Category Archives: Sports

Nasreen qualifies for boxing tournament in Toronto but needs support to bag the gold

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Rajahmundry, (East Godavari District) , ANDHRA PRADESH   :

ShaikNasreen01MPOs27mar2019

17-year-old Shaikh Nasreen has won the gold medal in the Indian professional Boxing League tournament in Madurai, Tamil Nadu in January 2019. And this victory has gained her entry in the World Rural Sports Organisation’s Boxing Tournament at Toronto, Canada to be held in December 2019 in the ‘under 19 ‘category.

Nasreen, the youngest of the 3 children was inspired to learn boxing after watching Laila Ali on television when she was in class 8. At that time she used to go to play tennis with her friends and was thinking of excelling in tennis but now her interest changed to boxing. And when she told her father, “ Abba, I want to become a boxer”, he agreed just like that without any objection.

Nasreen’s father Shaikh Mastan and mother Shaikh Meera, are both tailors by profession. They run a tailoring shop on rent for ladies tailor and gents tailor in Rajahmundry, East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh. Their 2 sons and a daughter are all students in college. Being from a lower middle-class family, it was not easy to educate for them to make ends meet and also ensure a good education to their children and also find a coach for their daughter.

Shaikh Nasreen with her parents
Shaikh Nasreen with her parents

Mastan shaikh got the contact of Omkar Yadav, an Asian boxer in Hyderabad and soon the father-daughter moved to Hyderabad in 2014. And Nasreen underwent rigorous training.
Under Omkar, Nasreen won her first Gold Medal in the Telangana Boxing series in the lightweight category. “ At that time, I was happy with the state level Gold Medal and never thought one day I would qualify for International boxing.” She told TwoCircles.net
After that, she went on to win several gold medals at the state level events.

But her training was for only 6 months in Hyderabad as they were finding it difficult to meet the expenses in the city. Finding a place to stay, commute, meet the dietary expenses and schooling was proving difficult with only her mother working because her father was with her. So they moved back to their home town.

ShaikNasreen03MPOs27mar2019

There again her father began looking for another coach and soon found one in Razole, the neighbouring town. And Nasreen once again continued her training under Chandrashekar a local boxer who taught her all the nuances and the fitness regime.

Many of her relatives and other Muslims in their town did not like Nasreen pursuing boxing as a career. They were of the opinion that this is not an ideal choice for a girl. But their conservative thoughts changed once Nasreen began winning. Says Nasreen, “ When they began to see me on TV taking part in the state level boxing events and saw that I was not only doing good but also emerging as the winner, they started ringing us with words of encouragement and appreciation. They used to tell me, ‘Shabash, you are making us proud. Keep going and make the whole country proud’”

ShaikNasreen04MPOs27mar2019

In the last five years, Shaikh Nasreen has won 16 gold medals including 9 at the National level boxing in the lightweight category through her consistent practice.
Right now she is in Delhi coaching for her first International tournament at the Amjad Khan Boxing Academy under coach Naseem Ahmed.

Her idols are Mohammed Ali, Laila Ali and Mary Kom.

“I want to win at the International tournament and bring laurels to my country. I am inspired by Mary Kom who has won world championship 6 times” Nasreen told Twocircles.net

ShaikNasreen05MPOs27mar2019

“But my training here is proving to be expensive and my parents are finding it very difficult to bear the expenses. Every month we have to shell out Rs.20,000/- and then there is the cost of my boxing kit.” She added thoughtfully.

She is looking for someone to support her for coaching.

She trains dedicatedly for more than 7 hours a day including her workout and is totally focussed on the gold at Toronto.

Right now she is awaiting her Intermediate results which are likely to be declared in May. She plans to continue her degree from Osmania University, Hyderabad through distance education.

Interestingly, her 2nd brother Sameer, though older than her, has recently taken up boxing. “ Inspired by me,” says Nasreen laughingly.

When she is free Nasreen likes to read. Her favourite book is ‘ Wings of Fire’ by APJ Abdul Kalam.

ShaikNasreen06MPOs27mar2019

source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Indian Muslim> Lead Story> TCN Positive / by Nikhat Fatima – TwoCirlcles.net / March 25th, 2019

INRC 2019: Younus Ilyas wins Sprint de Bengaluru

Sports, , , ,

KERALA :

Curtain-raiser event for the 2019 INRC saw Ilyas take victory after Mascarenhas was handed a penalty.

