Category Archives: Sports

Afsal bounces back in 800m

Sports

Kochi :

Young Palakkad athletes Mohammed Afsal and mourning Varsha MV hogged limelight on the concluding day of the MK Joseph Memorial 12th Kerala State Inter-club Athletics Championship here. The Sunday evening crowd were treated to some interesting and intriguing races.

In boys (under-18) 200m event, Joseph Joe M of Mercy Kuttan Athletics Academy, emerged winner in a hotly contested race in a record new time of 22.11 seconds. Joseph was challenged by Jyothi Prasad of Centralised Sports Hostel, Kasaragod who also bettered the meet record (22.49s). Ernakulam Sports Academy’s Vishnu KP (22.76s) took the bronze. The four-year-old record (22.53s) stood in the name of Binish K Shaji.

Parli HSS runner Afsal, who was dominating the middle distance for the past couple of seasons, bounced back after tasting defeat in 3000m on Saturday to Rahul PR of Mundur, with a flawless effort in boys (u-20) 800m race on Sunday. Afsal surged ahead of the bunch from the start and never looked back and he touched the tape first winning the two-lap event with a meet record (1.53.96).

His school mate Varsha, who established a meet record in 10000m in gilrs (u-20) on the opening day returned to starting point to run 5000m after attending the final rites of her grandfather who passed away on Friday.

But she saw threat from Vidhya KK of Mundur who closely followed her all through the 12 and half lap but the experienced Varsha breasted the tape first to complete rare a golden double in record time. Varsha clocked 17 minutes 32.47 seconds obliterating Thara MD’s record of 17:55.8 set last year.

“All my relatives including my parents wanted me to return to track as soon as possible after the final rites of my grandfather was over on Friday itself. I took rest on Saturday and decided to run today. I also thoght that if i win a gold it would bring happiness to my relatives and I’m glad that I won in record record ,” Varsha, who like Afsal is trained by PG Manoj, said.

Jisna Mathew, a trainee of PT Usha, showed her immense talent when she ran a blistering race to clinch the girls (under-16) 200m in record time. It looked Jisna was racing against herself as she finished the race with a yawning lead. Mercy Kuttan trainee Linet George took silver (27.04s) and Fathima PP of Navamukunda Sports Academy was third (27.13s).

The final day also saw seven more meet records mostly in throw events. Athira Muralidharan (U-20, hammer throw, 43.60m, MA College), Rajna J (u-18, javelin throw, 40.80m CFD, Mathur), Anju Kuriakose (u-18, hammer throw, 40.12m, SGHSS, Kothamangalam), Aleena Vincent (u-18, hepthalon, 4227 pts, CSH, Kollam), Anju Murukan (girls U-16, 3000m 10:42.07, Parli HSS), Aswathy Binu (girls u-14, SAI, Tvm 600m, 1:40.01) and Nibin M Binu (men 800m, 1:55..58 SNC, Punalur) who entered the record books.

Overall 1.SAI, Tvm (480 pints), 2 Parli HSS, Pkd (262.5), 3. Assumption College, Changanacherry (243), 4. SGHSS, Kothamangalam (237), 5 Alphonsa College, Pala (150.5), 6. MA College, Kothamangalam (138), 7 Mar Basil HSS, Kothamangalam (119.5), 8. Kalladi HSS, Pkd (114), 9. Mundur HSS (104.5), 10. Malabar Sports Academy, Pulloorampara, Kkd (104.5), 11, Sai Kollam (75), 12 SNVHSS Vannappuram, Idk (67), Usha School Of Athletics Kinalur (65), 14 SB, Changanacherry (62), 15 St. Thomas Pala (60), 16 Mathirappilly School Athletics Trust (67), 17 SAI Kkd (58), 18 Navamukunda SA, Thirunavaya (53), Vimala Tsr, (49), 20. Mercy Kuttan Athletics Academy, Ekm ((48).

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kochi / TNN / August 12th, 2014

City man scales two mountains

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, NRI's / PIO's, Sports, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion

KhasimRazaMPOs10aug2014

Khasim Raza conquers Mt. Elbrus, wants to climb all ‘Seven Summits’ by 2017. Though the ascent to the base camp which is at an elevation of 10,000 ft by chairlift is easy, it took nine days for his five-member team and guide to scale the mountain.

