hundred percent to her ability She also said that her coach Park Taesang gave encouragement by explaining the importance of getting a medal On Sunday the 26yearold defeated China He Bingjiao in straight games to win the bronze medal in badminton womens singles at the Tokyo Olympics The win came a day after losing to Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in the semifinals With the bronze at Tokyo Sindhu became the first Indian women to win medals in successive Olympics after winning the silver medal in 2016 edition at Rio She became the first woman and second Indian overall to achieve the feat After the semis were over I was really sad I was in tears But my coach and physio said that it is not over yet and you have got another chance There were a lot of mixed emotions because whether I needed to be happy as I got another chance or had to be sad because I lost in semifinals But Park said that there is a lot of difference between bronze and fourth position That really hit me I thought I really need to get a medal because getting a medal for the country and the Olympics is a big thing I went with the mindset that I need to give my best and play my hundred percent It was all in that state of mind said Sindhu during a virtual press conference organised by the Badminton Association of India BAI She also said that after the win she went totally blank and took time to realise what she had done on Sunday Until the last point we had not decided it will not be over even though I was leading because anything can happen Each and every point is important After that point was over I was literally blank I didnt know what to do My coach was literally like in tears After fivesix seconds I shouted I hugged him and said thank you to him because it was his effort also All emotions came together at once The reigning world champion described the move to train at the Gacchibowli Stadium in Hyderabad from February as the best decision taken ahead of the Olympics It worked wonders especially in countering the drift in Tokyo From the beginning I think there was no controversy Where you have the opportunity to play in a bigger stadium which is almost like the conditions of the Olympics I think why not take that opportunity and play So that is why we decided that I will play in the Gacchibowli Stadium from February It really helped us because drift definitely played an important role I have really learned a lot especially when there is a lot of drift The control needed is what I have learnt a lot in the past few months That really helped in this tournament Sindhu further added When we play in an international tournament it Gacchibowli is almost like an international standard court There is air conditioning which is also needed I feel that is the best decision we have taken We have also been getting players from Suchitra Academy so that we get used to different players every single day Park the Korean coach revealed how he kept Sindhu calm in pressure situations In important moments when she gets a point and the pressure is very high the next shot or rally its very easy to make mistakes So in important moments I tell her to calm down he said At this moment Sindhu reminded him of saying aaram se in Hindi Aaram se translates to take it easy Park laughed out and said Yes aaram se I know what aaram se means Park expressed his happiness over Sindhu getting the bronze medal In my Olympic career as a player I never got a medal But I told myself I can try next time and make Sindhu an Olympic gold medallist But I think bronze is also a very big medal I am really happy IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/went-with-the-mindset-to-give-my-best-and-play-my-hundred-percent-sindhu-146294.html Tue, 03 Aug 2021 13:36:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/sjoerd-marijne-the-coach-who-turned-things-around-for-indian-womens-hockey-146298.html By B Shrikant Mumbai Aug 2 Eyebrows were raised when Sjoerd Marijne was named chief coach of the Indian senior mens team before the 2018 Commonwealth Games Marijne had been picked by Roelant Oltmans Indian hockeys HighPerformance Director at that time to guide the womens team on a fouryear contract in 2017 But within a few months he was moved to the mens team and that too ahead an important tournament like the Commonwealth Games replacing Oltmans as the chief coach Marijne had till then coached the Dutch senior womens team and its U21 mens team and some club outfits but had no experience of coaching a senior mens national team The Indian team fared poorly in the Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast and Marijne was sent back to the womens team and Harendra Singh was given charge of the mens team Marijne has come a long way since that tumultuous period grown in stature and on Monday guided the Indian womens team to a historic semifinal spot in the Olympic Games in Tokyo when India defeated world No 2 Australia 10 in the quarterfinal at the Oi Hockey Stadium in Tokyo In the last three years Marijne has grown with the team and has also suffered with the team when it lost to Japan in the final of the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta or when the team got stuck in Bengaluru during the nationwide lockdown due to the Covid19 pandemic in 2020 The 47yearold coach from sHertogenbosch Netherlands has been very pragmatic learning how things move slowly in India and utilising the situation to get his voice across to the powers that be Like in the case of getting analytical coach Janneke Schopman on board Jenneke who played under Marijne at the club and with the Dutch team was chief coach of the United States team that lost to India in the Olympic qualifier in Bhubaneswar Her contract was not extended and Marijne pounced on the opportunity to rope her in for India Both have forged a formidable combination helping the Indian team achieve the great results it has done in the last few years But more than the Indian system the pandemic tested Marijne a lot Marijne postponed his plan to visit his home in the Netherlands and turned back on his way to the Bengaluru airport in February 2020 He was worried that considering the way the pandemic was spreading in Europe he may not be able to get back to India and thus leave the girls in the lurch So the entire first wave of the pandemic Marijne stayed cooped in the Sports Authority of Indias SAI centre in Bangalore worrying about his wife and three children who had to cope with the pandemic on their own in Holland It was tough decision but I also have a responsibility to the team and India When I decided to stay back we were still able to do full training as nationwide lockdown had not been announced Its good the entire core group is together so we can do other things to make this period productive said Marijne later admiring his wife who handled the period alone in Holland with three children Marijne used the lockdown period to know the girls engage them in activities that they can do from their rooms and slowly built on this dream for Olympics hockey even though they did not get a chance to play as many international matches as he wanted Marijne is not one to crib though he did raise the issue of lack of match practice for the Indians as their tours were cancelled due to the second wave of the pandemic early this year He continued to work with the girls building up their strength and skills as well as their temperament He managed to go back home on a short visit during a break in the camp post the lockdown in October In fact during his fouryearlong stay in India Marijne has hardly gone home and his return could get delayed further as India have secured a semifinal berth at the Olympics Marijne has however apologised to his family for the delay saying Sorry family I coming again later Sjoerd Marijne SjoerdMarijne from Tokyo IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/sjoerd-marijne-the-coach-who-turned-things-around-for-indian-womens-hockey-146298.html Tue, 03 Aug 2021 13:50:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-simone-biles-to-participate-in-balance-beam-final-146299.html Tokyo Aug 2 Star American gymnast Simone Biles will be taking part in Tuesdays balance beam final of womens artistic gymnastics at the Tokyo Olympics The move means that the 24yearold will return to competitions after a week due to mental health concerns especially the twisties Simone the reigning world champion on the balance beam had won the bronze in the event during the 2016 Rio Olympics We are so excited to confirm that you will see two US athletes in the balance beam final tomorrow Suni Lee AND Simone Biles Cant wait to watch you both said the USA Gymnastics through a tweet on Monday Arriving for the Tokyo Olympics Simone was looking to defend her four gold medals from the 2016 Rio Olympics But after being unable to do twoandahalf twists on vault during the first rotation of the womens team final last week on Tuesday she withdrew from the competition in order to protect her mental health In her absence the USA was unable to defend its gold from the 2016 Olympics and settled for silver behind the gold medal winning team the Russian Olympic Committee ROC Simone had later said that she would make a decision on her participation in each event by every day Later she proceeded to withdraw from the individual allaround vault uneven bars and floor exercise finals She tried to explain what was happening with her with regards to the twisties a mental block for gymnasts where the mind and body are not in rhythm For anyone saying I quit I didnt quit my mind and body are simply not in sync as you can see here she wrote on her Instagram stories I dont think you realise how dangerous this is on a hardcompetition surface She added that the twisties used to affect vault and floor exercise routines but has extended to skills on all apparatuses On competition days she has been cheering on her teammates Sunisa Lee who won the gold medal in allaround event and MyKayla Skinner who replaced her in vault and took the silver medal Now Simone the winner of four gold medals at 2016 Rio Olympics has the chance to claim her first gold in Tokyo IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-simone-biles-to-participate-in-balance-beam-final-146299.html Tue, 03 Aug 2021 14:00:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/spain-coach-confident-of-improvement-ahead-of-olympic-football-semifinals-146302.html Madrid Aug 2 Hosts Japan will face Spain in the semifinals of the Olympic mens football competition on Tuesday as both sides look to earn the chance to play for a gold medal The Japanese defeated New Zealand in the quarterfinals while Spain rode their luck before winning 52 after extra time against Cote dIvoire Spain looked to be heading out of the tournament after Cote dIvoire went 21 ahead in injurytime but a horrendous defensive mixup allowed substitute Rafa Mir to equalise in the 93rd minute reports Xinhua A ridiculous handball then allowed Mikel Oyarzabal to put Spain ahead from the penalty spot in extratime and two more goals from Rafa Mir sealed the win The big forwards hattrick should earn him a place in Luis de la Fuentes starting XI for the semifinals with Marco Asensio dropping down to the bench Rightback Oscar Gil is available once again after missing the quarterfinals through suspension and he should also come back into the team for Jesus Vallejo who was forced to play out of position to cover for him against Cote dIvoire Finally Dani Caballos continues to work hard to recover from the ankle injury he suffered against Egypt and could be available from the bench if Spain are training in the second half Ceballos is improving every day we hope he will be able to train normally commented Spanish coach De la Fuente in his pregame press conference in which he confirmed that Barca defender Oscar Mingueza would miss the rest of the tournament with a muscle problem Spain and Japan drew 11 in a pretournament friendly but the Spain coach insisted this time that things would be different There are few similarities between the two matches he said Back then we were in a preparation phase and not in our best physical shape We have improved with each passing game and now we are a totally different team Japans main threat will be Real Madrids Takefusa Kubo who said he had been expecting to face Spain Ever since the draw was made I thought we would play them in the semifinals he said after his side squeezed past New Zealand on penalties Im going to give 120 or 150 per cent to take my team to the final assured Kubo IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/spain-coach-confident-of-improvement-ahead-of-olympic-football-semifinals-146302.html Tue, 03 Aug 2021 14:22:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-india-lose-to-belgium-2-5-in-mens-hockey-semifinals-146384.html Tokyo Aug 3 Indias brilliant run in the Tokyo Olympics mens hockey tournament came to an end with a 25 defeat to world champions Belgium in the semifinals here on Tuesday The Indians fought well went 21 up in the first quarter but slack defending and conceding too many penalty corners did them in as Belgium fought back to level scores and then scored thrice in the fourth quarter to seal a place in the final Belgium Alexander Hendrickx 19th 49th and 53rd min scored a hattrick while Loick Fanny Luypaert 2nd min and John John Dohmen 60th min scored for Belgium while Harmanpreet Singh 7th min and Mandeep Singh 11th were the Indian goal scorers Belgium will play the winner of the second semifinal between Australia and Germany in the final India will take on the team losing the second semifinal for the bronze medal IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-india-lose-to-belgium-2-5-in-mens-hockey-semifinals-146384.html Tue, 03 Aug 2021 19:25:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-hockey-indian-women-make-historic-entry-into-semis-to-meet-argentina-next-146168.html Tokyo Aug 2 Taking inspiration from the mens team that got into the medal rounds after a gap of four decades Indian women scripted a historic moment of their own by making a maiden entry into the semifinals of the Olympics hockey tournament here on Monday India defeated world No 2 Australia 10 in the quarterfinals to storm into the lastfour stage marking their maiden entry into the medal round with a brilliant performance against a team that had dominated the tournament so far and was one of the favourites to win the gold medal Drag flicker Gurjit Kaur scored the allimportant goal in the 22nd minute with a powerful flick that deflected off a defenders stick into the goal India will now meet twotime silver medallists Argentina in the semifinals on Wednesday with a win taking them into the final which would be unprecedented The biggest surprise in womens hockey till date has been Zimbabwe winning the gold medal in the 1980 Olympics in Moscow The credit for the win goes to the Indian defence that did not allow Australia threetime gold medallists in the Olympics to score in the entire second half with defenders Deep Grace Ekka Udita and Gurjit Kaur and midfielder Monika standing like a wall to guard the goal And whenever the Aussies got past them goalkeeper Savita was there to save India as she pulled off at least seven brilliant saves to thwart the Hockeyroos The Indian deep defences superiority could be gauged from the fact that Australia had 14 shots at the goal but could not score even one They earned nine penalty corners tried two drag flickers and a few indirect variations but all were thwarted by the Indians The Indians attacked aggressively