YousufIlyasMPOs26mar2019

The Sprint de Bengaluru 2019 took place over the weekend, acting as a non-championship, curtain-raiser event for the upcoming 2019 season of the Indian National Rally Championship. It was Kerala’s Younus Ilyas who took top honours at the event, after Bengaluru’s Dean Mascarenhas was handed a penalty.

Ilyas, along with navigator Harish Gowda, set the pace early on and held a 10 second lead at the end of the first day. But on the second day, Mascarenhas, who was driving a stock car in the INRC 3 category, started eating into Ilyas’ advantage. After completing the first two stages of the day just behind Ilyas, he managed to win the next two stages at the LG Champions County track, gaining nine and eight seconds on each stage.

However, Mascarenhas was then handed a six-minute penalty for reaching the starting point late on Saturday. This dropped him down to the bottom of the standings, handing victory to Ilyas.

“It was just bad luck,” lamented Mascarenhas. “My car didn’t start so I got delayed. I am, however, very happy with the way I drove and I am looking forward to a good season.”

“It was a great outing. And I loved being out here! The stages were interesting and were challenging at times. But I am really glad to have come out on top,” said Ilyas.

Dhruva Chandrashekar and navigator Musa Sherif took an understated 2nd place in the overall INRC category, taking victory in the INRC 3 category in the process. Sanjay Agarwal and navigator Smitha N rounded up the top three in the overall standings.

The event also featured a separate ladies class that was won by Shivani Pruthvi.

RESULTS:

INRC Overall: 1. Younus Ilyas / Harish KN; 2. Dhruva Chandrashekar / Musa Sherif; 3. Sanjay Agarwal  / Smitha N

INRC 1: Suhem Kabeer / J. Jeevarathinam; 2. Lokesh Gowda / D Uday Kumar

INRC 2: 1. Younus Ilyas / Harish KN; 2. Ritesh Guttedar / Lokaranjan; 3. Lanusanen Pongener / Vinay Kmar PM

INRC 3: 1. Dhruva Chandrashekar / Musa Sherif; 2. Chetan Shivram / Dilip Sharan; 3. Aroor Vikram Rao / Somayya AG

FMSCI CUP / 4WD: 1. Sanjay Agarwal  / Smitha N; 2. Avin Nanjappa / Darshan Nachappa; 3. Nikhil J / Arjun Dheerendra

FMSCI CUP / 2WD: 1. Vaibhav Marathe / Arjun SSB; 2. Avinash DC / Kenith Harsha; 3. Adith KC / Venu Ramesh Kumar

Ladies Class: 1. Shivani Pruthvi / Deepti Pruthvi; 2. Harshita Gowda / Vidya M

source: http://www.autocarindia.com / Autocar India / Home> Motorsport News / by Unnatee Gidithuri – Author / March 25th, 2019

K.T. Irfan becomes first Indian athlete to qualify for Tokyo Olympics

Sports, World Opinion, , , ,

KERALA :

K.T. Irfan. | Photo Credit: The Hindu
K.T. Irfan. | Photo Credit: The Hindu

He was one of the two Indian athletes who were expelled from the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

National record holder K.T. Irfan on Sunday became the first Indian from athletics to qualify for the next year’s Olympics  while finishing fourth in the 20 km event of the Asian Race Walking Championships in Nomi, Japan.

The 29-year-old Irfan clocked 1 hour 20 minutes and 57 seconds to better the Tokyo Olympics qualification standard of 1 hour 21 minutes. The Olympics qualification period for race walk events and marathon race has begun from January 1 this year and will run till May 31, 2020. The Olympics qualification period for all other athletics events will start from May 1 this year and will run till June 29, 2020.

No other Indian from athletics has so far qualified for Tokyo Olympics. Irfan, who has a personal best as well as national record of 1:20:21 which he did during his 10th place finish in 2012 Olympics, also qualified for this year’s World Championships (September 27-October 6) in Doha, Qatar as he bettered the qualifying mark of 1:22:30.

The Kerala race walker had won the 20 km event in the National Open Race Walk Championships in Chennai last month with a time of 1:26:18.

He was one of the two Indian athletes who were expelled from the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games for not adhering to the ‘no needle policy’ of the Games. He was disqualified in the 20 km race walk event of the 2018 Asian Games after receiving his third warning for “loss of contact.”