Vijayawada-born Khasim Raza made big news in the city when he climbed the Khilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world. Now he is back in the limelight by conquering Mt. Elbrus the highest mountain in Europe. He plans to climb all ‘Seven Summits’ of the world by 2017.

It is the dream of every mountaineer to climb all seven mountains on the list. Mount Everest is the highest peak with an elevation of 29,020 feet. It is followed by Aconcagua (22,838 ft), McKinley (20,322 ft), Kilimanjaro (19,341 ft), Elbrus (18,510 ft), Vinson (16,050), Puncak Jaya (16,050 ft) and Kosciuszko (7,310). (The names of eight mountains are listed because there are two different lists of the Seven Summits. Mountaineer Bass lists Kosciuszko in his list, but mountaineer Messner lists Puncak Jaya in his list.)

Mr Raza did his schooling in N.S.M. Public School here and went on to become a British citizen.

He now operates with Dubai has his base. His father, owner of Metro Opticals in Gandhi Nagar, is one of the first opticians of the town. Mr Raza’s sights are trained next on Aconcagua, the second highest peak in the list, located in South America.

“Every mountain teaches you something. Kili (the affectionate way he refers to the mountain) taught me how to deal with wind speeds and high altitude, Elbrus taught me about cold. It is all snow and ice there,” he said.

Though the ascent to the base camp which is at an elevation of 10,000 ft by chairlift is easy, it took nine days for his five-member team and guide to scale the mountain. “We lived in accommodation that is similar to a container used for shipping goods. Every alternate day we went out on acclimatisation climbs. Unlike in Kili, the gradients on Elbrus are very steep,” he said. He says the view from the mountain slopes were really breathtaking.

Besides mountaineering, Mr Raza is every inch an adventure junkie. Just a couple of months ago he and some friends went on a cross-country cycling expedition in Cyprus. “I want to share my experiences to inspire youngsters to become more adventures and pursue challenges,” he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by G. Venkataramana Rao / Vijayawada – August 09th, 2014

Pursue sports , students told

Sports
Municipal Commissioner Harikiran inaugurating the sub junior rapid chess tournament at Vijayawada on Sunday. / The Hindu
Municipal Commissioner Harikiran inaugurating the sub junior rapid chess tournament at Vijayawada on Sunday. / The Hindu

Municipal Commissioner Harikiran on Sunday exhorted parents to encourage their wards in taking up sports and games for the overall development of their personality

Speaking at the inaugural function of the sub junior rapid chess tournament, organised by Global Chess Academy at Fun Times here, he said top universities world-over preferred students with overall skills and sports and games played a crucial role in youngsters getting seats in prestigious educational institutions.

“It is imperative that students along with academics pursued their interests in sports, cultural and literary activities. Vijayawada has produced many talented sportspersons, and you should emulate them and bring laurels to the Andhra Pradesh and the country,” he added. As many as 77 players from the district took part in the event, which was held in six rounds. Fun Times secretary Ajit Babu said that the club was always at the forefront of organising sports events. “We are regularly conducting badminton and chess tournaments. We will continue to support chess in a big way,” he promised.

Global Chess Academy secretary Sk. Khasim, Fun Times treasurer Krishna Rao, committee member V. Sambasiva Rao and Fun Times chess coach Basheer were present in the inaugural function.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Vijayawada / by J. R. Sridharan / Vijayawada – August 04th, 2014

Kirmani ton props up President’s XI

Sports

KSCA teams were in a spot of bother on the opening day of their respective semifinals in the Dr (Capt) K Thimmappiah memorial cricket tournament at the Alur grounds here on Thursday.

KSCA President’s XI, barring Sadiq Kirmani (111) and Pavan Deshpande (51), came a cropper as they were bowled out for 214 in just 54.1 overs against National Cricket Academy.

While Sadiq was in fine touch during his 158-ball stay where he cracked 15 boundaries and two sixes, none of the others, barring Deshpande, rose to the task as wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals.

The wrecker-in-chief for NCA was Veer Pratap Singh, the medium-pacer from Bengal grabbing five for 70. Deepak Chahar gave good support, taking 2/42. NCA replied positively, reaching 124/3 in 32 overs at stumps.