defended stoutly and controlled the midfield that allowed them to enjoy possession in the first half Australia could not get into their rhythm early on and looked clueless against a defensive unit and a goalkeeper that did not make any mistakes India dominated the first half they enjoyed more possession and created better chances against an Australian team that had finished Pool B with an allwin record in five matches They were not cowed down by the reputation of the world No 2 team and stood toetotoe with the mighty Hockeyroos Australia earned the first chance when Ambrosia Malone struck the post off their first penalty corner The Indians too were unlucky not to take the lead in the first quarter as Sharmilas shot at the far post came off the upright Vandana Katariya made a superb run to the left backline and sent in a pullback to Lalremsiami who had positioned herself near the far post However her deflection came off the post as the two teams went into the firstquarter break goalless The Indians started aggressively and did not allow the Aussie forwards who have been rampant in the group stage many chances They defended well and in numbers especially Deep Grace Ekka and Monika were solid and brilliant as they cut down many Australian moves Goalkeeper Savita was rock solid and pulled off a number of good saves The second quarter changed the complexion of the match as the Indians went into the lead leaving Australia frustrated India earned a penalty corner in the 21st minute of the match and went ahead increasing the pressure on the Hockeyroos Drag flicker Gurjit Kaur who had failed to score a single direct goal despite a bag full of chances struck for India her dragflick getting deflected from a defenders stick and looping over goalkeeper Rachael Ann Lynchs outstretched leg into the goal Australia attacked in numbers but found the Indian defence especially goalkeeper Savita impregnable The Australians earned three penalty corners but could not capitalise on any They had seven shots at the goal IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-hockey-indian-women-make-historic-entry-into-semis-to-meet-argentina-next-146168.html Tue, 03 Aug 2021 02:22:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-javelin-thrower-annu-rani-finishes-14th-in-her-group-fails-to-advance-146425.html Tokyo Aug 3 Indian womens javelin thrower Annu Rani finished a dismal 14th with a best of 5404 metres in her group which was not enough to secure her a place in the top12 across two groups At the Olympic Stadium on Tuesday competing in Group A of the qualifying Annu who is the second Indian female javelin thrower after Gurmeet Kaur Sydney 2000 to compete at the Olympics started the day with a throw of 5035 metres The 28yearold kept improving with each throw notching distances of 5319 and 5404 in her second and third attempts respectively but none was good enough to get her a place in the medal round Annus personal best is 6324m a national record she set during the Federation Cup in March With the qualifying mark set at 63m Polands Maria Andrejczyk one of the favourites to win gold at Tokyo topped the 15woman Group A throw of 6524m Australias Mackenzie Little with 6237m and Chinas Lyu Huihui with 5922m followed With Group B featuring 15 more athletes the top 12 throwers move on to the final However Annu who finished 14th in Group A had no chance of advancing any further in the event In the mens section star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and Shivpal Singh will be in action on Wednesday starting with the qualifying IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-javelin-thrower-annu-rani-finishes-14th-in-her-group-fails-to-advance-146425.html Tue, 03 Aug 2021 22:44:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/through-pain-poverty-hockey-captain-rani-kept-dreaming-of-donning-india-colours-146171.html Tokyo Aug 2 Indian womens hockey team captain Rani Rampals determination not to give an inch till the last minute of every single game she has played for the country perhaps comes from her upbringing in a povertystricken family which couldnt even afford two square meals a day She had to drink milk diluted with copious amount of water to meet her nutritional requirements The Raniled India secured a semifinal berth at the Tokyo Olympics on Monday defeating world No 2 Australia by a solitary goal the teams best performance ever at the quadrennial showpiece Ranis father was a cartpuller in Shahabad Markanda Haryana and was not in a position to support her take up hockey as a career But the daughter persisted with her desire to represent the country practicing with a broken hockey stick and running around in a salwar kameez instead of a track suit Rani who started learning the sport at the age of six has been the mainstay of the Indian womens hockey team since she was 14 years old That was the year in 2010 when she played her first senior World Cup and topscored for India with seven goals and was declared the Young Player of the Tournament But behind her success is years of extreme struggle with life when her father pulled a cart and mother worked as a house maid their collective daily earning not more than Rs 100 a day I wanted an escape from my life from the electricity shortages to the mosquitoes buzzing in our ear when we slept from barely having two square meals to seeing our home getting flooded when it rained My parents tried their best but there was only so much they could do papa was a cartpuller and maa mother worked as a maid Rani had told Humans of Bombay in an interview a few years back There was a hockey academy near my home so Id spend hours watching players practice I really wanted to play Papa would earn Rs 80 a day and couldnt afford to buy me a stick Every day Id ask the coach to teach me too Hed reject me because I was malnourished Hed say You arent strong enough to pull through a practice session So I found a broken hockey stick on the field and began practicing with that I didnt have training clothes so I was running around in a salwar kameez But I was determined to prove myself I begged the coach for a chance maine bahut mushkil se convince kiya unko finally I managed to convince them with great difficulty said Rani The 26yearold Rani who is playing in her second successive Olympics and has been in the gruelling sport from more than 11 years is still the mainstay of the team She had scored the goal that clinched Indias berth in Tokyo in the final qualification match against the United States in Bhubaneswar Having made her debut at the age of 14 she had earned 241 international caps till before the Tokyo Olympics and had scored 117 goals Along the way there were several hurdles with even Ranis family not in favour of her taking up the sport When I told my family that she wanted to play hockey they said Ladkiya ghar ka kaam hi karti hai and hum tumhe skirt pehen kar khelne nahi denge Girls only do household work and we wont allow you to play in skirts Id plead with them saying Please mujhe jaane do let me play If I fail Ill do whatever you want My family reluctantly gave in The family didnt even have a clock so Ranis mother used to stay awake till the break of dawn wake her daughter up for practice and then go to sleep Training would start early in the morning We didnt have a clock so mom would stay up and look at the sky to check if it was the right time to wake me At the academy it was mandatory for each player to bring 500 ml of milk My family could only afford 200 ml without telling anyone Id mix the milk with water and drink it because I wanted to play My coach supported me through thick and thin hed buy me hockey kits and shoes He even allowed me to live with his family and took care of my dietary needs Id train hard and wouldnt miss a single day of practice I remember earning my first salary I won Rs 500 after winning a tournament and gave the money to papa He hadnt ever held so much money in his hands before I promised my family One day were going to have our own home I did everything in my power to work towards that After representing my state and playing in several championships I finally got a national call up at the age of 14 Still my relatives would only ask me when I was planning on getting married But papa told me Play to your hearts content With my familys support I focused on doing my best for India and eventually I became captain of the Indian hockey team Rani says that she fulfilled her parents dream of a home in 2017 and it was an emotional moment for all of them And then in 2017 I finally fulfilled the promise I made to my family and bought them a home We cried together and held each other tightly IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/through-pain-poverty-hockey-captain-rani-kept-dreaming-of-donning-india-colours-146171.html Tue, 03 Aug 2021 02:50:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/badminton-ace-pv-sindhus-legend-keeps-growing-145928.html Tokyo Aug 1 The agony of failing to make the Olympics final which PV Sindhu was expected to reach after all the titles she had won in the leadup to Tokyo was somewhat soothed on Sunday after she won bronze and became only the second Indian after wrestler Sushil Kumar and the first woman to earn two Olympic medals Sindhu achieved that coveted glory that too in successive Olympic Games like Sushil when she dismissed her Chinese opponent He Bingjiao 2113 2115 in the bronze medal match Often dismissed as one not having the nerve to clear the final hurdle 26yearold Sindhu still has been a pioneer in many respects bringing laurels to the country At the 2016 Rio Olympic Games she became the firstever Indian woman to win a silver medal at the Olympic Games a feat that was matched only by Mirabai Chanu on the first day of the Tokyo Games last month Sindhu is also the first Indian to win the Badminton World Championships and also the first to win Badminton World Tour Finals And she is the reigning world champion as well Her achievements as well as the absence of injured Carolina Marin who beat her in the 2016 Rio Games final and earlier this year in Swiss Open final had raised hopes of gold or at least another silver medal But running into world No 1 Tai TzuYing her nemesis in the semifinals was the worst thing that could befall Sindhu as she lost the match in straight games and was forced to fight for the bronze Daughter of former volleyball players PV Ramana and Vijaya Sindhu gets her competitive streak from her parents Under coach Pullela Gopichand and now Park Tae Sang Sindhu has gone from strength to strength in her game The tall player known for her power game as well as smashes moved out of Gopichand Academy this year and trained at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad to prepare for the Olympics She had first burst into international limelight in the 2013 World Championships at Copenhagen where she bagged a bronze She followed it up with another bronze in Guangzhou World Championships in 2014 and a bronze in 2014 Asian Games in Incheon Although she lost in the quarterfinals of the 2015 World Championships the big moment came a year later when she as ninth seed beat TaiTzu in the Round of 16 second seed Wang Yihan in quarterfinals and Nozomi Okuhara in the semifinals But she lost to Carolina in the 83minute final She then clinched the womens singles title at the 2019 World Championships in Basel an achievement that cemented her place in the pantheon of Indian sporting legends even though she had already confirmed it after winning the Olympic silver The year 2021 has been devoid of titles She lost to Carolina 1221 521 in the Swiss Open final and then was beaten by Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand in the semifinals of the All England Open in straight games 1721 921 And even though she failed to win gold or even make it to the Olympic Games final the fact that she won an Olympic bronze will only boost her legendary status IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/badminton-ace-pv-sindhus-legend-keeps-growing-145928.html Mon, 02 Aug 2021 10:35:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/chinese-shuttler-chen-yufei-wins-olympic-womens-singles-gold-145971.html Tokyo Aug 2 Chinas top seed Chen Yufei defeated Chinese Taipeis world No 1 Tai Tzuying 21 in the badminton womens singles final at the Tokyo Olympics here Scores seesawed from the onset before Chen led from a 1717 tie to 2118 Chen raced to an 118 lead in the second game but Tai recovered from 1214 down to win 2119 In the decider Chen dominated to clinch a 2118 victory Chen 23 who is a twotime bronze medallist at the World Championships thus took her first Olympic gold in her competition debut reports Xinhua It was unbelievable and I feel so happy Chen said My head went blank when I scored the last point Even when I lost the second game I told myself not to give up and hold on to my belief Chen said Tai said that she made many mistakes in the first half of the decider adding that it was hard for her to come back I think I played pretty well today but she Chen just played better Tai said she will take a break after the end of this year before deciding where to go next Earlier Indias No7 Pusarla Venkata Sindhu beat Chens teammate He Bingjiao 2113 2115 to bag the bronze IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/chinese-shuttler-chen-yufei-wins-olympic-womens-singles-gold-145971.html Mon, 02 Aug 2021 13:15:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/match-proves-dreams-can-come-true-womens-hockey-coach-marijne-146034.html Khunti Field hockey player Nikki Pradhans parents Soma Pradhan and Jitan Devi show victory sign after Indian Womens hockey team won against Australia in quarterfinals match at Tokyo Olympics at Hesal village in Khunti district Monday August 2 2021 PTI Tokyo Aug 2 Indian womens hockey team coach Dutch tactician Sjoerd Marijne said after his sides historic win against world No 2 Australia in the quarterfinals at the Olympic Games that his mantra to the girls before the match was to stay in the moment and that is what made a big difference on Monday Underdogs India defeated Australia 10 to secure an unprecedented place in the semifinals with many comparing the victory to the Indian mens cricket teams title triumph in the 1983 World Cup at Lords The Indian womens team will take on Argentina in the semifinal on August 4 After we qualified for the quarters I told the team about the importance of being in the moment and not thinking about whatifs and that is very difficult for an athlete because there are many things that are constantly playing in your mind things like what if we win what if we dont win what if I dont stop the ball So what I did is showed the team a movie and the film is about staying in the moment and I think that made a big difference in this match against Australia said Marijne Marijne said that the biggest disadvantage for the team before it landed in Tokyo was the lack of match practice as the side remained confined to the Sports Authority of India centre in Bengaluru during and after the lockdown And with Europe and the rest of the world banning flights from India due to the pandemic competitive matches were out of question We didnt have a lot of practice matches before the Olympics so we kept telling the girls to improve with every match We focused on every individual improving her performance and if the personal performances are better the performance of the team will be better We knew that we had to learn from every match that we play since we didnt have a lot of games leading into the competition After we