Japan’s Toshikazu Yamanishi won the 20 km race walk event with an impressive time of 1:17:15 while Kazakhstan’s Georgiy Sheiko and Korea’s Byeongkwang Choe were second and third in 1:20:21 and 1:20:40 respectively.

The Asian and World record in men’s 20 km race walk stands in the name of Japanese Yusuke Suzuki who clocked 1:16:36 in the 2015 edition of the same championships in Nomi.

Two other Indians, Devinder Singh and Ganapathi Krishnan also qualified for the World Championships as they clocked 1:21:22 and 1:22:12 respectively. They had finished second and fifth in the Chennai National Race Walk Championships with timings of 1:26:19 and 1:26:43.

In the women’s 20 km race walk event, Soumya Baby finished fourth with a timing of 1:36:08, well outside Olympics qualifying standard of 1:31:00 and World Championships qualifying standard of 1:33:30.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Athletics / by PTI / New Delhi – March 17th, 2019

Smart and moving, says Muhamed Musadhiq, after 504 km-long cycle journey

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Sports, Transport, , ,

Thiruvananthapuram, KERALA :

Never for a moment could he take his eyes off the handle, because enjoying the vistas would mean falling…

Muhamed Musadhiq
Muhamed Musadhiq

Thiruvananthapuram  :

“All I could see was the handle and the front wheel,” says Muhamed Musadhiq, after a 504 km journey on a cycle that turns left if you turn the handle right. All day long, during the six-day ride, he had his eyes fixated on the handle and the wheel, riding at a pace below 25kmph. Never for a moment could he take his eyes off the handle, because enjoying the vistas would mean falling. Manoeuvring this cycle is not a leisurely, easy breezy task, but a very demanding one. Because the cycle has a mind of its own, acting in contrary to the brain’s command.

‘Brain Cycle. Abnormal Cycle. Keep Distance’, so reads the warning note plastered on Musadhiq’s cycle. It has been several months since he remodelled the cycle and crafted a brain cycle out of it. But then, riding it still needed one to be careful enough. “At first the note was plastered for fun, but then after a few falls, I knew there was indeed a need to keep distance,” chuckles the final year mechanical engineering student.
He rode all the way from Kozhikode to Thiruvananthapuram along with his college mates attached to the College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram as part of promoting cycling across the state. Through the ride, he was also attempting a Guinness World Record in riding the max distance in the brain cycle. “Till now, no one has attempted the ride in the brain cycle. So it is a new event I am attempting,” says Musadhiq.

According to Musadhiq, the mechanics implemented in the cycle is simple.It was during the tech fest of his college that Musadhiq put forth this cycle, arguably the first in India to be made. “I am not aware of anyone who has made the brain cycle in India. At first, I made it for fun. But after making this, someone had to ride this. And that forced me to learn to ride the cycle,” he recalls. The result was numerous falls. “Oh, I fell a countless number of times. It might look simple from the outside. But to ride it is challenging. You have to train your brain accordingly,” he says.

His cycle is the connoisseur of all eyes, wherever he goes. Having introduced the cycle at various colleges, his aim is to popularise the art of cycling amongst the public. There are also plans to set up brain training centres in schools and colleges using the brain cycle to popularise cycling among the younger generation.
He has even put forth a challenge- ride 10 metres in the cycle and it will fetch you Rs 500. More than 2000 people have attempted the challenge, but none has won it.

“There are no tricks to ride the brain cycle, but practice,” says Musadhiq. “At one point I hope I will reach a state where I can ride the cycle at the same leisurely pace I do on a normal cycle,” he adds.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Aathira Haridas / Express News Service / March 08th, 2019

National race walk championships: It’s Irfan & Soumya

Sports, World Opinion, , , , ,

KERALA :

Walking to glory: K.T. Irfan began the new season on a confident note.
Walking to glory: K.T. Irfan began the new season on a confident note.

Both nowhere near their personal best

Olympian race walker K.T. Irfan had the worst possible year of his career in 2018.

He was ejected from the Gold Coast Commwealth Games village after his roommate was found with a syringe in his bag, a few days after the race. And in the subsequent Jakarta Asian Games, he was disqualified.

The 29-year-old from Kerala, who holds the National record, however, began the new season on a confident note by winning the men’s 20K gold in the sixth Open National race walk championships here on Saturday in a time of one hour 26 minutes and 18 seconds.

It was a far cry from his personal best of 1:20.21 at the 2012 London Olympics.