KSCA Colts too didn’t enjoy a great day in the office against Haryana CA, who rode on Sonu Rathi’s quickfire century to reach a promising 384/8 at stumps. Sonu was in his elements as he cracked a 117-ball 114 while Nithin Saini (52), Abhimanyu Kopdha (48), Sachin Rana (39), Jayanth Yadhav (48) and Kuldeep Hooda (38 batting) made useful contributions for Haryana.

Goutham K did well for the Colts, taking 3/22. Prasidhi Krishna took three wickets but gave away 87 runs while Suchith J grabbed 2/106.

Brief scores: KSCA President’s XI: 214 all out in 54.1 overs (Pavan Deshpande 51, Sadiq Kirmani 111; Deepak Chahar 2-42, Veer Pratap Singh 5-70) vs National Cricket Academy: 124/3 in 32 overs (Washington S 65, Chirag Khurana 33).

Haryana CA: 384/8 in 90 overs (Nithin Saini 52, Sonu Rathi 114, Abhimanyu Kopdha 48, Sachin Rana 39, Jayanth Yadhav 48, Kuldeep Hooda 38 n.o.; Prasidhi Krishna 3-87, Goutham K 3-22, Suchith J 2-106) vs KSCA Colts.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Sports / DHNS – Bangalore , August 07th, 2014

Commonwealth Games 2014: Asab Mohammed wins bronze in men’s double trap event

Amazing Feats, Sports, World Opinion
Asab Mohammed
Asab Mohammed

Shooting contibuted yet another medal to India’s medal tally as Asab Mohammed Rizvi grabbed the bronze medal in men’s double trap event. Another Indian shooter Ankur Mittal, who was leading after the qualification round finished in 5th position.

Asab defeated Nathan Xuereb of Malta 26-24 in the bronze medal play-off. Both the Indian shooters started off very well in the qualification round as Ankur and Asab with 135 and 132 points finished on 1st and 2nd respectively in the qualification round to make it to the semifinals.

Asab’s start to the semifinal round was a bit shaky as he missed 3 of the first 10 targets, but after that he didn’t miss a single shot in his next 10 rounds and scored a good 27/30. Along with Asab, two Englishmen Steven Scott and Matthew French finished with the same scoreline as the contest ended in three-way shoot-off.

Asab unfortunately missed one target in the shoot-off as the other two shooters shot a perfect 2/2 to qualify for the gold medal match.

In bronze medal play-off, Asab was leading 8-6 at one stage but then the 17 year old shooter from Malta,Nathan Xuereb made a good comeback to level the scores to 14-14. The inexperience of the Maltian shooter came into play as he missed few shots towards the end of the match.

Steven Scott shot a perfect 30 to clinch the gold medal and his compatriot Matthew French with a score of 29 won the silver medal.

With this medal, India’s medal tally has now gone up to 19 medals which includes 5 golds, 8 silvers and 6 bronze. England, Australia and Scotland hold the top 3 positions respectively.

Final Standings:

Position Name Medal
1 Steven Scott (ENG) GOLD
2 Matthew French (ENG) SILVER
3 Asab Mohammed (IND) BRONZE

source: http://www.sportskeeda.com / SportsKeeda / Home> News> Shooting / by Vishal Kungwani / July 27th, 2014

Dr. Capt. Thimmapppiah Memorial All India cricket

Sports

Iqbal Abdulla shines in Mumbai’s victory

IqbalAbdullaMPOs05aug2014

Mysore :

 An inspired spell by left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla (six for 18), helped Mumbai register a big 196-run win over Kerala CA in their Group ‘C’ league tie on the concluding day of the Dr. Capt. Thimmappiah Memorial All India Cricket Tournament played at the Gangotri Glades here on Tuesday.

Resuming at their innings with an overnight score of zero for one in 3.1 overs, Kerala CA’s batsman caved into the guile’s of left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla and were bowled out for 112 in 47.5 overs. Ralphi Vincent Gomes top scored for Kerala with 58 runs (10x4s,1x6s).

In the other tie at SJCE grounds, National Cricket Academy (NCA) scored a facile 195-run win over Assam CA. Assam CA resuming a their innings with overnight score of 181 for four in 48.5 overs were bowled out for 290 in 68.4 overs. Opener Pallav Das impressed with a well compiled 126 (16×4, 2x6s). Medium-pacer Deepak Chahar (four for 86) and left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav (three for 61) were amongst the wickets for NCA.