lost 15 to the Netherlands it looked as if everything was shattered it wasnt We only needed to make a few small improvements said Marijne Marijne told the team to play without pressure as it had nothing to lose Today I told the girls to just play freely The pressure is on the other team and thats really important to know The quarterfinal matches are really difficult for the teams who are higher ranked And I wanted the players to be proud of themselves today regardless of the result And I told the players that at the end of the match they shouldnt feel their legs after running so much on the pitch We defended well today The defensive structure during penalty corners was very good This match also proves dreams can come true If you start believing and you keep believing and you keep working hard things can happen You have to do the work to fulfil your dreams and thats what we did today said the coach IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/match-proves-dreams-can-come-true-womens-hockey-coach-marijne-146034.html Mon, 02 Aug 2021 16:17:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-dutee-clocks-2385-sec-finishes-38th-out-of-41-athletes-in-200m-146050.html Tokyo Aug 2 Indias top woman sprinter Dutee Chand failed to advance in 200 metres finishing last in her heat at the Tokyo Olympics clocking 2385 seconds to ends seventh Her personal best in 200m is 2300 seconds set at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta The 25yearold Dutee was 38th out of 41 in the overall standings despite a seasons best time of 2385 Namibias Christine Mboma won the heats with a timing of 2211 seconds a new national record while Gabrielle Thomas of the USA the worldleading time holder for the season was second in 2220 seconds Nigers Aminatou Seyni came in third with a timing of 2272 seconds to seal the three automatic qualifying slots for the semifinals The top three finishers from each heat along with the three fastest timings across the seven races make the semifinals which will be held later on Monday The final is scheduled for Tuesday Earlier the Indian sprinter had bowed out of the 100m competition on the opening day of track field competitions clocking 1154 seconds to finish seventh in her heat that also featured twotime Olympic champion ShellyAnn FraserPryce of Jamaica The world champion however was later pipped by her compatriot Elaine ThompsonHerah in the final for the gold medal Shericka Jackson took the bronze medal in the womens 100m to complete the allJamaican podium Social media came alive following Dutees 200m sprint with few complimenting the runner for achieving her seasons best time while others were critical of her performance Dutee Chands vacation in Japan interrupted by 100 and 200 heats Short interruptions though Athletics Olympics wrote a fan on twitter Dutee Chand finished 38th overall out of 41 athletes She clocked 2385s in her Heat where she finished last Dutees PB 2300s would have been enough to make it to Semis Last athlete to qualify clocked 2326s Tokyo2020 wrote another fan Dutee Chand finished last in her heat failed to qualify for semifinals of 200m just like she did in 100m Disappointing is not even appropriate word to describe her performance wrote another fan However fans also appreciated her seasons best with one of them tweeting HardLuck DuteeChand You made India Proud Immense hope and scope for Athletics IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-dutee-clocks-2385-sec-finishes-38th-out-of-41-athletes-in-200m-146050.html Mon, 02 Aug 2021 17:14:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-hockey-indian-women-make-historic-entry-into-semifinals-146089.html Tokyo Aug 2 Taking inspiration from the mens team that got into the medal rounds after a gap of four decades Indian womens hockey scripted a historic moment of their own by making their maiden entry into the semifinals at the Tokyo Olympic Games on Monday India defeated world No 2 Australia 10 in the quarterfinals to storm into the lastfour stage marking their maiden entry into the medal round with a brilliant performance against a team that had dominated the tournament so far and was one of the favourites to win the gold medal Drag flicker Gurjit Kaur scored the allimportant goal in the 22nd minute with a powerful flick that deflected off a defenders stick into the goal The Indians then defended superbly and did not allow Australia threetime gold medallists in the Olympics to score in the entire second half with defenders Deep Grace Ekka Udita and Gurjit Kaur and midfielder Monika standing like a wall to guard the goal And whenever the Aussies got past them goalkeeper Savita was there to save India as she pulled off at least seven brilliant saves to thwart the Hockeyroos The Indians attacked aggressively defended stoutly and controlled the midfield that allowed them to enjoy possession in the first half Australia could not get into their rhythm early on and kept chasing the ball in the entire match India dominated the first half they enjoyed more possession and also created better chances against an Australian team that had dominated Pool B with an allwin record in five matches They were not cowed down by the reputation of the world No 2 team and stood toetotoe with the mighty Hockeyroos Australia earned the first chance when Ambrosia Malone struck the post off their first penalty corner The Indians too were unlucky not to take the lead in the first quarter as Sharmilas shot at the far post came off the upright Vandana Katariya made a superb run to the left backline and sent in a pullback to Lalremsiami who had positioned herself near the far post However her deflection came off the post as the two teams went into the firstquarter break goalless The Indians started aggressively and did not allow the Aussie forwards who have been rampant in the group stage many chances They defended well and in numbers especially Deep Grace Ekka and Monika were solid and brilliant as they cut down many Australian moves Goalkeeper Savita was rock solid and pulled off a number of good saves The second quarter changed the complexion of the match as the Indians went into the lead leaving Australia frustrated India earned a penalty corner in the 21st minute of the match and went ahead increasing the pressure on the Hockeyroos Drag flicker Gurjit Kaur who had failed to score a single direct goal despite a bag full of chances struck for India her dragflick getting deflected from a defenders stick and looping over goalkeeper Rachael Ann Lynchs outstretched leg into the goal Australia attacked in numbers but found the Indian defence especially goalkeeper Savita impregnable The Australians earned three penalty corners but could not capitalise on any They had seven shots at the goal IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-hockey-indian-women-make-historic-entry-into-semifinals-146089.html Mon, 02 Aug 2021 18:54:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-american-schauffele-wins-golf-gold-lahiri-ends-tied-42nd-145836.html Tokyo Aug 1 Xander Schauffele of the United States won the mens golf gold at the Tokyo Olympics with 18underpar 266 on Sunday at the Kasumigaseki Country Club in Kawagoe City Saitama Prefecture Schauffele said grabbing the Olympic gold medal is the biggest win of his career I really wanted to win for my dad I am sure he is crying somewhere right now I kind of wanted this one more than any other Indias Anirban Lahiri had a oneover in the final round and finished joint 42nd with three others with a fiveunder for the tournament Udayan Mane was 56th with a oneover in the final round and a total of threeover Heading into the final round on a tied28th position Lahiri carded a oneover 72 in the final round to slip further to the tied42nd spot with a total score of fiveunder 279 67 72 68 72 Olympic debutant Mane too shot a oneover 72 in his fourth round to finish 56th in the 60player field with a score of threeover 287 76 69 70 72 Slovak golfer Rory Sabbatini grabbed the silver one shot behind The world No 204 player surprised the course with an Olympic recordsetting 10underpar round of 61 on Sunday To shoot 10under on this golf course surprised me I played nicely but still 10under is a tough score to make on this golf course Sabbatini said Just being here was an honour to be a Slovakian representative To be here and the medal is something that hopefully really gets the fires started to build golf in Slovakia especially with the juniors Chinese Taipeis Pan Chengtsung clinched the bronze after a playoff The womens competition will take place from August 4 to 7 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-american-schauffele-wins-golf-gold-lahiri-ends-tied-42nd-145836.html Mon, 02 Aug 2021 00:31:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-hockey-germany-australia-win-to-set-up-semifinal-meeting-145846.html Tokyo Aug 1 World No 1 Australia will meet fourtime champions Germany in the semifinals of the mens hockey competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games after overcoming favourites the Netherlands in a thrilling shootout Australia who topped Pool A were meeting the fourthplaced team in Pool B but they could not have taken things lightly as the Dutch are a force to reckon with in world hockey Their clash on Sunday ended in a 22 stalemate at the end of regulation time But in extra time Australia won 30 in a shootout tiebreaker Despite this being a meeting between the winner of Pool A and the team that finished fourth in Pool B the undefeated Kookaburras were given a huge test by the Netherlands who produced their best performance of the competition by far to push the Oceania giants all the way Australia took the lead when Tom Wickham forced home a closerange field goal after excellent work from Tim Brand scoring 13 minutes into the first half in which the Netherlands had the most scoring opportunities but were thwarted by the brilliance of Kookaburras goalkeeper Andrew Charter The Oranje snatched a deserving equaliser early in the third period when Mink van der Weerden found the gap between Charters legs from a penalty corner However the Australians were soon back in front with outstanding Brand and Wickham combining again for the latter to slapshoot into the Netherlands goal via the right post The Dutch again hit back via a perfectlyplaced penalty stroke from Jeroen Hertzberger 10 minutes from time after Mirco Pruijsers goalbound shot hit the body of an Australian defender setting up a shootout for a place in the semifinals Australia emerged triumphant in the oneonone with Charter producing goalkeeping heroics to deny Hertzberger Robbert Kemperman and Jonas de Geus before rising star Brand sealed victory following productive efforts from Blake Govers and Flynn Ogilvie It was a moment of redemption for Australia who suffered a shootout defeat against the Netherlands in the semifinals of the FIH Mens World Cup 2018 Meanwhile Argentinas hopes of defending the Olympic title that they so brilliantly won at Rio 2016 ended thanks to a clinical performance from Germany who moved into the semifinals with a 31 win and continued their hunt for a 12th mens hockey medal in Olympic competition Die Honamas scored three times from just four penaltycorner opportunities an intimidating conversion rate that will not go unnoticed by the respective coaches of the other teams that reach the final four Germanys first penaltycorner chance resulted in a reaward with Lukas Windfeder making no mistake with his teams second chance by rattling the backboard of the Argentina goal in the 19th minute The Rio 2016 bronze medallists extended their advantage in the third quarter when Timm Herzbruch deflected home an exceptionallyworked routine with a precise exchange of passes leaving Argentinas defenders bewildered and giving goalkeeper Juan Vivaldi who made some incredible saves in this contest no chance Windfeder took the score to 30 with another ripping dragflick 12 minutes from time before Argentina pulled a goal back thanks to Maico Casellas penaltycorner dragflick IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-hockey-germany-australia-win-to-set-up-semifinal-meeting-145846.html Mon, 02 Aug 2021 01:23:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/zverev-beats-khachanov-to-clinch-gold-medal-in-mens-singles-145857.html Tokyo Aug 1 German tennis player Alexander Zverev beat Karen Khachanov of the Russian Olympic Committee ROC 63 61 to clinch the gold medal in the mens singles tennis final of the Tokyo Olympics at the Ariake Tennis Park on Sunday The 24yearold Zverev yet to win a Grand Slam was in imperious form during the final which lasted an hour and 19 minutes He also became the first German male tennis player to win a singles Olympic gold It was an easy straightsets win for the world No 5 Zverev to beat a misfiring Khachanov in the final after getting the better of top seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the semifinals Nothing could break his focus including the 10 antiOlympics protestors shouting from outside the centre court Zverev the 2020 US Open finalist secured the early break for 21 in the opening set He held his serve until breaking again at 53 to take the first set Zverevs domination continued further as he took an early secondset lead It meant that Khachanov was outplayed by the superior strokeplay of Zverev At one point he was staring at the embarrassment of the bagel But Khachanov was able to put it off by winning his first match point of the set In the end Zverev won the gold medal as Khachanov found the net leading to the German dropping to his knees Khachanov cross with himself smashed his racquet in frustration The gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics is likely to go down as one of the highlights of Zverevs tennis career alongside his ATP finals win in 2018 and four Masters titles Khachanov took the silver while Spains Pablo CarreÃo Busta won the bronze after defeating Djokovic on Saturday IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/zverev-beats-khachanov-to-clinch-gold-medal-in-mens-singles-145857.html Mon, 02 Aug 2021 02:31:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-aishwary-sanjeev-fail-to-reach-50m-rifle-3-positions-final-146115.html Tokyo Aug 2 Indian rifle shooting duo of Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Sanjeev Rajput failed to reach the final of the mens 50m rifle 3 positions at the Tokyo Olympics on Monday Tomar the gold medallist in the event at the ISSF World Cup in New Delhi this year finished 21st with a score of 1167 and 63 Xs while Rajput was placed 32nd with a score of 1157 and 55 Xs at the Asaka Shooting Range Sergey Kamenskiy of the Russian Olympic Committee ROC topped the qualification with a score of 1183 and 73 Xs Other finalists include Changhong Zhang of China JonHermann Hegg of Norway Milenko Sebic of Serbia Miran Maricic of Croatia Serhiy Kulish of Ukraine Petar Gorsa of Croatia and Yury Shcherbatsevich of Belarus Henrik Larsen of Norway who created a flutter with a perfect 400 out of 400 in prone faltered in the standing series and missed out on the final by just one point Tomar started well by scoring 99 in the first series of the kneeling position He followed it up with a perfect score in the second series Though he slipped to 95 in the third series Tomar finished the stage with another perfect score A total of 397 from kneeling kept him in second place Tomar started his prone position series with 98 and 99 But his next two series of 97 resulting in a score of 391 pushed him out of the top eight The 20yearold didnt have the