B. Soumya (Kerala) coasted to a relatively easy victory in the women’s 20K category in a time of 1:40.25. Priyanka finished second in 1:41.20.

Soumya was behind Priyanka and Karamjit Kaur in the first 11 laps and after that she took control of the proceedings.

Soumya couldn’t come anywhere close to her National record of 1:31.28 set in Delhi last year in the same event.

Warnings

Karamjit was handed three warnings and was asked to start from the pit lane.

She did not want to continue as she thought she had already lost a lot of time.

“There was some problem with the road. And also I missed the services of [Russian] coach Alexander Artsybashev,” said Soumya. It is learnt that Alexander will soon join the team in the camp.

In the top bunch, which included Sandeep Kumar, Chandan Singh, Devender Singh and Ganapathi Krishnan, Irfan was trailing for most part of the race.

He picked up speed in the last 1km to breast the tape one second ahead of Devender.

“It feels great but I am not happy with the timing.

“It was partly due to the humid weather conditions and the sloped roads,” said Irfan.

Unable to make the qualification grade for the Doha World Championships in September-October, both Irfan and Soumya said they will definitely make the grade in the Asian championships to be held in Nomi (Japan) next month.

Compared to the previous five editions, the Chennai event saw the poorest time recorded by the winners.

The results:

20km, men: 1. K.T. Irfan (Ker) 1:26.18; 2. Devender Singh (Har) 1:26.19; 3. Sandeep Kumar (Har) 1:26.19; 4. Chandan Singh (Utk) 1:26.20; 5. K. Ganapathi Krishnan 1:26.43.

Women: 1. B. Soumya (Ker) 1:40.25; 2. Priyanka (UP) 1:41.20; 3. Ravina (Har) 1:41.46; 4. Sonal Sukhwal (Raj) 1:42.55; 5. Bandana Patel (UP) 1:49.29.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Athletics / by K. Keerthivasan / Chennai – February 16th, 2019

The Winners scripts a success story in Kolkata Police

Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, Sports, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion, , , , ,

Kolkata, WEST BENGAL :

The Winners, an all-women patrolling team by the Kolkata Police, was launched in July 2018, with an aim to check crimes against women and make public places safer for them.

“Oye, akeli hai kya? Chalegi park me? 300 dunga. Arey bol na, jyada chahiye? (Hey, will you come with me to Park, I will pay you 300 bucks. If you want more, tell me,” said a man in his twenties to a woman near Mohor Kunja Park under Hastings police station area around four months ago. The offender had no clue that he was messing with the wrong person. Arpita Mallik, a constable with the Kolkata Police and a member of the team The Winners, made her first arrest that day.

The Winners, an all-women patrolling team by the Kolkata Police, was launched in July 2018, with an aim to check crimes against women and make public places safer for them. The team with personnel trained in self-defence has so far apprehended more than 200 “Road Romeos”.

“I was on duty in civil dress. When the man teased me, I asked him to wait and grabbed him by the collar. He put up stiff resistance but was soon surrounded by a group of policewomen and he started apologising. We arrested him and I felt good,” Arpita said with a wide smile. She stays alone and meets her husband in Malda on holidays.

EXPLAINED

Step towards better gender equation in Kolkata Police

The Kolkata Police has always been keen on increasing the presence of women in their force. The State Home Department has set up eight women-only police stations in Kolkata to investigate crimes against women. A rape or molestation survivor will be comfortable with a woman police officer, they feel. More women in the force means more women reaching out to report incidents that bother them. Several crimes, including eve-teasing, often go unreported. An all-women battalion is a step towards betterment of city police’s gender equation — 800 women in the 26,000-strong police force.

“He wasn’t very keen on me joining police but I managed,” she said. The Winners has 28 women personnel, including three senior officers. All the 25 constables are in their mid-twenties. In white uniform, they conduct patrol on scooty.

“They have been rigorously trained in self-defence and have revolver licence. Our objective is to make the city safe for women,” said Sampa Guha one of the senior officers of the team. “I am happy to see such young, smart women cops in our city. Once a man in lungi started following me on the street and retreated as soon as he spotted a group of policewomen. Cheers to these ladies,” said Anindita Ray Choudhuri, a management student.

However, the team has to fight odds while on duty. Once a constable in the team was bitten on her hand while another was heckled while on patrol inside the Millennium Park. Six persons, including two women were arrested for allegedly harassing personnel on duty.