The Scores: Mumbai CA 261 in 82.3 overs and 296 for five. decl. in 63 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 74, Abhishek Nayar 65, Kevin D’Almeda 62, Akhil Herwardkar 47) bt Kerala CA 249 in 106.1 overs (Sachin Baby 100, Javed Khan three for 45, Siddesh Lad three for 28) and 112 in 47.5 overs (Ralphi Vincent Gomes 58, Iqbal Abdulla six for 18). Mumbai won by 196 runs.

NCA 211 in 57.4 overs and 434 in 84.4 overs (Inclusive of 6 penalty runs) (Nikhil Nayak 154, Shubham Khajuria 135, Rajakuddin Ahmed five for 129, Krishna Das three for 113) bt Assam CA 160 in 50.2 overs and 290 in 68.4 overs (Pallav Das 126, Sib Sankar Das 50, Sarupam P 29, Deepak Chahar four for 86, Kuldeep Yadav three for 61) ). NCA won by 195 runs.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports  News / July 30th, 2014

Commonwealth bronze sweetens life for Sakina Khatun

Amazing Feats, Sports, World Opinion
Sakina khatun with the bronze medal she won at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. / The Hindu
Sakina khatun with the bronze medal she won at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. / The Hindu

Her success is all down to her hard work: coach

Life has not been kind to Sakina Khatun, who won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games on Saturday.

In Glasgow’s Clyde Auditorium, the 25-year-old Bangalore-based para-athlete lifted a weight of 88.2 kg to finish third in the women’s powerlifting event (Lightweight Group A). It was a success that came after prolonged hardship.

“My parents cried when I broke the news to them on the phone,” she told The Hindu from Glasgow.

Her coach and mentor Farman Basha,  who also competed at the Games, faltered in his event on account of an injury, but his delight was enormous. “She has been through a lot. So I’m very happy for her,” he said.

Sakina hails from Basirhat in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district. Her mother is a farm labourer while her father, ailing with a serious back condition, is unable to work. “He can’t even walk,” Sakina said. “We don’t have the money for his treatment.”

Afflicted with polio at a young age, she took up swimming on her doctor’s suggestion, learning in ponds in her village before a teacher in school noticed she had an aptitude for it. “Despite steady success at the national level, I was ignored for the 2010 Commonwealth Games team. It left me disheartened and I quit the sport,” she said.

Sakina switched over to powerlifting on the advice of one of her swimming coaches, and in 2010 was directed to Basha. “She wanted to come over to Bangalore to be trained by me,” he said. “She had no money and I couldn’t afford to spend a rupee on her.”

But Sakina found a benefactor in Dilip Majumdar, a businessman who volunteered to support her training. “I’m a girl and my parents were against my leaving home,” she recalled. “But my sponsor managed to convince them.”

“At first, she could only lift around 25 kg,” recalled Basha. “But gradually she improved. Her success is all down to her hard work.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Citis> Bangalore / by Shreedutta Chidananda / Bangalore – August 04th, 2014

Anisa geared up for hectic season ahead

Sports
Anything that glitters: Though Anisa Sayyed had to be content with silver the 25m pistol shooter has no regrets as she prepares for the season ahead. / The Hindu
Anything that glitters: Though Anisa Sayyed had to be content with silver the 25m pistol shooter has no regrets as she prepares for the season ahead. / The Hindu

Defending champion Anisa Sayyed may have swapped her Commonwealth Games gold for silver with compatriot Rahi Sarnobat this time around but that has not affected the 33-year-old’s enthusiasm.

Back from Glasgow, Anisa is focused on making the most of a hectic upcoming season that includes the Asian Games and the World Championships.

The 25m pistol shooter has no regrets.

“Of course, it would have been great if I had retained the gold, so a little disappointment is natural. But there are no regrets. My main target is the World Championships (Granada, Spain, September 6-20), where there will be quota places available for the Rio Olympics. The CWG was a practice competition, an important tune-up event ahead of the big test. We used it to fine-tune our techniques and work out the kinks,” Anisa said after reaching home.

Anisa insisted there was no competition with Rahi. The only thing that mattered was the Indian national anthem being played after the event.

All about control

“If we start thinking of competition, we will not be able to control our mind, body or technique.