best of beginnings in the standing position with 95 in the first series inclusive of four consecutive 9s in the start He improved to 96 in the second series But Tomar slumped to 93 in the third series which included five 9s and one eight A score of 95 in the final series wasnt enough for him to get into the final On the other hand Rajput the experienced shooter never looked to qualify for the final during the entire duration of the event The 40yearold had shot 96 followed by 99 in the first two series at kneeling But a flurry of 9s in the third series resulted in 95 He shot 97 in the final series but finished 25th at the end of kneeling with a score of 387 In prone Rajput began well with a 97 followed by a perfect score of 100 in the second series Consecutive series of 98 saw his score in prone become 393 and a 23rd place In standing he shot 94 in the first series But 93 followed by 95 twice in the rest of the standing series meant Rajput finished with a final score of 1157 at 32nd place out of 39 shooters in the event With Rajput and Tomar unable to reach the final Indias campaign in the sport at the Tokyo Olympics has now ended with zero medals Only Saurabh Chaudhary was able to reach the final of an event finishing seventh in the mens 10m air pistol final while the rest of the contingent couldnt clear the qualification stage IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-aishwary-sanjeev-fail-to-reach-50m-rifle-3-positions-final-146115.html Mon, 02 Aug 2021 21:23:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/play-without-fear-convert-pcs-women-hockey-olympians-tell-rani-co-145861.html By B Shrikant Mumbai Aug 1 They had set the ball rolling for India when womens hockey made its Olympics debut at Moscow in 1980 and two members of that team feel that India had a good chance against Australia if they tighten up their game and capitalise on their chances Eliza Nelson and Selma DSilva both former India captains who were also part of the team that won the Asian Games gold in 1982 at New Delhi feel Rani Rampal and her team has a good chance of putting it across Australia if they take care of a few key areas of their game They should play onetouch hockey and not try to dribble too much Australia is a very strong team and the Indians have made it to the quarterfinals for the first time so they dont have anything to lose Eliza Nelson told IANS on Sunday She said the Indians will have to play compact hockey should not make many mistakes and capitalise on the chances that come their way Selma gave India a 5050 chance in the quarterfinal against Australia Going by the way they came back after losing the first three matches they beat Ireland and South Korea in the last two games I will give them a 5050 chance in the quarterfinal said Selma She felt that though Vandana Katariya struck a hattrick against South Africa the Indian forwards have to be sharper and come up with coordinated efforts The defence also has to be strong and we have to make the most of the penalty corners We had 14 against Ireland and could not convert even one Gurjit Kaur Indias dragflicker has not scored many but maybe tomorrow will be her day said Selma who traces her roots in Goa Both Eliza and Selma agreed that the Indian team has nothing to lose as it has achieved its target of reaching the quarterfinals It is a great opportunity for the girls if they utilise it properly said Selma So the message from these two stalwarts to Rani Rampal and her team is clear go for it give your best IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/play-without-fear-convert-pcs-women-hockey-olympians-tell-rani-co-145861.html Mon, 02 Aug 2021 03:16:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/rajput-tomar-indias-last-medal-hopes-in-shooting-on-last-day-of-competition-145870.html Tokyo Aug 1 Former Navy man Sanjeev Rajput now into his third Olympics and young Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar who is on his Olympic debut will look to bring cheers to the Indian shooting contingent in Tokyo when they compete in the mens 50m Rifle 3 positions qualification round at the Asaka Shooting range on Monday the 10th and concluding day of the shooting competitions Rajput and Tomar are ranked sixth and second in the world in this most gruelling shooting event on schedule Both Indians will have to fight hard for a topeight spot given the presence of the likes of defending Olympic champion Sergey Kamenskiy of Russian Olympic Committee ROC and world No 1 Istvan Peni of Hungary in the 48strong field among other heavyweight 3P exponents The Indian shooters have had a dismal outing in Tokyo with only Saurabh Chaudhary making it to the finals of the 10m air pistol event but finishing seventh All the other shooters in pistol rifle and shotgun shooting have dished out subpar performances IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/rajput-tomar-indias-last-medal-hopes-in-shooting-on-last-day-of-competition-145870.html Mon, 02 Aug 2021 04:32:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/pv-sindhu-beats-he-bingjiao-to-win-womens-singles-bronze-145889.html Tokyo Aug 1 Indian shuttler PV Sindhu won the womens singles bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday defeating Chinas He Bingjiao 2113 2115 at the Musashino Forest Sports Plaza to add a second medal to Indias tally at the Games With Sindhus bronze India have now equalled their tally of 2016 Rio Olympic Games It was Sindhus second medal at the Olympics after she bagged a silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics She also became the first Indian woman to win two Olympics medals Before her feat wrestler Sushil Kumar was the only Indian to win two medals at successive Olympics Sindhus first point in the match came with a 22shot rally running for 27 seconds She rose to take a quick 40 lead before the lefthanded He levelled at 55 Sindhu stormed to a midgame lead of 118 with a straight smash down the line Post the break Sindhu started to dictate terms snatching three points The rallies were intense but Sindhus aggressive play didnt wane All of this combined with her fierce power clearly rattled He who lost the opening game in 23 minutes In the second game Sindhu didnt loosen her grip She continued to dominate her Chinese opponent and took an early 41 lead He tried to claw back with long smashes and engaged Sindhu in net play But the Chinese was clearly struggling with the drift which led her to commit errors The oneway traffic continued as He was at the receiving end of Sindhus powerful smashes The Chinese gave Sindhu time and space to hit her smashes conceding a threepoint lead at the interval Post the interval He looked to make a comeback by winning three straight points to level at 1111 But Sindhu bounced back with a downtheline smash and then caught He by surprise with a lastminute turn of the wrist for a fantastic crosscourt slice drop for a 1411 lead An unforced error by He gave Sindhu another point But the Chinese won two points on the trot to bring the lead down to two points Another rally followed but it was sealed with a crosscourt smash from Sindhu who opened a threepoint lead again He won a point but Sindhu forced the Chinese to commit an unforced error to go 1915 up Sindhu raced to 20 with another amazing smash She then wrapped up the match with a scintillating crosscourt smash and took the bronze medal by winning the second game 2115 For Sindhu it has been a resounding campaign at the Olympics She topped Group J and did not drop a single game in her winning matches except for the semifinal defeat to Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei But she recovered well to outclass He in straight games IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/pv-sindhu-beats-he-bingjiao-to-win-womens-singles-bronze-145889.html Mon, 02 Aug 2021 06:52:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-hockey-brilliant-india-secure-semifinal-berth-after-four-decades-to-take-on-belgium-145894.html Tokyo Aug 1 With a brilliant performance from a young team that lived like a family during the pandemic and played as a single unit in Tokyo India made it to the medal round of the Olympic Games mens hockey tournament after a gap of 41 years beating Great Britain 31 in the quarterfinals on Sunday It was Super Sunday for India as the team coached by Australias Graham Reid rode on a scintillating performance by goalkeeper PR Sreejesh to outwit Great Britain in the fourth and final quarterfinal setting up a lastfour clash with reigning World Cup winners Belgium Australia take on Germany in the other semifinal Victory over Belgium will put India in the final for the first time since the 1980 Moscow Olympics when they beat Spain to win their eighth and last gold medal in Olympics hockey A defeat against Belgium will keep them in the hunt for the bronze medal It is the first time that India have reached the semifinal of Olympic hockey competition since 1972 when they won a bronze in Munich as there were no semifinals played in Moscow with the toptwo teams in the preliminary league making it to the goldmedal match while the team that finished third and fourth contested for bronze Forwards Dilpreet Singh Gurjant Singh and Hardik Singh scored for India while Sam Ward reduced the margin off an indirect penalty corner But India have to thank their defenders and goalkeeper Sreejesh for the victory as they absorbed the pressure from Great Britain especially in the fourth quarter when skipper Manpreet Singh was shown the yellow card for a desperate tackle and thwarted repeated attempts from the British forwards Earlier India started off well and went into the lead in the seventh minute after Great Britain had earned the first penalty corner of the match in the third minute Amit Rohidas rushed forward to cut down the space which did not allow the rivals to take a clear shot India took control of the first quarter and scored when Dilpreet capitalised on a superb move and pass by Gurjant to slam the ball past the goalkeeper India dictated the pace dominated the midfield and goalkeeper PR Sreejesh stood like a rock denying the British goals off penalty corners as well as their forward Sam Ward who looked threatening on a couple of occasions Sreejesh was the best Indian player in the first half as she denied the British forwards on several occasions Gurjant Singh made it 20 in the second quarter with another superb field goal his third in the Tokyo Olympics so far Great Britain picked up the tempo in the second quarter and created a number of chances always looking to Sam Ward to provide the final push towards the goal But with the Indian defence manned by Amit Rohidas Rupinderpal Singh Harmanpreet Singh and Sumit blocking tackling and thwarting the rivals Great Britain found the going tough IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympic-hockey-brilliant-india-secure-semifinal-berth-after-four-decades-to-take-on-belgium-145894.html Mon, 02 Aug 2021 07:34:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/sindhus-feat-rare-will-inspire-next-generation-abhinav-bindra-145897.html New Delhi Aug 1 Indias only individual gold medallist at the Olympic Games rifle marksman Abhinav Bindra complimented badminton player PV Sindhu on her achievement of becoming the first woman sportsperson from the country to win two Olympic medals saying it was a rare accomplishment and that the next generation of athletes are lucky to have a role model like her In a letter posted on social media Bindra winner of the 10m air rifle gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics said Many congratulations on winning the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 Very few athletes from our nation have been fortunate enough to achieve what you have achieved In fact most sporting careers all over the world end without an Olympic medal even after years and years spent obsessing over winning the shiny little round object This alone shows just how rare it is to accomplish such a feat and just how insane one has to be to even dream of it You are already a Double Olympic Medallist However it is days like these and triumphs such as yours that push us all to keep dreaming of the impossible said Bindra in his letter after Sindhu won the bronze by defeating Chinas He Bingjao 2113 2115 on Sunday The next generation of athletes are lucky to have got a role model in you who is an embodiment of the virtues of practice and perseverance the two qualities one needs in abundance in order to thrive in elite competitions I would like to appreciate the unflinching support and encouragement that would have been provided by your family friends and coaching staff as you undertook this journey to become the best It can get very isolating as an athlete competing at the elite level and I cannot stress enough the importance of people who are always standing in your corner quietly infecting you with their warmth and belief even when you are busy harping over dispiriting defeats Your medal perfectly encapsulates the power of sport and how it continues to inspire us all through its incorruptible spirit of togetherness Yours is a rousing story that keeps us going amidst all the destruction created by the ongoing pandemic The toughest of times blesses us with the most formidable of characters and you certainly are one I thank you for the joy youve brought to the nation and hope you continue to spread the values of Olympism and carry out your responsibilities as an Olympic medallist with the same energy and attitude with which you dazzled us all in Tokyo wrote Bindra IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/sindhus-feat-rare-will-inspire-next-generation-abhinav-bindra-145897.html Mon, 02 Aug 2021 08:04:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/had-to-switch-off-my-emotions-for-this-one-match-sindhu-145906.html Tokyo Aug 1 Indian shuttler PV Sindhu said that she had to switch off her emotions to do well in the bronzemedal match against He Bingjiao on Sunday Sindhu won 2113 2115 against the lefthanded He to clinch the bronze medal a day after losing in straight games to Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei With this Sindhu has now become the first woman and second Indian after Sushil Kumar to win medals in successive Olympics It is also Indias second medal at the Tokyo Olympics It makes me feel really happy because Ive worked hard for so many years I had a lot of emotions going through me should I be happy that I won bronze or sad that I lost the opportunity to play in the final But overall I had to close off my emotions for this one match and give it my best my all Im really happy and I think Ive done really well Its a proud moment getting a medal for my country Sindhu was quoted as saying by BWF after the match When asked about her celebrations on getting the bronze medal Sindhu quipped Im on cloud nine Im going to enjoy this moment My family has worked hard for me and put in a lot of effort so Im very thankful And my sponsors have given me their best so Id like to thank them and enjoy the moment The 26yearold paid gratitude to the fans for supporting her throughout the tournament A lot of Indian fans showed me their love and support and Im very thankful to each and every one of them Definitely lots of love and support and kisses In the match Sindhu was quick into the lead and never let her grip off it She said that the trick was to be calm and patient It was a fresh game altogether We both had losses yesterday and came back For us it was very important in getting a medal for the country and at the Olympics Its not easy