“We face a lot of challenge and even get teased but when we are in uniform, people respect us also. There have been instances when during midnight patrolling, women came and thanked us for making them feel safe. It gives us immense satisfaction,” said Zinnatara Khatun, another member of the team.

Team Winner is headed by three sub-inspectors, including Sampa Guha, Mita Kansabanik and Zinnatara Khatun. Sampa has various accolades to her credit in power lifting in international, Asian and national events. Zinnatara Khatun is an athlete who has won the Indian Police Medal. Mita is also a power lifting champion.

When Kolkata Police decided to launch the all-woman team under the instruction of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, these three women were the first choice. “We were the only three women in the force who could ride a Bullet and had an edge over the others. All the team members are extremely hardworking, managing their personal and profession lives pretty well. We enjoy our job,” said Mita.

“We love catching Road Romeos,” laughs Zinnatara. Mita is married and has a 16-year-old daughter, while Zinnatara and Sampa are single.

“Earlier marriage used to give a woman financial security and an identity, but nowadays it has nothing exceptional to offer a woman,” said Zinnatara and Sampa.

Madhumita Mahapatra, another member of the team, says, “My husband is very proud to see me in uniform. I have a tight schedule but he is always there to pick me up when I finish work.” Another member, Debolina Das Rai, feels they stand for themselves to bring the change. “My husband mostly takes care of our son as I have a tight schedule. We manage well and he never complains,” she said.

Their message on Women’s Day

“People talk about women empowerment but hardly practice it. We are educated and present ourselves well but our mentality remains the same. Real change has to come from within. All women should be financially independent and should speak up. Once a woman starts sharing financial responsibility of her family and her parents, people will stop craving for male child. To bring a change, it is important for women to learn self-defence. Girls are mentally much stronger than men and we must celebrate womanhood.”

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Cities / by Sweety Kumar / Kolkata / March 08th, 2019

Pocket bikes to fast track, Mohamed Mikail starts at 14

Amazing Feats, Education, Sports, World Opinion, , , , ,

Chennai, TAMIL NADU :

To ensure that all his focus is on his racing career, his parents have even taken him out of school — he is currently being home-schooled.

Mohamed Mikail
Mohamed Mikail

Chennai :

Mohamed Mikail will have to wait four more years before he can take his bike on to the road — he’s just 14, after all! But in a couple of months, the Chennai lad will be doing something that most Indian racers, especially those in the two-wheeler scene, can only dream of. He will be racing in an international series abroad. Mikail was the find of the Honda Talent Cup, which was held last year to identify promising young racers. And he proved he had that in oodles! Mikail was the youngest racer in the competition but managed to finish on top of the standings.

His efforts have netted him a drive in the Thai Talent Cup, where he will be joined by 18-year-old Kritik Habib. It was evident that Mikail was meant for the fast lane early on. He took to racing pocket bikes when he was just 10 and even competed in a couple of races in Malaysia. It also helped that his family had a link to the racing fraternity — his uncle Mohammed Haneef used to race cars. “It was a little bit easy for me to get guidance because he knew the basics,” Mikail says.

“I have competed in a couple of pocket bike races in Malaysia before. But the Honda Cup was the first time I was racing proper bikes.” He has his uncle to thank again for that. “It was him who first heard about the Honda initiative and enrolled me in it,” Mikail says.

“My uncle is my biggest support.” His racing career will take him where few 14-year-olds get to go, but it also means that Mikail will be missing out on a lot of experiences that his peers take for granted. While kids his age will be celebrating the summer holidays in a month, Mikail will be going over track data, setting up his bike and undergoing a rigorous fitness regime.

To ensure that all his focus is on his racing career, his parents have even taken him out of school — he is currently being home-schooled. But Mikail is happy with the way things are going for him. He is itching to get his hands on the Honda NSF250 (a machine that Honda has fielded in the Moto3 series) that he will be racing in the Thai Talent Cup. He reckons he will finally be able to start testing the event in April. “I feel excited,” he says. “I haven’t set any targets (for his debut season in the Thai Talent Cup). My first aim is to go learn.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Sports> Others / by Vishnu Prasad / Express News Service / March 02nd, 2019

“I want to follow in the footsteps of Parveez Rasool,” says Jammu and Kashmir’s new cricket sensation Nawaz Rather

Sports, , , , , ,

Dhangri Village (Poonch), JAMMU & KASHMIR :

Rather wants to make his village proud
Rather wants to make his village proud

Playing cricket at a place where on and off you hear the sounds of grenades and bullets, and have the fear of getting hit by the cross-border firing, is tough.