“Shooting is all about control and competing with yourself. Before competition, no one speaks much to anyone. But it’s different after the event. In fact, I love being with Rahi on tours because there are not too many Maharashtrians around and it is a huge relief to talk to someone in your mother tongue in a foreign land,” she laughed. Pune-born Anisa, earlier employed with Indian Railways, is now hoping to land a job with the Haryana government since she has been staying in Faridabad after marriage. Her application has been under process for almost four years.

Supported by the Anglian Medal Hunt Company since last year, Anisa admits it was tough to balance marriage and shooting early on.

“In fact, I even thought of not getting married till I was into active sports but everything happens for the best.

“In six years since marriage, my in-laws have given me full freedom and support to pursue my passion.

“Now, if only I manage to get a job, things will get a lot easier,” she said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Other Sports / Uthra Ganesan / New Delhi – August 02nd, 2014

Ajai, Nadia, Fouad hope to do well at Asiad

Sports, World Opinion
Ajai Appachu, Nadia Haridass, Fouad Mirza and Silva Storai
Ajai Appachu, Nadia Haridass, Fouad Mirza and Silva Storai

Bangalore :

Three of Karnataka’s excellent show jumpers from Embassy International Riding School, Bangalore, will make their way to Incheon, Korea for the 17th Asian Games to be held from September 19 to October 4.

Ajai Appachu and Nadia Haridass will represent the country for the second time in the Asian Games, while Fouad Mirza will make his debut. In 2010, Ajai was selected for Asian Games, but did not make it due to technical issues.

Equestrian has featured in the Asian Games ever since it was first staged in New Delhi in 1982. To date, Japan leads in the number of accolades collected at the Asian Games followed by South Korea and India.

Appachu, Mirza and Haridass train at Bangalore’s premier horse riding school, Embassy International Riding School (EIRS). They have meticulously trained under reputed instructors.

Appachu has earned several accolades at events across the world. Recently, he stood second at the renowned Hopetoun Commonwealth Cup in Scotland.

At 22, Mirza has performed splendidly, having won over 50 regional and international championship medals. He stood fourth at the Hopetoun Commonwealth Cup.

Nadia, a dressage specialist, has been a consistent performer in the category and has gained recognition in equestrian circles by winning many laurels and representing the country at both national and international platforms.

“I think we stand a good chance of winning in South Korea as we have the best horses. In the run-up to the Asian Games, we have been training hard in Europe and also participating in tough competitions,” said Appachu. Nadia, who trains under Olympian Hubertus Schmidt in Dusseldorf, Germany, said: “Competing against the world’s best riders in the qualifying rounds of Asian Games has infused confidence in me ahead of the big event. Qatar has spent a huge amount of money to prepare for the race and they can be tough opponents.”

“I am optimistic about winning a medal in the team event. Overall, the championship will be tough as Korea, Japan and Qatar have invested heavily on buying a good breed of horses,” said Oxfordshire-based Fouad.

“Nowadays, more parents want their children to pursue the sport and I hope we have some good performances at Asian Games,” said EIRS director Silva Storai, who was a professional rider herself, not too long ago.

source: http://www.thenewindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bangalore / by S.S. Shreekumar / July 29th, 2014

Three horse riders from Bangalore for Incheon Asian Games

Sports, World Opinion

Ajai Appachu, Fouaad Mirza and Nadia Haridass, three of Karnataka’s senior show jumpers, would take part in the equestrian event of the 17th Asian Games to be held in Incheon, South Korea, from September 19 to October 4.

Appachu, Mirza and Haridass train in Bangalore’s Embassy International Riding School (EIRS) and have qualified through five trials, qualifiers and competitions which were held from October last year to April this year, said a media release today.

There were five jury members involved in making the selections for each of the competition’s disciplines – jumping, dressage and eventing.

Appachu has earned several equestrian accolades at events world-wide and recently placed second at the Hopetoun Commonwealth Cup in Scotland and is also the chief instructor for budding equestrians at the school.

Mirza, 22, placed fourth at the Hopetoun Commonwealth Cup earlier this year while Nadia has been a consistent performer in the dressage category – representing the country at international meets, the release said.

The equestrian sport has been featured in the pan-Asian sports spectacle since the New Delhi Games in 1982 and to date, Japan leads the honours list, followed by South Korea  and India in that order.

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> PTI Stories> National> News / Press Trust of India / Mumbai – July 24th, 2014