Its a big thing There were really long rallies but I had to be patient and calm Even though I was leading I did not relax Sindhu concluded by saying that she will play in the 2024 Paris Olympics Definitely yes Definitely IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/had-to-switch-off-my-emotions-for-this-one-match-sindhu-145906.html Mon, 02 Aug 2021 08:43:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/xiao-takes-3rd-medal-on-day-1-of-individual-gymnastics-145908.html Tokyo Aug 1 On the first day of individual gymnastics events at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday four gold medals went to athletes from four different countries while Chinas Xiao Ruoteng bagged his third medal Xiao who had won a bronze in mens team allaround and silver in individual allaround took bronze in the floor exercise final with 14766 points reports Xinhua Of course I was hoping to even get higher on the podium like getting gold or silver But bronze is very good and I am very happy with todays performance and result Xiao said in a mixedzone interview I watched the other gymnasts compete in the final before I competed myself but I tried to solely focus on my own performance as I wanted to do my best he said I cant control the impact of the pandemic and I cant control the external factors such as the previous controversy But I can control the things that I can I train every day so my own mental state is really good Xiao thanked Japan for staging the Olympics In fact I am very grateful to Japan for hosting the Olympic Games successfully I think Japan has made great efforts for this Otherwise many athletes would not have had the opportunity he said Israeli gymnast Artem Dolgopyat 24 won gold in the mens floor exercise with 14933 points Spains Rayderley Zapata had the same score but was edged into the second place due to lower difficulty I didnt do my best combination and I had some mistakes but I was surprised when I saw my score Well keep working said Dolgopyat Brazils Rebeca Andrade triumphed on the womens vault with 15083 with both routines over 15000 points The gold her second medal at Tokyo 2020 came after her silver in the womens allaround final on Thursday I am super happy I worked very hard for it Those were not my best two vaults and after I performed them I even said this was not good but it got me the score I needed to be in the first place she said I wasnt focused on getting a medal After taking the silver on Thursday I took it one day at a time and focused on what I need to do she said Britains Max Whitlock defending champion on pommel horse and floor exercise claimed gold in the pommel horse final with 15583 points This was the most nervous I have ever been for any competition I have ever done in my entire life I always said it retaining titles is 10 times harder than chasing it Today proved that to me Its a million times harder he said Chinas Sun Wei placed eighth on this apparatus On uneven bars Belgiums Nina Derwael the 2019 world champion in the apparatus received an unparalleled 6700 difficulty score to ensure gold with 15200 points US gymnast Sunisa Lee a gold medalist in allaround on Thursday finished third with 14500 points Chinas Lu Yufei and Fan Yilin finished fourth and seventh respectively IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/xiao-takes-3rd-medal-on-day-1-of-individual-gymnastics-145908.html Mon, 02 Aug 2021 08:52:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/ecuadorian-weightlifter-barrera-captures-oly-gold-by-huge-margin-145912.html Tokyo Aug 1 Neisi Patricia Dajomes Barrera of Ecuador dominated the womens 76kg classification at the Olympic Games on Sunday winning gold by a huge margin of 14kg ahead of American Katherine Nye The bronze medal went to Mexican Aremi Fuentes Zavala who tallied 245kg Barrera the bronze medallist at the 2019 World Championships stormed to a comfortable lead in the snatch as she hoisted 118kg five kilos more than Iryna Dekha of Ukraine winner in the European Championships this year The 23yearold extended her advantage in the clean and jerk with a lift of 145kg totalling 263kg to win She has become the third athlete representing Ecuador to win a medal at the Olympic Games Dekha 25 lost momentum as she failed all her attempts in the clean and jerk Nye junior world champion in 2019 clinched silver with a total of 249kg and the bronze went to Arem Fuentes Zavala of Mexico with 245kg The 22yearold Nye won the world title in the womens 71kg event in 2019 an event not on the Olympic programme The only female representing the USA to win a gold medal in weightlifting at the Olympics was Tara Nott in the 48kg event at the Sydney 2000 Olympics IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/ecuadorian-weightlifter-barrera-captures-oly-gold-by-huge-margin-145912.html Mon, 02 Aug 2021 09:13:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/sindhus-parents-overjoyed-proud-on-olympic-glory-145916.html Hyderabad Aug 1 It was time for celebrations at the residence of Indias star shuttler PV Sindu on Sunday as she clinched the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics Her parents were overjoyed as soon as she defeated Chinas Bing Jiao 2113 2115 to bag the bronze and create history by becoming the first Indian woman athlete to win two Olympic medals PV Ramana and P Vijaya said they were proud at their daughters achievement We are very happy that she won a medal for the country She is the first Indian woman to win two consecutive Olympic medals No doubt it is bronze and silver but that way at least she brought some name and fame to the country Ramana said Sindhu had won silver at Rio Olympics in 2016 after losing to Spains Carolina Marin in the final Ramana and Vijaya both former volleyball players were elated that Sindhu came back to win the bronze after the heartbreaking loss in the semifinal against Tai Tzu of Chinese Taipei on Saturday Sindhus father revealed that she had tears in her eyes after the loss in the semifinal He said it was good that she recovered and came back to win the medal Yesterday I told her you have given your best forget what has happened Now concentrate on the next match and just think that you are giving me a gift and play on the court I am happy she has done it he said Playing third and fourth match is very painful Yesterday I motivated her a lot Thank god with the blessings of every one the entire nation she has got the medal he added Ramana said he advised Sindhu to focus on the game and the body language Yesterday and day before yesterday Bing Jiao had played three games Its not easy for a player to continue the same rhythm I also told Sindhu to increase the pace because Bing Jiao is also a tricky player like Tai Tzu He is confident that Sindhu now 26 will play the next Olympics too We have to plan and work out to win as many medals as possible I am confident because she is focused and she has hunger to go play and she enjoys the game he said He believes that age will not be a problem if she keeps herself fit He said with age the player gains experience and pointed out that Sindhu has improved with the time Ramana also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for encouraging Sindhu Before she left for Tokyo the Prime Minister had told her to come back with medal and he will have ice cream with her Now she has won the medal and will have the ice cream with him Vijaya said they were disappointed to miss the gold but added that a medal is a medal Its not easy reaching at this level Winning a medal at Olympics is not an easy thing So a medal is a medal Sindhus sister Divya said that the family had a long distance peptalk with her on Saturday and encouraged her to look beyond the defeat of the previous matchs loss and focus on winning Sundays game IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/sindhus-parents-overjoyed-proud-on-olympic-glory-145916.html Mon, 02 Aug 2021 09:39:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-dressel-wins-fourth-personal-gold-in-mens-50m-freestyle-145664.html Tokyo Aug 1 Caeleb Dressel of the United States won his fourth gold at the Tokyo Olympics triumphing in the mens 50m freestyle here on Sunday The reigning world champion touched home in an Olympic record time of 2107 seconds 048 seconds before Florent Manaudou of France Bruno Fratus of Brazil took a bronze in 2157 seconds The 24yearold Dressel has had three gold prior to Sundays final from 100m freestyle butterfly and 4x100m freestyle relay Emma McKeon of Australia beat world record holder Sarah Sjoestroem of Sweden in the womens 50m freestyle final sprinting to a 2381second finish edging world champion Sjoestroem by 026 seconds Defending champion Pernille Blume of Denmark came third in 2421 seconds This is the sixth medal in Emmas fruitful journey in Tokyo after two gold and three bronze medals Robert Finke of the United States won the mens 1500m freestyle his second gold in Tokyo after the first from 800m freestyle With a quick sprint in the last 50m Finke broke out from the fierce competition finishing in 14 minutes and 3965 seconds to stand on top of the podium again in his Olympic debut Mykhailo Romanchuk of Ukraine touched home 101 seconds behind adding a silver to his 800m freestyle bronze Florian Wellbrock of Germany who led the eightman final for the majority of time had to settle for a bronze in 144091 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-dressel-wins-fourth-personal-gold-in-mens-50m-freestyle-145664.html Sun, 01 Aug 2021 08:45:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-usa-gymnast-simone-biles-pulls-out-of-mondays-floor-exercise-final-145682.html Tokyo Aug 1 Star American gymnast Simone Biles on Sunday pulled out of the floor exercise final scheduled for Monday after having opted out of the vault and uneven bars finals in artistic gymnastics a day earlier USA Gymnastics tweeted early on Sunday that Simone has withdrawn from the event final for floor and will make a decision on beam later this week Either way were all behind you Simone The 24yearolds Instagram stories had suggested on Friday that she is still not ready to compete as she is dealing with the twisties Twisties are defined as a sudden inability to feel comfortable while twisting in midair It means that the rhythm is off and the gymnasts mind wont allow the body to complete a particular trick On Saturday after Simone had pulled out of the vault and uneven bars finals USA Gymnastics had said in a statement that After further consultation with medical staff Simone Biles has decided to withdraw from the event finals for vault and the uneven bars She will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether to compete in the finals for floor exercise and balance beam We remain in awe of Simone who continues to handle this situation with courage and grace and all of the athletes who have stepped up during these unexpected circumstances For Sundays vault final Simone has been replaced by her teammate MyKayla Skinner MyKayla was fourth in qualifying for the vault But with Simone and Jade Carey ahead of her in scores and a twogymnastsperfinal rule meant that she missed out on the final With Simones withdrawal MyKayla gets a chance to end her gymnastics career on a high on Sunday Looks like I get to put a competition Leo on just one more time Cant wait to compete in vault finals Doing this for us SimoneBiles red heart emoji Its go time baby wrote an excited 24yearold on Twitter Simones spot in the uneven bars final has been filled by the first reserve Melanie de Jesus dos Santos of France Projected as the biggest star of the Tokyo Olympics Simone was tipped to be at her best after winning four gold medals in the 2016 Rio Olympics But the sixtime Olympic medallist sat out from the final of the team event on Tuesday and the individual allaround final on Thursday due to mental health concerns IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-usa-gymnast-simone-biles-pulls-out-of-mondays-floor-exercise-final-145682.html Sun, 01 Aug 2021 10:57:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/fans-divided-over-simone-biles-withdrawal-from-floor-exercise-final-145735.html Tokyo Aug 1 The withdrawal of Simone Biles from the floor exercise final in womens artistic gymnastics at the Tokyo Olympics has caused some anger amongst the fans on social media Simone has withdrawn from the event final for floor on Monday and will make a decision on beam later this week Either way were all behind you Simone read a tweet from USA Gymnastics on Sunday As the tweet about Simone not defending her floor exercise title from the 2016 Rio Olympics came it was met with people wishing for her to get well soon I think her actions will help other athletes with mental blocks during competition The Twisties are real dangerous and should not be ignored tweeted a user Good for her This is a sport that your mind MUST be right Hopefully shell do whats best for HER Shes proven shes the GOAT read another users Tweet At the same time some fans have asked why she doesnt withdraw from all events altogether If its that bad why didnt she just withdraw altogether from the rest of the events asked one user Simon e just needs to remove herself from the whole Olympics Its a distraction to the whole team wondering if shes going to be in it Not a game as you now put stress on the team at the last minute Not good commented another user One user termed her stay at Tokyo as a nightmare She really needs to just take herself out of the competition all together at this point What a nightmare Olympics this has been for her minus the Team silver Simones withdrawal came after being unable to do a twoandahalf twisting vault in the first rotation of the team final on Tuesday She pulled out from the rest of the team event where the USA won silver She further pulled out from the individual allaround vault and uneven bars finals Through her stories on Instagram on Friday Simone showed that she was trying to overcome the twisties but it wasnt happening My mind and body are simply not in sync For anyone saying I quit I didnt quit Simone has got support from USA teammates Sunisa Lee MyKayla Skinner former gymnasts Aly Raisman Dominique Moceanu and other sportspersons as well as prominent personalities of the world The balance beam final will take place on August 3 on the final day of gymnastics at the Tokyo Olympics IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/fans-divided-over-simone-biles-withdrawal-from-floor-exercise-final-145735.html Sun, 01 Aug 2021 14:33:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-satish-bows-out-in-quarterfinals-as-indias-challenge-in-mens-boxing-ends-145744.html Tokyo Aug 1 Indian boxer Satish Kumar lost to world No 1 Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals of the mens superheavyweight boxing at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday Satish put up a brave front but lost the bout by a unanimous decision Satish was the first boxer from his category in India to qualify for the Olympics He entered the ring at the Ryogoku Kokugikan Arena on Sunday despite seven stitches above his left eye and chin during his prequarterfinal win against Ricardo Brown of Jamaica The 32yearold was given medical clearance to fight in the quarterfinal in the morning In the first round Jalalov landed his punches on the target asserting his dominance Satish hanged in there but couldnt clinch the result in his favour The tall Uzebks domination continued in the second round going for the offence from the word go and countering every move of Satish He timed his punches well and made