Isn’t it? Imagine what would it mean to come from such sort of an area and play for a senior state cricket team? This is what defines the road of Poonch’s only top-level cricketer, Nawaz Rather.

A wicket-keeper batsman whose parents decided to send him to a religious school in order to read and memorize Quran, finally after pursuing his parents’ wishes, has now climbed the first step of his own ‘big dream’, which is to play cricket at the highest level.

Nawaz, 24, appeared for Jammu and Kashmir in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on Thursday against Manipur, becoming the only player from district Poonch to play for J&K senior state-level team.

However, he didn’t get the opportunity to show his skills with the bat, but with his watchful wicket-keeping, he already left a mark.

Coming from the village Dhangri in Poonch, which is just a few kilometres away from the India-Pakistan border and remains in the spotlight for all wrong reasons, the journey has been quite challenging for Rather.

After playing seven school nationals and captaining J&K for three times at the U-19 level, it took Nawaz seven long years to get in the reckoning of J&K senior cricket team.

Rather first and most credits his success to his uncle, Mr. Azam Rather, who has been his backbone during his early days with the sport,

“My uncle supported me from the very beginning. Today if I have made it to J&K team, it’s largely due to his unending help and prayers.” The jubilant Nawaz told Sportskeeda in an exclusive interview.

Been around the space where people think one and hundred times before going out of their houses, Nawaz never missed his cricket practice, despite knowing it could even cost him his life,

“Our village is just next to border and conditions here remain appalling most of the times. But, my love for cricket insisted me to go out each day and practice, no matter if it would result in even the utmost adversity.” he said.

Having cruised past all these hardships, the youngster now aims to go even higher in the game to see a glint of joy on the ‘dejected’ faces of the people from his town.

“I’ll leave no stone unturned to make my village and district proud. May be, if I play at higher level, people back home who remain dejected can get to smile a bit,” Rather said.

Rather also mentioned that he idolizes, J&K skipper and the state’s only international cricketer, Parvez Rasool,

“Parvez bhaiyya inspires me the most. He has also faced similar sort of problems but he went past everything and played at the highest level. I just want to follow his footprints,” He signed off.

source: http://www.sportskeeda.com / Sports Keeda / Home> Cricket / by Mohsin Kamal , Senior Analyst / March 03rd, 2019

Badminton Junior: Samiya Farooqui to lead Girls team, Maisnam Luwang to lead boys

Leaders, Sports, World Opinion, , , , , , , , ,

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

Selected for Dutch Junior International and the German Junior 

SamiyaMPOs21feb2019

Harpal Singh Bedi / New Delhi :

Manipur’s Maisnam Meiraba Luwang and Samiya Imad Farooqui will spearhead 20-member Indian junior badminton team’s challenge at the Dutch Junior International from February 27 to March 3 and the German Junior from March 7-10

Manipur”s Luwang earned the distinction to lead the boys’ singles challenge by virtue of the 1192 points that he amassed following his title wins at the All-India Junior Ranking Badminton Tournaments in Vijayawada and Bangalore.

The girls’ team captain Samiya Imad Farooqui , a former 2017 U-15 Asian Junior Championships gold medallist., has 1125 points to her credit in the ranking tournaments.

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) considered the cumulative ranking points from the three All India Junior Ranking tournaments held in Vijayawada, Bangalore and Jaipur in January..

MaisnamMPOs21feb2019

While Meiraba topped the chart in the boys’ singles section, the others joining him are Andhra Pradesh’s Sai Charan Koya, Priyanshu Rajawat of Dhar in Madhya Pradesh and Sathish Kumar from Coimbatore.

In girls’ singles, Farooqui is joined by Gayatri Gopichand, Nashik girl Smit Toshniwal and Amolika Singh hailing from Uttar Pradesh.

The winner of each leg gets 500 while the runner-up bags 425. The rest of the points bifurcation are semi-finals (350), quarter-finals (275) and pre-quarter-finals (192).

Ishaan Bhatnagar and Edwin Joy will be leading India’s challenge in the boys’ doubles section.Treesa Jolly and Varshini VS will be the ones to watch in girls’ doubles while the in-form Navaneeth Bokka and Sahithi Bandi, who swept the three ranking events, will be India’s top team in mixed doubles.