a powerful left hook which rattled Satish The result was a foregone conclusion even before the final round began Jalalov displayed stern defence through footwork while countering punches from Satish who tried to unsettle him By the time 15 seconds were left in the bout Jalalov got a chance to hit a clear punch assuring his victory Jalalov was clearly the more superior boxer By winning the match 50 he now has the chance to better his fifthplace finish from 2016 Rio Olympics It was also the third time Jalalov defeated Satish Satishs ouster meant the end of Indias challenge in mens boxing at the Tokyo Olympics Lovlina Borgohain is now the only Indian boxer left in the Tokyo Olympics The Assamese has been assured of a medal by advancing to the semifinals of the womens welterweight category IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-satish-bows-out-in-quarterfinals-as-indias-challenge-in-mens-boxing-ends-145744.html Sun, 01 Aug 2021 15:15:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-emma-mckeon-the-golden-girl-of-australian-swimming-145757.html Tokyo Aug 1 Australian Emma McKeons success in the pool left the world in awe of the 27yearold athlete on Sunday as she became the most successful swimmer from her country at the Olympics winning a whopping seven medals including four gold and three bronze in Tokyo On Sunday at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre Emma first beat world record holder Sarah Sjoestroem of Sweden in the womens 50m freestyle final sprinting to a 2381second finish to clinch gold and later in the day helped the team edge defending champions the United States for the womens 4x100m medley relay gold Kaylee McKeown Chelsea Hodges Emma McKeon and Cate Campbell concerted their efforts to win Australias third Olympic gold in the event in 35160 a new Olympic record With the two gold medals on Sunday Emma propelled her country to 20 medals overall nine of them gold which is their best performance ever in the Olympic pool Emmas list of achievements in Tokyo include gold in 100m freestyle 4x100m freestyle relay 4x100m medley relay and womens 50m freestyle while she also won three bronze in mixed 4x100m medley relay 100m butterfly and 4x200m freestyle relay Australias nine gold in Tokyo is one better than Melbourne 1956 and in terms of individual medals won they pushed their total up to 20 equalling the performance of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Emma not only became the greatest medal winner in Australian Olympic history surpassing Ian Thorpe and Leisel Jones but the first Australian ever to win four gold at a single Olympics If one includes her 2016 Rio Olympics relay gold she joins Thorpe as the only Australian ever to win five career gold Emmas two gold on Sunday elevated her to 11 medals in Olympic history making her the greatest nonAmerican swimmer of all time in Olympic history and the greatest female swimmer ever at a single Games according to the Australian Olympic Committee AOC Only Americans rank above her on career medals Michael Phelps 28 Jenny Thompson Ryan Lochte Dara Torres and Natalie Coughlin with 12 She has drawn level with the greatest swimmers of their day Mark Spitz and Matt Biondi with 11 And just remember that the American depth runs so constantly deep through the sport that every relay those swimmers contested carried an almost certain gold at worst a silver or bronze said the AOC website I cant believe the week Ive had I never thought I would win the 50m freestyle I had trained for the 200m instead the only event she cut from her programme to make it more manageable But when I went out there this morning I had the belief I could win said Emma It is very surreal The whole week I have been keeping my emotions at a certain level I dont usually say this but I wanted to win here IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-emma-mckeon-the-golden-girl-of-australian-swimming-145757.html Sun, 01 Aug 2021 16:07:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/us-swimmer-caeleb-dressel-shines-with-five-gold-in-six-events-145766.html Tokyo Aug 1 Caeleb Dressel of the United States made himself the most successful swimmer in Tokyo with five gold from the six events he featured in as the swimming competitions concluded here on Sunday In the first race in the morning Dressel won his fourth gold at the Olympics triumphing in the mens 50m freestyle The reigning world champion set an Olympic record time of 2107 seconds and finished 048 seconds before Florent Manaudou of France Bruno Fratus of Brazil took a bronze in 2157 seconds reports Xinhua Winning bronze releases a lot of pressure that was on my back For the past few weeks Ive been in my own bubble Ive been off social media so to win the bronze medal is great said Fratus The 24yearold Dressel had three gold in hand prior to Sundays final from 100m freestyle butterfly and 4x100m freestyle relay An hour later Dressel helped the United States break its own world record to win the last swimming gold in Tokyo from the mens 4x100m medley relay Im proud of myself I think I reached what my potential was here at these Games It was just really fun racing Ill give myself a pat on the back and then Ill just put it away and move forward Im going to take a break here said Dressel Finishing in three minutes and 2678 seconds the American swimmers sliced 05 seconds off their previous mark of 32728 set in 2009 Britain won the silver in 32751 while Italy bagged the bronze with the time of 32917 Team USA has not missed a single gold in the event in every Olympics they attended since 1960 and this is their 15th Olympic title Like Dressel Emma McKeon of Australia hunted a womens 50m and 100m freestyle double The Aussie refreshed her own Olympic record to a 2381second finish edging world record holder Sarah Sjoestroem of Sweden by 026 seconds in the womens 50m freestyle Defending champion Pernille Blume of Denmark came third in 2421 seconds Shortly after the race Australia edged defending champions the United States for Australias third Olympic gold in the womens 4x100m medley relay Kaylee McKeown Chelsea Hodges Emma McKeon and Cate Campbell won in 35160 a new Olympic record Team USA was left by 013 seconds behind and saw their record of 35205 at London 2012 crashed by the Aussies Canada took the bronze in 35260 It is a little more special to get a win from behind over the US Weve been in some incredibly close battles with them over the years where they have got me Australia To do it on the worlds biggest stage is a dream come true said Cate on how this relay performance rates in her career This is the seventh medal in McKeons fruitful journey in Tokyo after three gold in 50m 100m freestyle and womens 4x100m freestyle relay and three bronze medals She thus became the second woman to win seven medals in one Olympic Games after Maria Gorokhovskaya of the former Soviet Union in artistic gymnastics at Helsinki 1952 I never thought Id win two gold medals in one session Im very happy It is very surreal It the swim programme at Tokyo 2020 went by very quickly Im very happy with how the meet went said McKeon on winning two Olympic gold on Sunday morning Elsewhere in the mens 1500m freestyle Robert Finke of the United States won the title in 14 minutes and 3965 seconds in his first Olympic Games his second gold in Tokyo after the first from 800m freestyle I came in not really expecting to get a medal or anything and came out of it with two gold so I am just going to do my best to process things hang out with my family and teammates here said Finke Mykhailo Romanchuk of Ukraine touched homed 101 seconds behind adding a silver to his 800m freestyle bronze Florian Wellbrock of Germany had to settle for a bronze in 144091 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/us-swimmer-caeleb-dressel-shines-with-five-gold-in-six-events-145766.html Sun, 01 Aug 2021 17:05:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/french-boxer-disqualified-for-headbutt-sits-on-ringside-in-protest-145771.html Tokyo Aug 1 A French super heavyweight boxer sat on a ringside protest for nearly an hour after being disqualified for headbutting at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday Mourad Aliev was disqualified with four seconds left in the second round against Frazer Clarke of Great Britain for headbutt in the quarterfinal bout at the Ryogoku Kokugikan Arena Aliev who won the first round in a close fight had been given a warning over the excessive usage of the head The referee Andrew Mustacchio of the USA determined Aliev intentionally used his head to clash with Clarke who got significant cuts near both his eyes On seeing his disqualification an agitated Aliev spat out his mouth guard and punched a TV camera trying to zoom in He then sat down alone on the edge of the ring for more than 30 minutes After exiting for 15 minutes the 26yearold returned to the spot again before leaving the ring for going to the mixed zone His sitin protest at the ringside lasted for an hour In between French officials spoke to him and gave water Later through two Instagram stories Aliev said Thank you for all your messages before during and after I am suffering an injustice I am disqualified for no reason After deliberation the judges recognizing my victory but dont give me victory because its too late Its already written on the paper He further said The referees are incompetent 4 years of sacrifice for nothing Olympic boxing is real shit I am truly disappointed sad and disgusted See you in professional As the bout was the last fight of the first session the protest did not stall the proceedings of the day The second session of boxing events begins at 5pm Tokyo time The boxing tournament in the Tokyo Olympics are being run by a special task force instead of the International Boxing Association AIBA suspended by the IOC in 2019 Clarke now assured of a medal after reaching the semifinals will now face Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan who earlier defeated Indias Satish Kumar in the quarterfinals by unanimous decision IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/french-boxer-disqualified-for-headbutt-sits-on-ringside-in-protest-145771.html Sun, 01 Aug 2021 17:19:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/sindhu-beats-bingjao-to-win-bronze-in-womens-singles-145780.html Tokyo Indias Pusarla V Sindhu reacts during her womens singles badminton bronze medal match against Chinas He Bingjiao at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo Sunday Aug 1 2021 Sindhu won 2113 2115 PTI Tokyo Aug 1 Indian shuttler PV Sindhu won the bronze medal in womens singles badminton at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday Sindhu defeated Chinas He Bingjao 2113 2115 at the Musashino Forest Sports Plaza to add a second medal to Indias tally at the Olympics It is Sindhus second medal at the Olympics after she won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics She also becomes the first Indian woman to win two Olympic medals With Sindhus bronze India has now equalled its tally of 2016 Rio Olympics IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/sindhu-beats-bingjao-to-win-bronze-in-womens-singles-145780.html Sun, 01 Aug 2021 18:22:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-hockey-nothing-to-lose-for-indian-women-in-qf-against-australia-145781.html Tokyo Aug 1 The Indian womens hockey team meets Australia in the Olympic Games hockey quarterfinals here on Monday and the girls can play without any pressure as they have already made history by entering the knockout stages of the Olympics for the first time The team had left Indian shores for Tokyo with the target of reaching the quarters and they managed that by finishing fourth with two wins and three defeats in the sixteam Pool A The Indian womens team had spent some anxious hours after they ended their engagements in the preliminary Group A with six points following a 43 win over South Africa as they waited for the result of the match between defending champions Great Britain and Ireland A victory for Ireland would have ended their hopes as the Irish would have made it to the quarterfinals on better goal difference as both teams would have been level on six points with two wins each But that was not to be as Britain defeated Ireland 20 paving the way for Indias entry into the quarterfinals Their target achieved Sjoerd Marijnes team has nothing to lose and they can play with gay abandon If they manage to put pressure on the Australians early on then anything can happen in this match The Australian womens team called Hockeyroos is ranked second in the world behind the Netherlands They topped Pool B with an allwin record seldom getting flustered by any of the teams in their group In contrast India started the event as the ninthranked team in the world and suffered defeats in their first three matches against the Netherlands Germany and Great Britain They had to target wins against Ireland and South Africa in their group and they did just that beating Ireland 10 and South Africa 43 The only thing they could have done better was to win both these matches by a bigger margin They did create many chances against Ireland 14 penalty corners in all but could not convert even one They had made several circle penetrations against South Africa but could score only four goals With no pressure on them the team should try some different variations on short corners as Gurjit Kaur and Deep Grace Ekka had been too predictable and the rival goalkeepers have blocked most of their attempts They tried a variation against South Africa successfully Neha Goyal had deflected in a hit by skipper Rani Rampal Though Vandana Katariya made it to the history books as the first Indian woman player to score a hattrick in the Olympics the forward line has not been that successful The defence too has been susceptible which is evident from the 14 goals they have conceded so far The team should not get bogged down the superior Hockeyroos and instead play for pride IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-hockey-nothing-to-lose-for-indian-women-in-qf-against-australia-145781.html Sun, 01 Aug 2021 18:30:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-barbora-katerina-clinch-womens-doubles-gold-145798.html Tokyo Aug 1 Top seeds Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova earned Czech Republics first gold medal in womens doubles with a straightsets victory over Switzerlands Belinda Bencic and Viktorija Golubic at the Olympics on Sunday Barbora the French Open singles and doubles champion this year and Katerina defeated the BelindaViktorija pair 75 61 in the one hour and 25 minutes becoming the first team from the Czech Republic to claim the womens doubles gold Barbora and Katerina were the third Czech duo to reach the womens doubles Olympic final Helena Sukova and the late Jana Novotna Barboras former mentor had won silver in both the 1988 and 1996 Olympics while Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka earned silver in 2012 The reigning French Open champions went a step further on Sunday becoming the first from their country to prevail in any of those finals Barbora and Katerina converted five of their 11 break points winning nine of the last 10 games to triumph Belinda and Viktorija earned Switzerlands second straight Olympic silver medal in womens doubles following Timea Bacsinszky and Martina Hingis in 2016 Belinda who defeated Barbora in the round of 16 of the singles event will head home with two medals after clinching the gold in singles on Saturday Belinda continued her run of