The Dutch and the German Junior belong to the Junior International Grand Prix category.

Last year India won the boys’ doubles silver medal at the Dutch Junior when the talented duo of Krishna Prasad Garaga and Dhruv Kapila finished as the runners-up.

The squad

Boys :  Maisnam Meiraba (AAI), Sai Charan Koya (AP), Priyanshu Rajawat (MP), Sathish Kur K (TN)

Girls : Samiya Imad Farooqui , Gayatri Gopichand Pullela (TS), Smit Toshniwal (MAH), Amolika Singh (UP)

Doubles

Boys: Ishaan Bhatnagar (CG), Edwin Joy (KER), Navaneeth Bokka , Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala (TS)

Girls : Treesa Jolly (KER), Varshini VS (TN), Kavya Gupta (DLI), Khushi Gupta (DLI)

Mixed Doubles: Navaneeth Bokka , Sahithi Bandi (TS), Edwin Joy,feesah Sara Siraj (KER)

source: http://www.theindianawaaz.com / The Indian Awaaz / Home / by Indian Awaaz / February 21st, 2019

Amit, Nikhat strike gold at Strandja Memorial Boxing

Sports, World Opinion, , , , , , , ,

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

Nikhat Zareen and Meena Kumari Devi became the first set of Indian women boxers to notch up gold medals at the Strandja Memorial Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Nikhat Zareen claimed a 5-0 win in the 51kg category finals against Filipino Irish Magno. - PHOTO: JSW SPORTS
Nikhat Zareen claimed a 5-0 win in the 51kg category finals against Filipino Irish Magno. – PHOTO: JSW SPORTS

Asian Games gold-medallist Amit Panghal (49kg) on Tuesday claimed a second successive gold at the Strandja Memorial Tournament, in which India’s women boxers also scripted history with a couple of maiden top finishes in Sofia, Bulgaria.

The Armyman from Haryana pulled off a dominating 5-0 triumph over Kazakhstan’s Temirtas Zhussupov, who was left with a bleeding forehead at the end of the final bout.

Former junior world champion Nikhat Zareen and Meena Kumari  Devi  became the first set of Indian women boxers to notch up gold medals at the prestigious tournament, which is into its 70th edition.

In all, India signed off with three gold, a silver, and three bronze medals in this edition of the event, which marks the beginning of the European boxing calendar.

Zareen, a multiple-time national medallist, claimed a 5-0 win in the 51kg category finals against Filipino Irish Magno, while Devi got the better of Aira Villegas 3-2, also from the Philippines, in the bantamweight (54kg) summit clash.

The previous best by an Indian woman boxer at the event was the silver won by the legendary M.C. Mary Kom last year.

“I dedicate this medal to the martyrs of the Pulwama terror attack. It was a very sad day for us as a country,” Zareen told PTI over the phone from Sofia referring to last week’s terror attack that killed 40 CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kashmir.

However, Manju Rani (48kg) settled for a silver after going down to another Filipino in Josie Gabuco in a split 2-3 verdict.

In a commanding performance, Zareen out-maneuvered Magno with a rock solid defence. Although the bout seemed closer than the final score-line, Zareen pulled it off by denying her rival a clear shot.

“My entire thought process in the bout was to never give up. My opponent had beaten Pinki Jangra in the first round and I just wanted to prove that I could get the better of her,” Zareen said.

“This win is also my response to all those who doubt my ability. I am just emotionally overwhelmed right now,” added the 22-year-old, who was denied a trial before the Asian Games last year despite being fit.

Devi, who won a bronze medal in the previous edition of the prestigious tournament, bettered her podium performance with a gritty show against Villegas.

The Indian battled hard against her aggressive opponent and did well on the counter-attack to edge past the Filipino for a top finish.

On Monday, Pwilao Basumatari (64kg), Neeraj (60kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) had settled for bronze medals after losing their semi-final bouts.

“The key to this success has been stress management. It has been a conscious decision to keep the pressure off them and constantly remind them of their strengths,” said India’s chief coach for women, Mohammed Ali Qamar, who took over the top position only last month.

The country had won 11 medals at the 2018 edition, two of them gold, which was also the country’s best ever performance.

source: http://www.sportstar.thehindu.com / SportsStar / Home> Boxing / by PTI / New Delhi – February 19th, 2019