great form in the closelycontested first set as her angled shots were complemented by her partners backhand finesse But the Czechs were too good at the net keeping pace till 55 before taking control The second set was a cakewalk for Barbora and Katerina as they built a 30 doublebreak lead and leapt to a 51 lead and finally clinched the match and the gold after a superb backhand from Katerina IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-barbora-katerina-clinch-womens-doubles-gold-145798.html Sun, 01 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/basketball-player-durant-becomes-usas-top-scorer-at-olympics-145823.html Tokyo Aug 1 Twotime NBA champion and twotime Olympics gold medallist Kevin Durant has now scored the most points for the United States in the Olympics Durant who plays for the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA scored 23 points in the Team USAs 11984 win against the Czech Republic on Saturday taking his points tally to 354 He overtook Carmelo Anthony 336 points LeBron James 273 is third and is followed by David Robinson 270 and Michael Jordan 256 in the top five on the alltime US scorers list The USA are the threetime defending champions in Olympics basketball and favourites to win the title even though the team comprising all NBA players suffered a sensational defeat against France in the group stage The victory against the Czech Republic has sealed their place in the quarterfinals Durant who made his Olympics debut nine years ago at 2012 London already has two gold medal and will be looking to join Anthony at three gold medals the most by any US basketball player The US finished second in the group behind undefeated France The knockout phase begins on August 3 Durant came in for high praise from his teammates for his recordbreaking accomplishment Its amazing to see amazing to watch said Jayson Tatum who actually had a teamleading 27 points against the Czechs Its a huge accomplishment when you think about all the great players the Hall of Fame players that have put this uniform on Devin Booker another Team USA Olympic rookie told the official website Its greatness thats legendary I have the highest level of respect for Kev Durant and what hes done for basketball IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/basketball-player-durant-becomes-usas-top-scorer-at-olympics-145823.html Sun, 01 Aug 2021 22:38:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/pressure-will-be-on-australia-as-they-are-top-ranked-hockey-coach-marijne-145826.html Tokyo Aug 1 Indian womens hockey team chief coach Sjoerd Marijne believes the onus will be on Australia heading into the quarterfinal clash on Monday adding that his side was in good rhythm ahead of the knockout match The Indian womens team has made history by entering the knockout stages of the Olympics for the first time The team had left Indian shores for Tokyo with the target of reaching the quarters and it managed that by finishing fourth with two wins and three defeats in the sixteam Pool A Marijne said The pressure will be on Australia as they are one of the highestranked teams in the competition We will be able to play freely which is very important for us Our own focus is on approaching each game one at a time and to keep improving with every match We have a training session today to stay in good rhythm ahead of the game and then tomorrow we will take the field and try to express ourselves there After a slow start to their Olympic campaign which began with losses against the Netherlands 51 Germany 20 and Great Britain 41 India made a late surge to defeat Ireland 10 and South Africa 43 backtoback in their last two games in Pool A and book their place in the quarterfinal India will now come up against Australia in search of a semifinal spot in the Olympics The Australian team boasts the best defensive record thus far in the Olympics having conceded just one goal in the entire group stage and picking up an impressive 15 points out 15 However Marijne said that India must not get preoccupied with the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition We have to keep playing our game like we did in the group stage We won our last two matches because we learnt from the mistakes we made early on and made improvements accordingly We have been creating a lot of chances throughout the competition but our conversion of those chances has not been up to the mark We need to get better in that department while also giving away fewer chances to the opposition Captain Rani Rampal has led the team from the front so far Ahead of the clash Rani said We showed a lot of character to win our last two games after facing disappointment early on in the group stage Winning our matches against Ireland and South Africa facing elimination speaks a lot about the determination and mentality of this team Competing against a worldclass team like Australia to get to the semifinal in the Olympics will require a special performance from the team and I am confident that we have the ability to achieve a special result We will go into the game without putting too much pressure on ourselves and do what we do best play hockey said the captain IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/pressure-will-be-on-australia-as-they-are-top-ranked-hockey-coach-marijne-145826.html Sun, 01 Aug 2021 23:18:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-fouaad-mirza-slips-to-22nd-position-in-eventing-145827.html Tokyo Aug 1 Indias Fouaad Mirza has dropped down to the 22nd spot in the standings after the crosscountry stage of the threeday eventing discipline at the Tokyo Olympics equestrian competitions on Sunday In eventing a competitor has to complete three events dressage crosscountry run and show jumping with minimum penalty points to win the gold medal Mirza who was placed ninth with 28 penalty points after the dressage section of the competition tallied 1120 penalty points to slip to the 22nd spot with 3920 points Mirza is riding his favourite horse Seigneur Medicott the horse on which he had won two silver medals at the Asian Games Individual and Team eventing in Jakarta in 2018 In the crosscountry run held at the Sea Forest Cross Country Course participants had to complete the 44km course littered with 23 obstacles in seven minutes and 45 seconds Mirza and Seigneur Medicott completed that in over eight minutes and 13 seconds and thus earned a penalty of 1120 Mirza will now hope to do well in the showjumping on Tuesday and improve his position IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-fouaad-mirza-slips-to-22nd-position-in-eventing-145827.html Sun, 01 Aug 2021 23:26:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/fingers-crossed-for-sindhu-panghal-atanu-on-july-31-145609.html New Delhi July 30 If youve been following the Olympic action heres what you should be watching on TV from the early hours of Saturday July 31 Archery 718 am Mens Individual 18 Eliminations Atanu Das v Takaharu Furukawa Japan 1200 noon Mens Individual Quarterfinals if Atanu qualifies 100 pm Mens Individual Bronze Gold Medal Match if Atanu qualifies Athletics 600 am Womens Discus Throw Group A Qualifications Seema Punia 725 am Womens Discus Throw Group B Qualifications Kamalpreet Kaur 340 pm Mens Long Jump Qualifications Group B M Sreeshankar Boxing 730 am Mens Flyweight Round of 16 Amit Panghal v Yuberjen Rivas Colombia 336 pm Womens Middleweight QuarterFinal Pooja Rani v Li Qian China Badminton 230 pm Womens Singles SemiFinal PV Sindhu v Tai TzuYing Chinese Taipei Sailing 835 am Mens 49er Race 10 11 12 KC Ganapathy Varun Thakkar Shooting 830 am Womens Rifle 3 PositionTejaswani Sawant Anjum Moudgil 1230 pm Womens Rifle 3 Position Final if the duo qualifies Equestrian 500 am Eventing Dressage Session 3 Fouaad Mirza 200 pm Eventing Dressage Individual Day 2 Fouaad Mirza Watch all this action live on Sony TEN 2 and Sony SIX SD HD English Sony TEN 3 Hindi and Sony TEN 4 Tamil and Telugu Doordarshan will also show Olympics on its territorial and DTH services IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/fingers-crossed-for-sindhu-panghal-atanu-on-july-31-145609.html Sun, 01 Aug 2021 00:18:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/covid-watch-spanish-basketball-star-gasol-in-semi-isolation-145615.html Tokyo July 30 The Spanish Basketball Federation has confirmed that members of the mens team currently competing at the Tokyo Olympics Marc Gasol Usman Garuba and Alberto Abalde are currently in semiisolation after being in close contact with a person who tested positive for Covid19 The semiisolation means the trio have to remain confined in their rooms but are allowed out in order to train and compete Xinhua reports The contact took place on July 21 after the Spanish side played the United States in a warmup game in Las Vegas ahead of the Olympics The contact is not a member of either the Spanish team or coaching staff according to the federation Since the flight the players have taken several PCR tests all of which have given negative results One of the clear favourites for a medal in Tokyo the Spanish have enjoyed a positive start to the basketball tournament in Tokyo beating Japan and Argentina ahead of Sundays group game against a powerful Slovenian side IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/covid-watch-spanish-basketball-star-gasol-in-semi-isolation-145615.html Sun, 01 Aug 2021 01:00:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-roundup-lovlina-assures-medal-sindhu-light-up-gloomy-day-145631.html Tokyo July 30 Lovlina Borgohain on Friday assured India a medal from the Olympic Games boxing ring when she stormed into the semifinals of the welterweight 69 kg while PV Sindhu remained on course for a medal in badminton by authoritatively marching into the lastfour stage by putting it across a tough Japanese opponent The mens hockey team defeated hosts Japan 53 for their third successive win and finished second in their pool for the first time since 1972 when they reached the semifinals the last time at the Olympics Fridays win set up a quarterfinal clash with Great Britain the team that proved the stumbling block in 2008 when India failed to qualify for the Olympics for the first time since 1928 The womens hockey team kept alive its hopes of making it to the quarterfinals by beating the higherranked Ireland 10 only their third win ever in Indias third appearance at the Olympics They now have to beat South Africa in their final league match on Saturday and hope Ireland lose to Great Britain to finish fourth in the group and secure a place in the quarterfinals Apart from these performances Friday was otherwise a disappointing day for India as archer Deepika Kumari crashed out losing tamely to South Koreas An San Deepika had reached the quarters by beating Russias Ksenia Perova in a shootoff The day however belonged to Lovlina the 16yearold from Assam who had outplayed 2018 world champion Chen NienChin of Chinese Taipei a boxer to whom she has lost three times Lovlina boxed with aggression and without fear as she dominated Chen to emerge 41 winner and assure India another medal to add to the silver bagged by weightlifter Mirabai Chanu on July 24 Lovlina will meet Surmeneli Busenaz of Turkey in the semifinals on August 4 and a victory will assure her of at least a silver Sindhu the 2016 Olympics silver medallist has emerged as the lone flagbearer of Indian badminton in Tokyo after three other shuttlers crashed out in the group stage On Friday she came up with one of her best performances against a dangerous opponent in Akane Yamaguchi of Japan the fourth seed and outfoxed her for a straight games victory 2113 2220 Sindhu used her deceptive shots and superior net play to dominate the Japanese in the first game Though Akane launched a superb fightback in the second set Sindhu won four successive points from 1820 to emerge a winner Sindhu will now take on world No 1 Tai TzuYing of Chinese Taipei in the semifinals There were disappointments galore as athletics competitions started with none of the Indians getting past their preliminary round heats In womens 100m Dutee Chand finished seventh in her heat with 1154 seconds in 400m hurdles MP Jabir finished seventh in her heat with a belowpar effort while the muchtouted 4x400m mixed relay team finished eighth and last in heats Steeplechase Avinash Sable was the only bright spot on an otherwise gloomy day in track and field as he bettered his own national record by clocking 81812 He finished seventh in his heat and failed by 081 seconds to make it to the next stage In sailing firsttimers Nethra Kumanan and Vishnu Saravanan failed to make it to the final in laser radial and laser standard class respectively Nethra finished 35th overall while Saravanan ended 20th in laser standard IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-roundup-lovlina-assures-medal-sindhu-light-up-gloomy-day-145631.html Sun, 01 Aug 2021 03:13:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-sindhu-storms-into-the-semis-in-womens-singles-145410.html Tokyo July 30 Rio Olympics silver medallist and reigning world Champion PV Sindhu reached the semifinals of the womens singles badminton competitionbeating Japans Akane Yamaguchi 2113 2220 in 56 minutes at the Tokyo Olympics on Friday Sindhu looking to add a gold medal to the silver she won in Rio dominated her Japanese rival at the net created points with her disguised shots and completed straight game wins The Indian 26yearold Indian shuttler from Hyderabad was in total control of the first game and then quelled a strong fightback by Akane to reach the semifinals for the second successive Olympics IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-sindhu-storms-into-the-semis-in-womens-singles-145410.html Sat, 31 Jul 2021 09:07:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/i-want-to-go-for-the-gold-lovlina-borgohain-145426.html Tokyo July 30 Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain has firmed her sights on going beyond a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics The 23yearold was assured of bagging a medal after defeating former world champion Chen NienChin of Chinese Taipei 41 to enter the semifinals of the welterweight category She is now in line to become the third Indian boxer after Vijender Singh and Mary Kom to win an Olympic medal Before this match Lovlina had lost to Chen four times I knew I lost to this girl four times before So it was a challenge for me to prove to myself I never thought about proving to others I thought this was a golden opportunity for me to take my revenge of previous losses against her There was no strategy while going to the ring Whatever situation was there I will handle it there itself I am happy I bagged the chance to do well I played wholeheartedly and enjoyed it said a smiling Lovlina in a press interaction organised by the Boxing Federation of India BFI Before making a foray into boxing Lovlina was into Muay Thai a form of martial arts from Thailand Asked whether training in it helped in grasping boxing Lovlina said I had learnt Muay Thai for a year There used to be one or two punches I cant say that Muay Thai helped me in getting the medal But it did help me a little bit When I got into boxing I used the one or two punches from Muay Thai in winning the national subjunior championships She was firm on her next target a gold medal I dont want to stop at bronze I want to go for the gold Medal is only one That is gold For that I have to prepare and plan for the semifinal fight When quizzed about her fearless attitude in the ring Lovlina quipped that she was fearful at the start But she started to gain confidence by trusting herself I wasnt like this before I used to fear a lot earlier while playing in competitions Slowly the fear started to go away after coming into boxing Earlier when I used to enter the ring I had fear in me But when I started to trust myself and stopped caring about what people said thats how I began to play fearlessly Before the Olympics the youngster had missed a training trip to Italy last year after testing positive for COVID19 a day before departure She had come back from a twoday trip to her hometown of Bora Mukhia in Assams Golaghat district to visit her ailing mother The virus robbed her of crucial training and exposure Because of the virus I missed my tour to Italy There were very less international competitions too I missed one competition due to it The feel of competitiveness in the ring was very less Even sparring was very less But I thought how to do well if sparring is not there I trained that way My coaches and everyone around supported me to do well said Lovlina Lovlina a big fan of legendary Mohammad Ali quipped that she had taken some tricks out of his style of play I used to watch the longdistance movement of Muhammad Ali Every boxer is different and has a different style of play Two boxers cant be the same I follow and watch some things of Ali Like his footwork and long punch Before the Olympics I saw one or two videos of him She has also cited MC Mary Kom as her inspiration Mary Kom has been a big inspiration for me since I heard her name after entering boxing She has struggled a lot and I take inspiration from her It feels very nice and I get to learn a lot from her Very happy that she is training with us Lovlina will be up against the world champion in her category Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey in the semifinal on August 4 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/i-want-to-go-for-the-gold-lovlina-borgohain-145426.html Sat, 31 Jul 2021 10:24:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-djokovics-golden-slam-hopes-come-crashing-after-defeat-to-zverev-145434.html Tokyo July 30 World No 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia cannot achieve a Golden Slam now after losing to Germanys Alexander Zverev in the mens singles semifinals at the Tokyo Olympic Games here on Friday Djokovic who was aiming to become the first tennis player to win all four Grand Slams and Olympic Games gold in a season lost to world No 5 Zverev 16 63 61 in a two hours and three minute contest Zverev won 71 per cent of his points on first serves and converted three of five break points while the Serbian world No 1 failed on all four attempts Djokovic had seven unforced errors compared to his German opponents three Djokovic has won the Australian Open French Open and Wimbledon titles this year Zverev will take on Russian Olympic Committee ROC player Karen Khachanov in the Olympic gold medal match Khachanov got the better of Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain 63 63 IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-djokovics-golden-slam-hopes-come-crashing-after-defeat-to-zverev-145434.html Sat, 31 Jul 2021 11:11:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-boxer-amit-panghal-crashes-out-of-tokyo-olympics-145452.html Tokyo Indias Amit Panghal and Colombias Yuberjen Martinez in the Mens Flyweight Round of 16 boxing match at the Summer Olympics 2020 in Tokyo Saturday July 31 2021 Martinez won 41 PTI Tokyo July 31 Boxer Amit Panghal the world No 1 in mens 52kg crashed out of the Tokyo Olympics losing to Yuberjen Herney Martinez Rivas of Colombia in a Roundof16 bout on Saturday Panghal Indias biggest hope in this section lost 50 on points starting the day on a disappointing note for boxing after the high of Lovlina Borgohain reaching the semifinals and assuring a medal for the country Panghal the 2018 Asian Games gold medallist had drawn a tough opponent in Martinez Rivas the silver medallist at the Rio Olympics in 2016 The 25yearold Indian from Haryana started off well and won the first round Starting with an open stance and moving around the ring Panghal made Martinez Rivas come for him and make him work for his points Panghal counterattacked on all possible occasions and landed some good combinations winning a split decision 41 in his favour But Panghal changed his tactics inexplicably in the second round and became too defensive maybe hoping to make Martinez Rivas work hard for points so as to tire down the Colombian Martinez Rivas won the second round getting 10 points from all five judges Panghal whose fitness looked suspect looked totally exhausted and could not do much in the third and final round as he tried to go after his rival in the last 30 seconds but that was too late and too little as the judges had by that time seen Martinez Rivas attacking a lot in the right through the round Martinez Rivas bagged 10 points from all five judges while one judge gave Panghal eight points while others gave him nine each Panghals defensive approach whether it was by design or due to lack of fitness in the second round undid all his efforts of the last five years IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-boxer-amit-panghal-crashes-out-of-tokyo-olympics-145452.html Sat, 31 Jul 2021 12:28:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/vitalina-wins-25m-pistol-gold-as-manu-rahi-challenge-ends-in-qualification-145459.html Tokyo July 30 Russian shooter Vitalina Batsarashkina defeated Kim Minjung of South Korea in a shootoff to win the womens 25m pistol gold at the Asaka Shooting Range here on Friday even as Indias Manu Bhaker and Rahi Sarnobat got eliminated in qualification finishing 15th and 32nd respectively Both Vitalina and Kim had 38 hits in the final but Kim made only one shot in the decisive shootoff set while Vitalina hit four for the gold Im excited and very happy to have won a gold medal Im looking forward to going back home pretty soon Since midJune I havent been at home so Im looking forward to getting home at last said Vitalina This is the third medal and second gold for the 24yearold Vitalina who triumphed in 10m air pistol and bagged silver in the mixed team event earlier this week She thus became the first female shooter to claim more than two medals at the same Olympic Games Chinas Xiao Jiaruixuan survived the shootoff round twice to take a bronze At the age of 19 years and 56 days she became the youngest Olympic medallist in womens 25m pistol Defending champion Anna Korakaki of Greece finished sixth Earlier Indias Manu Bhaker and experienced Rahi Sarnobat bowed out of the event on Friday after finishing 15th and 32nd respectively following two days of qualification This was the Indian pistol shooters final event at Tokyo 2020 Indias gold drought in shooting which started at the 2016 Rio Olympics has continued in Tokyo so far and only a few events are left for the countrys shooters to salvage their pride Only the topeight from the qualifying round made it to the eightshooter finals Before taking aim at the Akasa Shooting Range on Friday Manu was placed fifth in the overall standings with a score of 292300 in Thursdays precision round Rahi on the other hand started from her overnight position of 25th with 287 points Manu fired 96 97 and 97 in her three rapidfire series and accumulated 290300 With a total score of 582600 she missed the final qualification mark by just two points Rahi on the other hand scored 286 in the rapidfire round to finish with a cumulative score of 573 in the qualifying round Bulgarias Antoaneta Kostadinova the silver medallist in womens 10m air pistol topped the qualifying with 590 points followed by Chinas Xiao Jiaruixuan and ROCs Vitalina Batsarashkina South Koreas Minjung Kim was the eighth shooter to make the final cut Manu and Rahis exit has ended the Indian pistol shooters campaign at the Olympics Any medal hopes for India in shooting now rests on the mens and womens 50m rifle 3 positions shooters IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/vitalina-wins-25m-pistol-gold-as-manu-rahi-challenge-ends-in-qualification-145459.html Sat, 31 Jul 2021 12:54:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/tennis-zverev-ends-djokovics-golden-slam-dream-in-semifinal-145477.html Tokyo July 30 World No 1 Novak Djokovics dream of a Golden Slam came to an end as world No 4 Alexander Zverev of Germany defeated the Serbian in the semifinals of the mens singles tennis competition at the Tokyo Olympics on Friday The Serbian had clinched the first set 61 But his German opponent made a strong comeback to win the next two sets 63 61 in a match which lasted two hours and three minutes under the sweltering heat at the Ariake Tennis Park It is the first time Zverev has beaten Djokovic since 2018 when the German overcame the Serbian in the final of the ATP Finals tournament in London With this win Zverev will now face world No 12 Karen Khachanov of the Russian Olympic Committee ROC in the goldmedal match Its incredible beating the best player in the world undoubtedly right now and in this season Zverev was quoted as saying by olympicscom It seemed it was impossible to beat him at this event so Im very happy right now But yet theres still one match to go Zverev credited a more aggressive approach from himself for making a turnaround in the match At some point I was down a set to break so I needed to change something he said I started playing much more aggressive I started to swing through the ball a little bit more and yeah I tried to dominate that way After the end of the match Djokovic and Zverev hugged each other at the net and exchanged a few words I told him that hes the greatest of all time I know that he was chasing history is chasing the Golden Slam and was chasing the Olympics but in these kinds of moments me and Novak are very close said Zverev Djokovic had been aiming to become the first man to win all four majors and Olympic gold in the same calendar year Fridays loss to Zverev means that he cant match the feat Steffi Graf achieved in 1988 He now moves into the bronzemedal match against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain on Saturday The 34yearold has a chance left to go for gold Djokovic will be partnering alongside Nina Stojanovic in the mixed doubles semifinals against Elena Vesnina and Aslan Karatsev of the ROC later on Friday Previously Khachanov moved into the mens singles final at the Olympics with a straightsets 63 63 victory over Carreno Busta The 25yearold Russian who had reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals earlier in the month outgunned the 11th ranked Spaniard in an hour and 19 minutes Khachanov broke Carreno Bustas serve twice striking 12 winners to just four unforced errors in the first set The 30yearold Carreno Busta who had caused an upset by beating world number two Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals had no answer to Medvedevs countryman who came out all guns blazing Eventually Khachanov sealed the victory with a forehand winner IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/tennis-zverev-ends-djokovics-golden-slam-dream-in-semifinal-145477.html Sat, 31 Jul 2021 14:02:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/india-beat-japan-5-3-to-end-group-stage-with-a-win-145517.html Tokyo July 30 India defeated host Japan 53 in their final preliminary match in mens hockey Group A to finish their proceedings in second place behind world No 1 Australia in the Tokyo Olympics on Friday This is Indias best performance in the league phase in the last four decades as they had last finished second in the group in the 1980 Moscow Olympics when they won their eighth and last gold medal so far But that was a depleted field and before that India had finished second in their preliminary group in the 1972 Munich Olympics when they last made the semifinals by topping Group B ahead of Netherlands in the 16team twopool competition On Friday India looked in control as they surged to a 20 lead in the first quarter But Japan came storming back to level the scores 22 early in the third quarter before Graham Reids India tightened their game launched some good attacks to score three more goals to put the result beyond doubt Japan scored their third goal in the last minute but it was too late Gurjant Singh 17th min 56th min scored a brace while dragflicker Harmanpreet Singh 13th min Shamsher Singh 34th min and Nilakanta Sharma 51st min contributed a goal each for India Kenta Tanaka 19th min Kota Watanabe 33rd min and Kazuma Murata 59th min scored the three goals for Japan India ended their campaign with 12 points from four wins and one defeat and finished one point behind Australia who were held to a 11 draw by Spain in the morning Spain New Zealand and Argentina are contesting for the remaining two quarterfinal spots from Pool A IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/india-beat-japan-5-3-to-end-group-stage-with-a-win-145517.html Sat, 31 Jul 2021 16:20:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-tai-tzu-beats-sindhu-in-straight-games-in-semifinals-145530.html Tokyo Indias Pusarla V Sindhu reacts during her womens singles badminton semifinal match against Taiwans Tai TzuYing at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo Saturday July 31 2021 Sindhu lost the match 1821 1221 PTI Tokyo July 31 Indias gold medal hopes in womens singles badminton went up in smoke after PV Sindhu lost her semifinal to Tai TzuYing in straight games 1821 1221 here on Saturday Sindhu who is the Rio Olympics silvermedallist and world champion will now compete with Chinas He Bing Jiao for the bronze medal Sindhu had drawn early advantage with her aggressive display in the first game opening up a 63 lead However Tai Tzu fought back before Sindhu again opened up a threepoint lead at 118 However Tai Tzu then won three quick points to draw level and from there the two went neck and neck before the Taiwanese player closed the first game in her favour 2118 While the first game took 21 minutes the second game took just 19 minutes as Tai Tzu continued using the sharp acute angles to leave the ace Indian shuttler and the world champion flummoxed Tai Tzu took a fourpoint lead at 117 and from there never looked back sealing the game at 2112 The 40minute encounter between the sixth seed Sindhu and the second seed Tai Tzu was as onesided as it could get and took half as much time as the first semifinal between He and Chen Yu Fei Chen overpowered her Chinese compatriot in three games 2116 1321 and 2112 in 79 minutes IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/olympics-tai-tzu-beats-sindhu-in-straight-games-in-semifinals-145530.html Sat, 31 Jul 2021 17:21:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/croatians-mektic-pavic-win-mens-tennis-doubles-gold-145561.html Tokyo July 30 Croatias Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic got past compatriots Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig to claim the mens tennis doubles gold medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games here on Friday Mektic and Pavic took away the first set 64 After CilicDodig levelled the score at 63 MekticPavic emerged victorious in the deciding set at 106 reports Xinhua The bronze medal went to Marcus Daniell and Michael Venus as they defeated Americans Austin Krajicek and Tennys Sandgren 763 62 to capture an historic first Olympic tennis medal for New Zealand IANS https://dailyworld.in/tokyo-calling/croatians-mektic-pavic-win-mens-tennis-doubles-gold-145561.html Sat, 31 Jul 2021 19:03:00 +0530